Training

CARES SPOCs, Technical Contacts, Training Contacts, Implementation Coordinators, Training Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:

We are pleased to introduce the new CWS-CARES On-Demand Learning (Enablement) Dashboards. Designed to provide visibility into training progress across the CWS-CARES platform, these tools empower both individual learners and management to track enablement milestones effectively.

A comprehensive step-by-step navigation guide is attached.

There are two distinct dashboards within the system:

1. Individual Dashboards (My Assigned Learning)

This feature allows individual users to track their training progress from high-level statuses (On Track, Overdue, Not Started) down to overall program completion percentages and granular, lesson-level details. Views include Assigned Learning Status, Learning Completed by [Enablement] Program, and Learning Completed by Lesson.

Additionally, users may disregard "Completed Late" or “Overdue” designations, as an update is in progress to consolidate all finished coursework under a single "Completed" status.

Access Links:

• Training Environment Individual Dashboard Link
• Production Simulation Individual Dashboard Link

2. County Level Dashboard (Supervisor – Assigned Enablement Programs) 

This enables supervisors and leadership to monitor overall completion rates and proactively offer support where needed. Key Capabilities include filtering completion metrics by County or Organization and Program Name. Dashboard fields such as Total Allocated Completion Days, Actual Completion Days, and Active Days in Progress measure calendar durations (e.g., the span of days between assignment and completion). They represent overall timeline progression rather than actual hours or active time spent training within the system. 

Access Links: 

• Training Environment - Supervisor Dashboard Link 

• Production Simulation - Supervisor Dashboard Link 

Users must have access to the Training Environment (CARES 104) to access the corresponding “Training Environment” dashboard links. Expanded Training Environment access will be rolled out broadly next week.  

As communicated on July 13, all published Enablement Programs have been automatically assigned to all users in the Prod Sim (CARES 100) environment. Consequently, staff may see courses on their dashboard that fall outside their specific role.  

Please be aware that the two tracking dashboards operate independently and do not cross-reference data with one another. Completion status or progress reflected on one dashboard will not automatically sync or cross-populate on the other. 

Users do not need to complete every assigned course. Staff are advised to understand their role's published Learning Path and work with their supervisor or training coordinator to confirm required modules and adjust enrollments accordingly. Learning Paths and other supporting materials may be accessed on the CWS-CARES V1 Training.

Enablement Dashboard Access & Core Features 

Users can access the Enablement Program Dashboard directly within the CARES 104 training environment via the Salesforce App Launcher (Waffle icon) under Dashboards > All Folders > Enablement Program Dashboard. 

Individual progress tracking features three views that track high-level status (Not Started, On Track, Overdue), overall program completion rates, and granular, lesson-by-lesson progress. 

Supervisor dashboard & filtering allows leadership to monitor team-wide progress with customizable filters for County and CWS-CARES Program Name, displaying key metrics such as user contact info, completion percentages, total allocated days, and days in progress. 

There are also reporting and export capabilities. Users and supervisors can expand widgets, refresh live data, and export report details (formatted or raw data) directly from any dashboard widget for further analysis. 

Thank you for your continued engagement as we work to support CWS-CARES user readiness and across all counties and organizations. 

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact your training coordinator or CWDS Training. 

Action Required

We request that all CWS-CARES SPOCs and Implementation Coordinators distribute this communication to all staff impacted by CWS-CARES, at their discretion.

To: CARES SPOCs, Technical Contacts, Training Contacts, Implementation Coordinators, Training Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:

To prepare users for Instructor-Led Training (ILT), access to the CWS-CARES Training Environment (CARES 104) will be provisioned in a phased approach beginning tomorrow, July 29, 2026. Early access is being provided so users can confirm their login and complete any required account setup before ILT begins. Users will receive notification emails with required actions according to the following schedule: 

Provisioning Schedule 

Wednesday, July 29, 2026 

• Los Angeles County 
• Napa County 
• Santa Barbara County 

Tuesday, August 4, 2026 

•  All remaining counties, tribes, probation agencies, and CDSS 

As noted in prior communications, county-specific rollout messages will not be sent; impacted users will receive the system-generated onboarding emails only. 

Action Required: Complete Onboarding Steps to Confirm Access 

Users will receive two system-generated onboarding emails. Complete the steps below immediately to ensure access is confirmed before ILT begins: 

1. “Welcome to CWS CARES” from no-reply-test@cares.cwds.ca.gov (Okta) 

• Integrated counties/organizations: this email confirms access has been granted. No action required.  
• Non-integrated counties/organizations (new or reactivated users): click the link to set your password. The link expires in 7 days for new users and 1 day for reactivated users.  

2. “Finish changing your Salesforce account’s email address” from QA_SUPPORT@salesforce.com  

• Sent only to users in counties implementing email domain changes. Click the verification link within 72 hours to confirm the change.  

Prior to ILT: Continue Using the Production Simulation Environment (CARES 100) 

The Training Environment (CARES 104) should be used only for guided ILT activities per your county’s training schedule. Early access is provided to confirm login and complete setup only — not for practice, exploration, or workflow activities.  

To continue preparing for ILT, organizations should continue using the Production Simulation environment (CARES 100) to: 

• Build system familiarity

• Complete OnDemand learning modules 

• Continue pre-ILT readiness activities* 

* Users who have already completed Self-Paced Training prerequisites in the Training Environment (CARS 104) are not expected to complete them again. 

Thank you for your ongoing collaboration as we prepare for statewide ILT. 

Action Required:

Complete onboarding steps once your orgaization receives access to the Training Environment (CARES 104). 

 If you have any questions, need clarification, or have any accessibility issues, please contact Customer Relations. 

Security Protocols for Prod Sim Case Data

The Prod Sim environment contains converted CWS/CMS cases reflecting actual system data as of April 17th; because this includes real, sensitive PII, all case information must be strictly protected or redacted.

To protect CWS-CARES case data, please follow these important security guidelines when working with our support teams:

• Redact Ticket Info: Do not send PHI, PII, or confidential case details to the Service Desk via email or ticket. Sensitive and confidential data cannot be stored in the ticketing system.
• Secure Screen Shares: During support-requested screen shares, limit attendees to essential personnel only. Recording of sensitive information is strictly prohibited.
• Consult for Tier 3 Transfers: If Tier 3 support needs sensitive data, use secure transmission methods. Contact your county Privacy Officer or the CWDS ISO if you need assistance with secure routing.

We appreciate your dedication to protecting the safety and privacy of vulnerable children and families while we work together to support your needs.

CARES SPOCs, CARES Technical Contacts, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:

To ensure everyone has full visibility and access to our available training materials, an upcoming change will occur this week to automatically assign all published Enablement Programs to all users within the CWS-CARES Production Simulation (Prod Sim) environment (CARES 100).

While this enhancement is designed to make it easier to explore available training options, it does mean users’ dashboards might look a little different soon.

Please review the upcoming changes and share them with your impacted users.

How This Impacts Users

1. Users will now see all available programs in the Prod Sim (CARES 100) environment.
2. Users may see programs assigned to them that don't align with their specific learning path.
3. If users previously chose to disenroll from a program, this update may automatically re-enroll them. Users still have full control to manually adjust their enrollments and disenroll again as needed.

We highly encourage users to work directly with their supervisor or training coordinator to confirm which programs are right for their specific role. Their published learning paths remain the best reference to guide their selection and enrollment. Our goal is to provide maximum flexibility so users can tailor the enablement experience to their individual and organizational needs.

Action Required

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact your training coordinator or OTSICWDSTraining@otsi.ca.gov.

Security Protocols for Prod Sim Case Data

The Prod Sim environment contains converted CWS/CMS cases reflecting actual system data as of April 17th; because this includes real, sensitive PII, all case information must be strictly protected or redacted.

To protect CWS-CARES case data, please follow these important security guidelines when working with our support teams:

• Redact Ticket Info: Do not send PHI, PII, or confidential case details to the Service Desk via email or ticket. Sensitive and confidential data cannot be stored in the ticketing system.
• Secure Screen Shares: During support-requested screen shares, limit attendees to essential personnel only. Recording of sensitive information is strictly prohibited.
• Consult for Tier 3 Transfers: If Tier 3 support needs sensitive data, use secure transmission methods. Contact your county Privacy Officer or the CWDS ISO if you need assistance with secure routing.

We appreciate your dedication to protecting the safety and privacy of vulnerable children and families while we work together to support your needs.

CARES SPOCs, CARES Technical Contacts, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:

Following up on our communication from June 5, 2026 regarding the postponement of the CWS-CARES Production Simulation (Prod Sim) environment, we are providing an update on what to expect over the next five months, specifically for Prod Sim user access, key features, data, and related environments leading up to our October 2026 Go-Live.

The Prod Sim Environment – Revised Dates & Key Details

1. June 22, 2026: Counties begin hands-on validation of converted legacy data using subject matter experts and end users to verify data accuracy, business functionality, and readiness for expanded statewide testing.

• 'Sealed & Sensitive' cases and referrals are temporarily removed from Prod Sim.
• All CWS-CARES Version 1 (V1) interfaces will be available.

2. July 6, 2026: Additional county users join testing while teams begin validating backend functions, including reports, forms, and data extracts, to ensure the system is performing as expected before go-live.

• The planned Self-Paced Training curriculum will be available.
• The ability to run forms, reports, and extracts will be available.
• In a forthcoming communication, there will be additional details on the number of users and role prioritization to assist counties with determining who will participate.

3. August 3, 2026: Prod Sim access opens for all 25,000 CWS/CMS users.

• Users continue their use of Prod Sim until CWS-CARES V1 Go-Live on October 26, 2026.

4. September 26, 2026: ‘Sealed & Sensitive’ cases and referrals will be added to Prod Sim.

Other Environments – Dates & Key Details

1. June 15, 2026: The V1 Readiness (EUST 3) Environment will be decommissioned at 8AM to migrate interface connections for upcoming training. 

• This will impact interfaces such as Case Management Assessment (CMA), Structured Decision Making (SDM), CalSAWS Foster Care Eligibility Determination (FCED), Juvenile Network (JNET), and potentially others.
• V1 Readiness Environment users who are neither trainers nor granted access to the County Forms Development Environment will be onboarded to the Prod Sim environment according to the timeline above.

2. June 15 – August 7, 2026: The new IBM-converted CWS/CMS forms will be available in County Forms Development Environment 102 on a rolling basis as they are developed for testing and validation by counties.

• During planned outages, these forms will be available in the Prod Sim environment and migration of those documents will begin on July 6, 2026.

3. June 16, 2026: Training Environment 104 opens for Train-the-Trainer (TTT) staff to start their prerequisite training.

• County-identified users will begin to receive onboarding emails on June 12, 2026.

We acknowledge how critical these changes are for organizations, and that they have a direct impact on your readiness activities. We are dedicated to delivering on our commitments and working with you in partnership towards CWS-CARES V1 Go-Live on October 26, 2026. We will be providing forthcoming communication in the coming weeks that will outline in much greater detail the remaining critical dates, delivery of system or functionality fixes, and any outstanding items that will require workarounds until functionality can be fixed post Go-Live.

Please contact Customer Relations for questions: CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov

CARES SPOCs, Technical Contacts, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, Training Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:

Following our May 22, 2026, update regarding the CWS-CARES Training Strategy, we are sharing two attachments detailing the CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1) Role Based Training Curriculum and next steps.

The attached document outlines the updated Instructor-Led Training (ILT) curriculum for CARES V1, featuring in-person and virtual sessions tailored for county, state, and specialized program staff. The curriculum is broken down into distinct courses—ranging from 1 to 6 hours in duration—covering critical business areas such as Screenings & Referrals, Placement, Case Management Services, Courts, Eligibility, Adoptions, Prevention Services (FFPSA), Resource Family Approval, Financial Management, Admin Console, and Probation. Each module provides targeted learning objectives, role-specific alignment, and course maps to prepare staff for CARES V1.

Rather than a one-size-fits-all approach, this role-based structure ensures that staff members receive training tailored directly to the functions and workflows they will use in CARES V1.

To support your preparation, we are also sharing a Self-Paced Learning Release Plan for Salesforce Enablement, the built-in tool that allows staff to create, assign, and track interactive training in CWS-CARES. This plan outlines the upcoming on-demand courses and their scheduled release dates for the Production Simulation (Prod Sim) environment. Additional courses may be added as development progresses to provide even more learning opportunities.

Implementation Meeting Update & Train-the-Trainer (TTT) Prep

Based on organization feedback to improve efficiency and time spent in meetings, the Biweekly Implementation Meetings have been canceled. Implementation related updates will continue to be shared in existing forums such as the Monthly Org Readiness Meetings, OCM Advisory Workgroup, TIPS, the County Advisory Committee - CAC (to be added to the CAC meeting series please email cwscaresprodsimcac@otsi.ca.gov), and Stakeholder Briefings as currently scheduled.

To prepare for Train-the-Trainer (TTT) from June 15 through mid-August, ensure that your trainers understand the schedule of activities and plan accordingly, and remind staff to complete their foundational, self-paced online Salesforce Enablement training before they attend the TTT sessions.

Action Required

Please contact OTSICWDSTraining@otsi.ca.gov if you have any questions regarding the curriculum or scheduling.

ALL SPOCs and TRAINING CONTACTS:

May 1, 2026 update: This is a reminder that the deadline to register for the R9.8 County Test Workshop (CTW) is May 19, 2026.

Additionally, we want to ensure all potential testers are aware of the database cutoff date in advance. The last day to enter data into CWS/CMS and have it included in CTW is May 12, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Any data entered after this date and time will not be available during CTW.

Please note: if new users are participating in CTW and they have no data entered before the cutoff, they will not have any data available to test during CTW.

_____________________________________________

The Child Welfare Digital Services (CWDS) Office is requesting county staff to participate in the Release 9.8 County Test Workshop (CTW).  Release 9.8 is scheduled for delivery to the counties on July 11, 2026.

The CTW for Release 9.8 will be conducted in a remote setting, via Server Based Computing (SBC) soft tokens.  

The deadline to register is:  May 19, 2026

Registered testers will participate in the testing of Release 9.8, which is scheduled for delivery to the counties on July 11, 2026.  CWDS is seeking a total of 15 county staff members for each of the 16 sessions (2 sessions per day, 9AM - 12PM and 1PM - 4PM). There will be no testing from 12PM - 1PM each day of CTW.   

Remote CTW sessions will be on the following dates: 

Week 1 (Read/Write Environment)

Monday, June 1, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Tuesday, June 2, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Wednesday, June 3, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Thursday, June 4, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Week 2 (Read-Only Environment)

Monday, June 8, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Tuesday, June 9, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Wednesday, June 10, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Thursday, June 11, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Participants are welcome to register for any of the sessions listed above, in half or whole day increments. Participants are recommended to register for at least one session per week. This will allow the participant to compare activities in both the usual read/write environment and the read-only environment.

The sessions will be limited to a maximum of 15 people per session.  No exceptions. 

We encourage you to submit your request for a specific session as soon as possible, but no later than close of business on May 19, 2026.  If a daily count exceeds the maximum count, Customer Relations will work with that tester to be rescheduled to another session. 

Please note that all requests must be submitted by the deadline so that the CWDS Office can finalize the needed arrangements.  Late registrations cannot be accepted.

A  Release 9.8 County Test Workshop Online Registration Form (see link below) for each potential tester must be received as soon as possible, but no later than close of business on May 19, 2026.

 Link:   Release 9.8 County Test Workshop (CTW) Registration Form

If for any reason, you cannot access the Online Registration Form, please contact Customer Relations at CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov.

The CWDS Office will work with the registered participants on all the details of their CTW participation.  

SBC Soft Token Use:

Once registration has closed on May 19, 2026, Customer Relations will schedule a MS Teams meeting with testers and their County IT Contacts.  The purpose of this meeting will be to make sure that your County IT can configure your workstation with the needed software and any other required configurations.  If this cannot be accomplished, your registration in this CTW cannot be accommodated. 

System Change Requests (SCRs) included: 

• SCR 9003 - Place CWS/CMS in a Read-Only State
• SCR 8993 - Referral Completed Due Date
• SCR 8973 - ICWA Eligible Data Entry (Part A)
• SCR 9034 - R9.8 Training Tools Package

Counties are encouraged to register individuals with knowledge and experience working in the areas mentioned above.  A mix of end users with casework or supervisory experience will also be very helpful.  Participants will validate the changes in the release and will perform tests of problem fixes and enhancements. Participants will work with other County and State testers as well as vendor support staff.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment, please contact: Customer Relations at CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov.

Your continued support of CWDS is greatly appreciated. 

Action Required

Submit a Release 9.8 County Test Workshop Online Registration Form no later than May 19, 2026.

ALL SPOCs and TRAINING CONTACTS:

The Child Welfare Digital Services (CWDS) Office is requesting county staff to participate in the Release 9.8 County Test Workshop (CTW).  Release 9.8 is scheduled for delivery to the counties on July 11, 2026.

The CTW for Release 9.8 will be conducted in a remote setting, via Server Based Computing (SBC) soft tokens.  

The deadline to register is:  May 19, 2026.

Registered testers will participate in the testing of Release 9.8, which is scheduled for delivery to the counties on July 11, 2026.  CWDS is seeking a total of 15 county staff members for each of the 16 sessions (2 sessions per day, 9AM - 12PM and 1PM - 4PM). There will be no testing from 12PM - 1PM each day of CTW.   

Remote CTW sessions will be on the following dates: 

Week 1 (Read/Write Environment)

Monday, June 1, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Tuesday, June 2, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Wednesday, June 3, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Thursday, June 4, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Week 2 (Read-Only Environment)

Monday, June 8, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Tuesday, June 9, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Wednesday, June 10, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Thursday, June 11, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Participants are welcome to register for any of the sessions listed above, in half or whole day increments. Participants are recommended to register for at least one session per week. This will allow the participant to compare activities in both the usual read/write environment and the read-only environment.

The sessions will be limited to a maximum of 15 people per session.  No exceptions. 

We encourage you to submit your request for a specific session as soon as possible, but no later than close of business on May 19, 2026.  If a daily count exceeds the maximum count, Customer Relations will work with that tester to be rescheduled to another session. 

Please note that all requests must be submitted by the deadline so that the CWDS Office can finalize the needed arrangements. Late registrations cannot be accepted.

A  Release 9.8 County Test Workshop Online Registration Form (see link below) for each potential tester must be received as soon as possible, but no later than close of business on May 19, 2026.

 Link:  Release 9.8 County Test Workshop (CTW) Registration Form

If for any reason, you cannot access the Online Registration Form, please contact Andrea Johnson-Kumar at 916-891-3143 or via email at Andrea.Johnson-Kumar@otsi.ca.gov or Customer Relations at CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov.

The CWDS Office will work with the registered participants on all the details of their CTW participation.  

SBC Soft Token Use:

Once registration has closed on May 19, 2026, Customer Relations will schedule a MS Teams meeting with testers and their County IT Contacts.  The purpose of this meeting will be to make sure that your County IT can configure your workstation with the needed software and any other required configurations.  If this cannot be accomplished, your registration in this CTW cannot be accommodated. 

System Change Requests (SCRs) included: 

• SCR 9003 - Place CWS/CMS in a Read-Only State
• SCR 8993 - Referral Completed Due Date
• SCR 8973 - ICWA Eligible Data Entry (Part A)
• SCR 9034 - R9.8 Training Tools Package

Counties are encouraged to register individuals with knowledge and experience working in the areas mentioned above.  A mix of end users with casework or supervisory experience will also be very helpful.  Participants will validate the changes in the release and will perform tests of problem fixes and enhancements. Participants will work with other County and State testers as well as vendor support staff.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment, please contact:  Andrea Johnson-Kumar at 916-891-3143 or via email at Andrea.Johnson-Kumar@otsi.ca.gov or Customer Relations at CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov.

Your continued support of CWDS is greatly appreciated. 

Action Required

Submit a Release 9.8 County Test Workshop Online Registration Form no later than May 19, 2026.

1. CWS-CARES Data Dictionary Preview Session Complete: On February 13, 2025, a small group of counties previewed the Data Dictionary and provided feedback, which was incorporated into the Data Dictionary. 

2. New Microsoft Teams Channel: A dedicated Microsoft Teams channel has been created for all CWS-CARES Data Dictionary-related materials. Your county’s Implementation Coordinator and CWS-CARES Single Point of Contact (SPOC) will be invited to the MS Teams channel. The Teams Channel is located under the CWDS Org Share, and the Channel name is CARES Data Dictionary. See the below section For Reference: Accessing Materials in MS Teams for more instructions on how to access materials. 

3. CWS-CARES Data Dictionary and Legacy Mapping – Ready for Review: The initial version of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary, which incorporates legacy mapping of CWS/CMS fields is now available in the Teams channel under Files. The folder name is CWS-CARES Data Dictionary v0.02. 

4. Training Video Available: A training video has been uploaded to the Teams channel under Files, in the folder called Walkthrough Recording. Please watch the video before reviewing the materials to ensure a clear understanding of the content.  

5. FAQ Document Available: A FAQ is located on the Teams channel under CARES Data Dictionary FAQs Tab.

6. Terms of Use: The CWS-CARES Data Dictionary documentation is considered sensitive and confidential. Please read the CWDS Terms of Use located on the Teams channel under Files. 

7. Upcoming Webinar: A webinar will be conducted on Thursday, March 20, 2025 from 9 AM – 10 AM. Your county’s Implementation Coordinator and CWS-CARES SPOC will be invited, and the meeting invitation may be forwarded to others. The webinar will cover navigation of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary, utilization of the support documentation, and use of legacy mapping documentation with the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary. 

8. Adding Staff to the Teams Channel: We kindly ask that you email CWDS Data Management with any additional County staff names and associated email addresses and their roles that should have access to the Microsoft Teams Channel: CARES Data Dictionary. 

• Updates to the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary will be published quarterly in the Teams channel. The next version will be available March 31, 2025.

• Future versions will include significant changes, including potential additional and updated legacy mapping. 

• Please refer to the FAQs in the Teams channel. 

• Please contact CWDS Data Management if you have any questions not covered in the FAQ or experience access issues. 

For Reference: Accessing Materials in MS Teams
Under CWDS Org Share, select the CARES Data Dictionary channel.

In the CARES Data Dictionary Channel, select the Files Tab. The initial version of the Data Dictionary is available in the folder called CWS-CARES Data Dictionary v0.02. 
 
In the CARES Data Dictionary Channel, select the Files Tab. The recorded Training video walkthrough is available in the folder called Walkthrough Recording. 

We appreciate your support and understanding as we work diligently to ensure the successful implementation and ongoing maintenance of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary. 

1. CWS-CARES Data Dictionary Preview Session Complete: On February 13, 2025, a small group of counties previewed the Data Dictionary and provided feedback, which was incorporated into the Data Dictionary. 

2. New Microsoft Teams Channel: A dedicated Microsoft Teams channel has been created for all CWS-CARES Data Dictionary-related materials. Your county’s Implementation Coordinator and CWS-CARES Single Point of Contact (SPOC) will be invited to the MS Teams channel. The Teams Channel is located under the CWDS Org Share, and the Channel name is CARES Data Dictionary. See the below section For Reference: Accessing Materials in MS Teams for more instructions on how to access materials. 

3. CWS-CARES Data Dictionary and Legacy Mapping – Ready for Review: The initial version of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary, which incorporates legacy mapping of CWS/CMS fields is now available in the Teams channel under Files. The folder name is CWS-CARES Data Dictionary v0.02. 

4. Training Video Available: A training video has been uploaded to the Teams channel under Files, in the folder called Walkthrough Recording. Please watch the video before reviewing the materials to ensure a clear understanding of the content.  

5. FAQ Document Available: A FAQ is located on the Teams channel under CARES Data Dictionary FAQs Tab.

6. Terms of Use: The CWS-CARES Data Dictionary documentation is considered sensitive and confidential. Please read the CWDS Terms of Use located on the Teams channel under Files. 

7. Upcoming Webinar: A webinar will be conducted on Thursday, March 20, 2025 from 9 AM – 10 AM. Your county’s Implementation Coordinator and CWS-CARES SPOC will be invited, and the meeting invitation may be forwarded to others. The webinar will cover navigation of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary, utilization of the support documentation, and use of legacy mapping documentation with the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary. 

8. Adding Staff to the Teams Channel: We kindly ask that you email CWDSDataManagement@osi.ca.gov with any additional County staff names and associated email addresses and their roles that should have access to the Microsoft Teams Channel:  CARES Data Dictionary. 

• Updates to the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary will be published quarterly in the Teams channel. The next version will be available March 31, 2025.

• Future versions will include significant changes, including potential additional and updated legacy mapping. 

• Please refer to the FAQs in the Teams channel. 

• Please contact CWDSDataManagement@osi.ca.gov  if you have any questions not covered in the FAQ or experience access issues. 

For Reference: Accessing Materials in MS Teams
Under CWDS Org Share, select the CARES Data Dictionary channel.

In the CARES Data Dictionary Channel, select the Files Tab. The initial version of the Data Dictionary is available in the folder called CWS-CARES Data Dictionary v0.02. 
 
In the CARES Data Dictionary Channel, select the Files Tab. The recorded Training video walkthrough is available in the folder called Walkthrough Recording. 

We appreciate your support and understanding as we work diligently to ensure the successful implementation and ongoing maintenance of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary. 

• Daily, Monday (3/17) – Friday (3/21) - Please use the Brief Survey for EUST 2 Planning to indicate your training date preferences. Calendar invitations will be sent, and every effort will be made to accommodate respondents’ top choices.
• 9 – 4pm (Breaks Included)
• Following are the durations of topics covered for each tester role and are subject to change.

• Daily (Immediately following the Worker program noted above)

• Wednesday, 3/19, 9am – 12pm
• Thursday, 3/20, 9am – 12pm

• Wednesday, 3/19, 2pm – 3:30pm
• Thursday, 3/20, 2pm – 3:30pm