Update

CWS-CARES Support Model Transition Update 

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

We are providing an update on the timing of the CWS-CARES support model transition. The Project previously shared plans to transition several support functions to the new CWS-CARES Help Desk beginning September 30. Following the adjustment of the CWS-CARES V1 Go-Live date to December 7, 2026, this transition will no longer take effect on September 30.

Counties should continue using current support channels, including ServiceNow for Production Simulation (Prod Sim) support, until further notice.

The transition from ServiceNow to Salesforce Service Cloud is now anticipated for late October. Training, guidance, and updated transition details will be shared in advance to help support a smooth transition.

For questions, please contact Customer Relations.

Action Required

Please continue using the current support processes and share this update with appropriate staff.

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Security Protocols for Prod Sim Case Data

The Prod Sim environment contains converted CWS/CMS cases reflecting actual system data as of April 17, 2026. Because this includes real, sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (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 Protected Health Information (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.

Please contact the Customer Relations mailbox for questions.

CWS-CARES Weekly Digest - UPDATE

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

September 22, 2026 - UPDATE: Postponed – Health & Education Passport (HEP) Support Clinics

The HEP Support Clinics originally scheduled for September 23 and September 24 have been postponed. We are working to identify a new date and time. Once the updated schedule is confirmed, we will communicate the details to you and post them on the Prod Sim Hub main page.

We appreciate your patience and will keep you posted as scheduling is finalized.

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September 21, 2026: In this Weekly Digest (click the link for more information):

  • General
    • System Updates & Release Notes on the Production Simulation Hub
    • CWS-CARES Production Simulation (CARES 100) Data Refresh and Key Readiness Dates
    • Final Reminder: Two (2) Days Left to Register for CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #11
    • New CWS-CARES Fact Sheets Now Available
    • New: Monthly Readiness Report
    • CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop Now Open Through October 2, 2026!
  • Production Simulation
    • Health Education Passport (HEP) Support Clinic 3 Reminder
  • Implementation
    • OCM Guidance Spotlight on Stakeholder Engagement
    • Fresh Training Content Added to the Implementation Portal
  • Technical Updates
    • CWS-CARES Data Dictionary Version 0.13 Now Available
  • CWS-CARES Functionality
    • CWS-CARES Functionality Spotlight: September 21, 2026

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General

System Updates & Release Notes on the Production Simulation Hub 

Every Monday, the CWS-CARES Project publishes new System Updates and Release Notes on the CWS-CARES Production Simulation Hub on the CWDS website. All published updates are located on the System Updates & Release Notes tab in the left navigation bar. Below is a summary of the most recent release.

Due to the Labor Day holiday, there was no CWS‑CARES release on Monday, September 7, 2026, and the updates planned for that date will instead be included in the September 14 deployment.

CWS-CARES Weekly Release Summary: September 14, 2026

The September 14 release delivered several corrections and improvements across the CWS-CARES system:

  • 150 defect fixes improving reliability, accuracy, and user experience across case management, resource management, intake and investigation, and courts.
  • New functionality enabled in Production Simulation, including email notifications for assignment changes, approval requests, task assignments, and portal account activation. The RFA Portal and FFPSA Portal are also available for simulation and testing.
  • Multiple ServiceNow incidents resolved across counties including Humboldt, San Diego, Los Angeles, Marin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Kings, Monterey, Contra Costa, Sonoma, and Tulare.
  • High‑level improvements across Adoption, Adoption Assistance Program (AAP) & Permanency; Case Management, Referrals, Courts, and Investigations; Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), Prevention Services, and Federal Reporting; Resource Family, Resource Family Approval (RFA), Recruitment, and Resource Management; Shared Services, Person Search, Profiles, and Access
  • 27 data conversion fixes addressing child location, health information, organization records, person details, plan data, potential connections, removal records, and screening relationships.
  • 5 county‑reported data issues resolved from San Diego, Humboldt, Fresno, and Tulare.

Full details for last week’s release are available on the CWS‑CARES Production Simulation Hub.

Upcoming Release Information

System Updates & Release Notes will continue to be published every Monday. The September 21 System Updates & Release Notes will appear on the CWS-CARES Production Simulation Hub on once it is officially posted.

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CWS-CARES Production Simulation (CARES100) Data Refresh and Key Readiness Dates 

As part of ongoing readiness efforts for the December 7, 2026 CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1) Go-Live, the Project will refresh the Production Simulation (CARES 100) environment to provide users with more current converted data and additional system fixes for continued testing. Key dates include:

  • September 24: CalSAWS data refresh; existing CARES-to-CalSAWS links will be cleared
  • September 28 – October 6: CalSAWS will be available, allowing users to test new cases and new transactions
  • September 28: Final planned Prod Sim (CARES100) weekly deployment before the refresh
  • October 7–18: Prod Sim (CARES100) temporarily unavailable; Training (CARES104) and County Dev (CARES102) environments remain available
  • October 19: Prod Sim (CARES100) reopens with refreshed data and approximately 2–3 weeks of accumulated code and data fixes
  • November 20: Prod Sim (CARES100) support ends; user access to the environment will continue, but no additional code or data fixes will be deployed to this environment.
  • December 7: CWS-CARES V1 Go-Live in separate, Production environment

Please continue testing in CARES100 and reporting identified issues throughout the remaining Production Simulation period.

For full details, refer to the CWS-CARES Prod Sim (CARES100) Data Refresh and Key Readiness Dates in the CWDS website.

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Final Reminder: Two (2) Days Left to Register for CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #11 

Thank you to the 280+ stakeholders who have already registered for the next Stakeholder Briefing on Wednesday, September 23, 2026! If you’ve not yet registered, we encourage you to attend the live webinar on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM.  All stakeholders are welcome to attend, ask questions, and hear updates from Project leadership.

Register now at: CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #11 | Registration. Note: A separate calendar invitation will not be sent by the CWS-CARES Project. Please manually add the .ics attachment in the registration confirmation email to your calendar.

The full agenda for the September 2026 Stakeholder Briefing is available to view on the CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #11 Registration page. Updates will include:

  • Preparing for Go-Live
  • CWS-CARES Release Timeline
  • Support Available During & After Go-Live

Thank you for participating in our Stakeholder Briefing webinar series! We hope to see you on September 23, 2026 to continue the conversation on the upcoming transition to CWS-CARES.

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New CWS-CARES Fact Sheets Now Available

The CWS-CARES Project Team is releasing a series of fact sheets addressing county questions about CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1) features. Two new fact sheets are now available.

CWS-CARES Search Functionality

This fact sheet provides a guide to CWS-CARES search functionality and recent enhancements. It covers the application-wide Global search and targeted search options, including Person Search, Resource Management Directory, and Placement Search. The fact sheet also highlights recent enhancements such as more precise search logic, phonetic name search, additional search criteria, and improved person, provider, and resource searches.

For more information, please see the CWS-CARES Search Functionality Fact Sheet - September 2026 - ACC in the CWDS website.

FCED Transaction Guide: Mandatory Fields

This fact sheet serves as a reference guide for all mandatory fields required to complete a successful Foster Care Eligibility Determination (FCED) transaction from CWS-CARES to CalSAWS, and where to find them in the system. The guide covers mandatory fields across outbound data sets including Case Link, Case Workers, Individual Demographics, Communications, Determination Details, Incidental, Home of Removal, Income Assets, Placement Authority, Placement, Kin-GAP, Court Information, Extended Foster Care, and Adoption Assistance Program (AAP).

For more information, please see the FCED Transaction Guide: Mandatory Fields in the CWDS website.

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New: Monthly Readiness Report 

The August Monthly Readiness Report was distributed to Organizations the week of September 7th. The update highlights key readiness milestones, current progress, and upcoming adoption activities across the Project and Organization. Please review the report to stay informed on ongoing progress towards the CWS-CARES Go-Live.

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CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop Now Open Through October 2, 2026!

The CWS-CARED Pop-Up Shop #3 has been extended and will remain open through end of day Friday, October 2, 2026! Place your orders at: CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop #3 | Order Now.

Currently, only the Curvaceous Matte Silver Ballpoint pen has met the minimum order total required for production. The Gildan Ultra Cotton T-Shirt and Non-Woven Tote Bag are close to meeting the required minimums. We encourage all stakeholders to consider making a purchase before October 2 to build excitement for CWS-CARES. Items that do not meet the minimum totals will be removed from orders and not charged.

The shop is open to all 58 California counties, Tribes, and partner organizations. CWS-CARES branded items are available for purchase using your own funds. For ordering and shipping details, please reference the Pop Up Shop 3 FAQs and Item Selection flyer.

Please contact CWDS Customer Relations with any questions. Happy shopping!

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Production Simulation 

Health Education Passport (HEP) Support Clinic 3 Reminder

A quick reminder that Production Simulation is hosting HEP Support Clinics this week:

  • 9/23/2026 at 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
  • 9/24/2026 at 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM

Detailed information and invitations have been sent directly to CARES SPOCs to share with the appropriate participants in their organization. Please continue to refer to Production Simulation Hub for ongoing updates, schedules, and recordings.

Note: Users may have to create a log-in to access materials.

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Implementation 

OCM Guidance Spotlight on Stakeholder Engagement 

As we continue to prepare for CWS-CARES implementation, the official Go-Live date has been adjusted from October 26 to December 7. Communication and stakeholder engagement remain important components of organizational readiness. The additional preparation period provides Organizations valuable runway to continue engagement activities that help end users build confidence, reinforce core competencies, and engage in meaningful discussions about the changes ahead.

End users are encouraged to complete self-guided learning, familiarize themselves with updated process and terminology, practice directly in the Production Simulation environment (CARES 100), and ask questions in advance. Organizations can support connections with end users by keeping staff informed, gathering questions and feedback, and identifying areas where additional support may be needed.

To support stakeholder engagement, the CWS-CARES OCM Resources page provides the CWS-CARES Stakeholder Engagement Guidance. This guidance outlines the process of identifying stakeholders, executing engagement activities, and monitoring sentiment and outcomes.

Together, through consistent engagement, we can deepen our understanding of the end user experience and respond to evolving needs. Let’s continue to prepare, listen, learn, and support one another as we move forward!

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Fresh Training Content Added to the Implementation Portal 

New training sections and updated resources have been added to the Training Resources page on the Implementation Portal. These additions are designed to support users of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) Provider Portal and administrative teams with updated guidance and step‑by‑step demonstrations. The sections and related videos available are listed below:

FFPSA Provider Portal Video Trainings:

Admin Videos:

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Technical Updates

CWS-CARES Data Dictionary Version 0.13 Now Available

CWS-CARES Data Dictionary V0.13 is now available on the Microsoft Teams Channel: CARES Data Dictionary under Shared as of Monday, September 21. Check the Intro tab of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary for the detailed list of updates included in the new version.

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CWS-CARES Functionality

CWS-CARES Functionality Spotlight: September 21, 2026

This week, the CWS-CARES Functionality Spotlight features the CWS-CARES Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) of the Week.

September 21, 2026 FAQ of the Week:

Q: Where will the quick guides be located?

A: The quick guides will be located on the CWS-CARES Training Portal and when they are uploaded, their respective links will be sent out in a communication. The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are also located in the same location.

Q: When will the quick guides be available?

A: The first set of quick guides will be available with Production Simulation access. Quick Guides will continue to be added throughout Train-the-Trainer (TTT) and Instructor-Led Training (ILT) as they are approved.

To view all of the CWS-CARES FAQs, please visit the CWDS Website: CWS-CARES FAQs | CWDS Website.

Have a question? Send it to Customer Relations and we will be happy to help.

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Share Your Feedback and Subscribe

Thank you for following our progress! Share your feedback on this CWS-CARES Weekly Digest here: CWS-CARES Weekly Digest Feedback Form. Subscribe to future issues here: CWS-CARES Weekly Digest Subscription Form.

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Action Required: We request that all CWS-CARES Single Point of Contacts (SPOCs) and Implementation Coordinators coordinate and distribute the CWS-CARES Weekly Digest to all staff impacted by CWS-CARES, at their discretion.

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Security Protocols for Prod Sim Case Data

The Prod Sim environment contains converted CWS/CMS cases reflecting actual system data as of April 17, 2026. Because this includes real, sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (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 Protected Health Information (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.

End-date of Inactive CWS/CMS User Logins for CWS-CARES Readiness – UPDATE

All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:

September 9, 2026 UPDATE: The automated process to end‑date inactive CWS/CMS user logins continues for September. The new reports, titled ‘SCR9039_END-DATE_USERID_2026-09-09.xlsx’, were generated and saved to SAFE on Tuesday, September 8, 2026. REMINDER: This report lists CWS/CMS user accounts that have been inactive for the previous 90 days.

Please review your organization’s report, saved in the SAFE folder. Organizations that do not have any potential accounts to end‑date in their report will, instead, find the following statement, “NO ROWS FOR DATA QUALITY CLEANSE”.

If needed, up to ten (10) listed accounts may be requested to be excluded from the automated end‑date process. Please submit your exclusion file by Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 5:00 PM, to request listed user logins from being end-dated when the process runs on Saturday, September 26, 2026. If more than ten (10) user logins are needed to be excluded, please send your justification to the CWDS Customer Relations mailbox (CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov). The justification will be forwarded to the review team for consideration. No action is required if your county agrees with the list as provided.

As stated in the attached SCR 9039 FAQ document, CWS/CMS User IDs that need to be reactivated following the automated end‑date process can be accomplished by contacting the IBM Help Desk at 800-428-8268. Please note that the process to reactivate the accounts is complex and does take one or two weeks to be completed by the IBM team. However, in order to expedite this timeline, it is important when calling in the ticket to explain the reason the user ID login was end dated was due to SCR 9039. User accounts from the reports that are logged in prior to Friday, September 25, 2026, at 5:00 PM, will not be end‑dated in the automated process on September 26, 2026.

All User ID accounts, both active and inactive, will be migrated to CWS-CARES. End-dated User ID accounts that need to be reactivated in CWS-CARES can be completed by the Administrators within CWS-CARES. This process will be much more direct and easier to complete in CWS-CARES than it is currently accomplished in CWS/CMS.

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August 3, 2026 UPDATE: The automated process to end‑date inactive CWS/CMS user logins has resumed, after pausing for the previous two months. The new reports, titled ‘SCR9039_END-DATE_USERID_2026-08-03.xlsx’, were generated and saved to SAFE on Monday, August 3, 2026. REMINDER: This report lists CWS/CMS user accounts that have been inactive for the previous 90 days.

Please review your organization’s report, saved in the SAFE folder. Organizations that do not have any potential accounts to end‑date in their report will, instead, find the following statement, “NO ROWS FOR DATA QUALITY CLEANSE”.

If needed, up to ten (10) listed accounts may be requested to be excluded from the automated end‑date process. Please submit your exclusion file by Thursday, August 20, 2026, at 5:00 PM, to request listed user logins from being end-dated when the process runs on Saturday, August 22, 2026. If more than ten (10) user logins are needed to be excluded, please send your justification to the CWDS Customer Relations mailbox. The justification will be forwarded to the review team for consideration. No action is required if your county agrees with the list as provided.

As stated in the attached SCR 9039 FAQ document, CWS/CMS User IDs that need to be reactivated following the automated end‑date process can be accomplished by contacting the IBM Help Desk at 800-428-8268. Please note that the process to reactive the accounts is complex and does take one or two weeks to be completed by the IBM team. However, in order to expedite this timeline, it is important when calling in the ticket to explain the reason the user ID login was end dated was due to SCR 9039. User accounts from the reports that are logged in prior to Friday, August 21, 2026, at 5:00 PM, will not be end‑dated in the automated process on May 23, 2026.

All User ID accounts, both active and inactive, will be migrated to CWS-CARES. End-dated User ID accounts that need to be reactivated in CWS-CARES can be completed by the Administrators within CWS-CARES. This process will be much more direct and easier to complete in CWS-CARES than it is currently accomplished in CWS/CMS.

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June 9, 2026 UPDATE: The automated process to end-date inactive CWS/CMS user accounts will not run in June or July. The reports will resume in August, tentatively planned for August 3, 2026.

An additional update will be issued after the new reports are run and prepared for review.

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May 7, 2026 UPDATE: The automated process to end‑date inactive CWS/CMS user logins continues in May. The new reports were generated and saved to SAFE on Thursday, May 7, 2026. The SAFE file is titled, “SCR9039_END-DATE_USERID_2026-05-07.xlsx.” REMINDER: this is the first month will list CWS/CMS user accounts that have been inactive for the previous 90 days.

Please review your organization’s report, saved in the SAFE folder. Organizations that do not have any potential accounts to end‑date in their report will, instead, find the following statement, “NO ROWS FOR DATA QUALITY CLEANSE”.

If needed, up to ten (10) listed accounts may be requested to be excluded from the automated end‑date process. Please submit your exclusion file by Thursday, May 21, 2026, at 5:00 PM, to request listed user logins from being end-dated when the process runs on Saturday, May 23, 2026. If more than ten (10) user logins are needed to be excluded, please send your justification to the CWDS Customer Relations mailbox (CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov). The justification will be forwarded to the review team for consideration. No action is required if your county agrees with the list as provided.

As stated in the attached SCR 9039 FAQ document, CWS/CMS User IDs that need to be reactivated following the automated end‑date process can be accomplished by contacting the IBM Help Desk at 800-428-8268. Please note that the process to reactive the accounts is complex and does take one or two weeks to be completed by the IBM team. However, in order to expedite this timeline, it is important when calling in the ticket to explain the reason the user ID login was end dated was due to SCR 9039. User accounts from the reports that are logged in prior to Friday, May 22, 2026, at 5:00 PM, will not be end‑dated in the automated process on May 23, 2026.

All User ID accounts, both active and inactive, will be migrated to CWS-CARES. End-dated User ID accounts that need to be reactivated in CWS-CARES can be completed by the Administrators within CWS-CARES. This process will be much more direct and easier to complete in CWS-CARES than it is currently accomplished in CWS/CMS.

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April 7, 2026 UPDATE: After a one-month hiatus for March, the automated process to end‑date inactive CWS/CMS user logins has resumed for April. The new reports were generated and saved to SAFE on Tuesday, April 7, 2026. The SAFE file is titled, “SCR9039_END-DATE_USERID_2026-04-07.xlsx.” REMINDER: this is the final month that the report will list CWS/CMS user accounts that have been inactive for the previous 180 days. Beginning in May, the reports will list accounts that have been inactive for 90 days.

Please review your organization’s report, saved in the SAFE folder. Organizations that do not have any potential accounts to end‑date in their report will, instead, find the following statement, “NO ROWS FOR DATA QUALITY CLEANSE”.

If needed, up to ten (10) listed accounts may be requested to be excluded from the automated end‑date process. Only a few organizations currently have more than ten (10) accounts listed. Please submit your exclusion file by Thursday, April 23, 2026, at 5:00 PM, to request listed user logins from being end-dated when the process runs on Saturday, April 25, 2026. If more than ten (10) user logins are needed to be excluded, please send your justification to the CWDS Customer Relations mailbox (CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov). The justification will be forwarded to the review team for consideration. No action is required if your county agrees with the list as provided.

As stated in the attached SCR 9039 FAQ document, CWS/CMS User IDs that need to be reactivated following the automated end‑date process can be accomplished by contacting the IBM Help Desk at 800-428-8268. Please note that the process to reactive the accounts is complex and does take one or two weeks to be completed by the IBM team. User accounts from the reports that are logged in prior to Friday, April 24, 2026, at 5:00 PM, will not be end‑dated in the automated process on April 25, 2026.

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March 5, 2026 UPDATE: The CWDS Project has decided to not run the automated process to end-date inactive CWS/CMS user logins during March. The monthly process will resume in April. The next reports will be sent to the SAFE folder approximately April 7, 2026.

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February 18, 2026 UPDATE: This is a reminder to submit an exclusion file, if needed, by Thursday, February 19, 2026, at 5:00 PM to prevent up to ten (10) user logins from being end-dated. No action is required if your county agrees with the list as provided.

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February 11, 2026 UPDATE:  As presented at the February 10, 2026 Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) Meeting, we are sharing the updated SCR 9039 FAQ document for your reference.   

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February 6, 2026 UPDATE: Based on received feedback, the reports are being updated for the following criteria:

Report criteria:

Identifies CWS/CMS user logins that have not been used in the past 180 days 

However, users are omitted from the report if they fall into one of these two categories:

  1. Have NOT logged into CWS/CMS within the previous 180 days, but HAVE logged into CARES-Live within the previous 180 days.
  2. The User ID has been created within the previous 90 days, and has NOT logged into CWS/CMS.

Updated reports, using the new criteria listed above, will be made available in SAFE in the FromOSI folder no later than 5:00 PM, on Friday, February 6, 2026, titled: 
SCR9039_END-DATE_USERID_2026-02-06.xlsx. 

Please use this updated report when reviewing the list of user logins identified for deactivation.

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To prepare for CWS-CARES Mock Cycles and Production Simulation, the CWS-CARES Project will begin an automated process to end-date inactive CWS/CMS user logins. This effort helps ensure that only active users are set up with access in CWS-CARES. 

This process identifies CWS/CMS user logins that have not been used in the past 180 days and schedules those logins to be end-dated. This is standard account cleanup intended to reduce inactive or outdated system access as counties prepare for CWS-CARES. 

What This Means for Counties 

  • This activity affects system access only. There are no impacts to caseloads, staff roles, office assignments, or authority. 
  • User logins associated with an active County License Case (CLC) are excluded from the report. 
  • All user accounts (active and inactive) will still be carried forward to CWS-CARES. 

County Review and Option to Exclude User Logins  

Counties will have an opportunity to review the list of user logins identified for deactivation. To accommodate staff on extended leave (such as administrative or maternity leave), counties may exclude up to 10 user logins from deactivation, if needed. 

A report will be available in SAFE in the FromOSI folder on February 2, 2026, titled: 
SCR9039_END-DATE_USERID_2026-02-02.xlsx. 

If your county wishes to exclude user logins: 

  1. Use the Excel file provided. 
  2. Keep only the rows (up to 10) for user logins you want excluded. 
  3. Do not modify the file layout or formatting. 
  4. Upload the file to SAFE in the ToOSI folder. 

If more than 10 exclusions are needed, please contact CWDS Customer Relations and include a brief explanation. 

Deadline: February 19 at 5:00 PM 
Files received after this deadline will not be accepted, and all user logins listed in the original report will be end-dated. 

Timing and Ongoing Process 

  • This first run will process and end-date User IDs on February 21, 2026. 
  • The 180-day inactivity threshold will remain in place through April 2026, giving counties additional time to review the list and adjust to new processes. 
  • Beginning May, the inactivity threshold will change to 90 days, consistent with CWS-CARES access policy and the Production Simulation environment. 
  • After February, this process will occur monthly until the transition to CWS-CARES: 
  • Reports will be posted after the first weekend of each month 
  • User logins will be deactivated during the fourth weekend of the month 
  • Counties will receive advance notice of specific dates 

Restoring a User Login 

If a user login is end-dated and later needs to be restored, counties may submit a Help Desk ticket to reinstate the existing login and associated staff access. 

Action Required 

  • Review the report of inactive CWS/CMS user logins when it becomes available in SAFE. 
  • Submit an exclusion file (if needed) by February 19 at 5:00 PM to prevent up to 10 user logins from being end-dated. 
  • No action is required if your county agrees with the list as provided. 

For questions or concerns, please contact the CWDS Customer Relations mailbox. 

Important Update: CWS-CARES Go-Live Date Adjusted to December 7, 2026

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

The project is writing to share an important update regarding the implementation timeline for CWS-CARES. During the September 3, 2026 CWS-CARES Board of Directors meeting, the board determined that additional time is needed before Go-Live to ensure system stability, as well as user and operational readiness across all counties and organizations. As a result, the CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1) Go-Live date has been adjusted from Monday, October 26, 2026 to Monday, December 7, 2026.

This six-week schedule adjustment allows the Project to establish a firm system baseline, initiate a focused stabilization phase, and finalize critical end-user training materials aligned with Business Process Reengineering (BPR) outcomes. The extended timeline provides more space to complete data conversion and formal validation, ensuring county and organizational readiness before launch.

Shifting to December 7, 2026, brings advantages. Users have extended access to the Prod Sim (CARES 100) environment to validate converted data against the latest major release. This allows time for creating a more stable platform for user training, updates to local business processes, and prepare for Go-Live. Additionally, while the Instructor-Led Training (ILT) schedule remains unchanged, trainers can offer tailored refresher sessions, Data Extract partners and County Report developers have increased time to ensure V1.0 readiness, and organizations can continue executing their Organizational Change Management (OCM) activities.

Next Steps: Final adjustments to the cutover plan and Post Go-Live release strategy are underway, and we look forward to providing details soon.

We appreciate your continued partnership and shared dedication to a successful, transition for all users, counties, and organizations.

Action Required:

Please share this communication with staff who are impacted by this information, so that they are aware.

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Security Protocols for Prod Sim Case Data

The Prod Sim environment contains converted CWS/CMS cases reflecting actual system data as of April 17, 2026. Because this includes real, sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (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 Protected Health Information (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.

CWS/CMS: County Access Data (CAD) Business Objects - Issue

All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and CAD Contacts:

A service on the CWS/CMS CAD BusinessObjects (BO) server did not refresh correctly last night, September 2, 2026. This was caused by a BO report being run at 12:30 AM and conflicting with the load of a CLIENT table. The data was reloaded in the CLIENT table this morning at 6:30 AM. Prior to this reload, the data was from Tuesday at midnight.

Any jobs run before 6:30 AM this morning should be checked and re-run if they accessed the CLIENT table and require yesterday's data.

Also, please check your scheduled jobs and make sure that they are not scheduled before 1:30 AM as this may interfere with the loading of data.
 

Action Required

Check your scheduled Business Objects reports this morning and verify your results. If needed, manually invoke the scheduled BO reports from last night.

Reschedule jobs to begin after 1:30 AM so that they do not interfere with data loading.

Contact the IBM Help Desk if you require more information regarding this issue.

CDT Service Desk Bulletin – Verizon Higher Level Network Outage - RESOLVED

ALL SPOCs and Technical Contacts:

August 6, 2026 UPDATE: The California Department of Technology (CDT) has reported that Verizon has confirmed that all circuits are back up and that service has been restored.

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The California Department of Technology (CDT) has reported a higher level Verizon network outage impacting network access to several counties. The CWDS office has received reports of routers being either down or having slower processing times.

There is currently no estimated time of resolution. Additional updates will be provided as new information is received.

Action Required

CWS/CMS: If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.

CARES-Live: If users experience any issues with CARES-Live, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CARES-Live County Administrators may contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal. Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email at CWDS Service Desk during normal business hours. You may also email after hours and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.

CWS/CMS: Technical Bulletin – Urgent June 2026 Windows Update Issue – UPDATE

To: Co-Existent County SPOCs and Technical Contacts:

June 30, 2026 UPDATE: Issue Summary: Microsoft Word Documents Failing to Open in CWS/CMS

Issue: In certain scenarios, Microsoft Word documents would not open when accessed through the CWS/CMS application.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
During routine patch validation testing, it was identified that several Microsoft June security updates introduced a compatibility issue affecting the CWS/CMS application. As a result, Microsoft Word documents could fail to open under specific conditions.

The following June updates were determined to be the cause of the issue:

  • Windows 11 23H2 – KB5093998
  • Windows 11 24H2 – KB5094126
  • Windows 11 25H2 – KB5094126
  • Windows Server 2016 (1607) – KB5094122

Action Taken
The issue was escalated to Microsoft for investigation. Microsoft confirmed that multiple customers were experiencing the same behavior and advised that a correction would be included in a future Windows update.

Resolution
Microsoft has since released the July security updates, which include the fix for this issue. Validation testing has been completed, and the problem was no longer reproducible after installation of the July updates.

The following supported CWS/CMS operating systems and updates were successfully tested:

  • Windows 11 23H2 – KB5099414 (July 2026 Patch Tuesday Release)
  • Windows 11 24H2 – KB5101650 (July 2026 Patch Tuesday Release)
  • Windows 11 25H2 – KB5101650 (July 2026 Patch Tuesday Release)
  • Windows Server 2016 (1607 LTSB) – KB5099535 (July 2026 Patch Tuesday Release)

Action Required

To resolve this issue and maintain compliance with Microsoft's security update recommendations, ensure that the applicable July updates listed above are installed on all CWS/CMS-supported systems as part of the standard patch management process.

Note: Systems that have not yet received the July updates may continue to experience the Microsoft Word document launch issue if the affected June updates are installed.

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June 19, 2026 UPDATE: Microsoft has not yet provided a permanent fix for the issue with KB5094126 (for Windows 11 v24H2 and v25H2) that is causing a 29956 error message when generating Word documents in CWS/CMS. IBM continues to strongly recommend that Co-Existent Counties do not install this patch on their CWS/CMS workstations, and if the patch is already installed to uninstall it until the permanent fix is produced. There is no estimated timeline for this fix, but we will send out an update once it is received and tested.

While testing the patches, IBM recently discovered an issue with another patch included in the June Microsoft patches. Patch #KB5093998 (for Windows 11 v23H2) is also causing the same 29956 error message when generating Word documents in CWS/CMS. IBM, again, strongly recommends that Co-Existent Counties do not install this patch on their CWS/CMS workstations, and if the patch is already installed to uninstall it until the permanent fix is produced. There is no estimated timeline for this additional fix, but we will send out an update once it is received and tested.

The following are the Microsoft patches that IBM is installing on the Dedicated County workstations for June 2026:

  • .NET Desktop Runtime (x64) 8.0.28 Available
  • .NET Desktop Runtime (x64) 9.0.17 Available
  • .NET SDK (x64) 8.0.422 Available
  • .NET Desktop Runtime 8.0.28 Available
  • Adobe Acrobat 2026.001.21662 Available - Adobe Acrobat - Continuous Track (x64)
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader 2026.001.21662 Available - Adobe Acrobat Reader - Continuous Track
  • Adobe Acrobat Reader 2026.001.21662 Available - Adobe Acrobat Reader - Continuous Track (x64)
  • Microsoft Edge Stable Build 149.0.4022.62 Available
  • Microsoft Edge Stable Build 149.0.4022.62 Available (x64)
  • MS26-JUN: Servicing Stack Update for Windows 10 Version 1607 - Windows 10 Version 1607 - KB5094141
  • MS26-JUN: Servicing Stack Update for Windows 10 Version 1607 - Windows 10 Version 1607 - KB5094141 (x64)
  • 5092427: Cumulative Update Preview for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8.1 for Windows 11, version 25H2 - Windows
  • 5092427: Cumulative Update Preview for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8.1 for Windows 11, version 25H2 – Windows (x64)
  • MS26-JUN: Security Update for Microsoft Excel 2016 - Excel 2016 - KB5002877
  • MS26-JUN: Security Update for Microsoft Office 2016 - Office 2016 - KB5002578
  • MS26-JUN: Security Update for Microsoft Office 2016 - Office 2016 - KB5002852
  • MS26-JUN: Security Update for Microsoft Office 2016 - Office 2016 - KB5002878
  • MS26-JUN: Security Update for Microsoft Word 2016 - Word 2016 - KB5002879
  • Office 2024 Version 16.0.17932.20842 Available - Perpetual Channel - Office 2024 Volume Licensed
  • Office 365 Version 16.0.20026.20166 Available - Monthly Enterprise Channel - Office 365 (English (United States
  • Office 365 Version 16.0.20026.20168 Available - Current Channel - Office 365 (English (United States))
  • Google Chrome 149.0.7827.103 Available
  • 4052623: Update for Microsoft Defender antimalware platform - Microsoft Defender Antivirus - KB4052623
  • Mozilla Firefox (x64) 140.11.0 ESR Available
  • MS26-MAY: Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.7.2 for Windows 10 Version 1809 - Windows 10 KB5087061 (x64)
  • MS26-MAY: Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8 for Windows 10 Version 1809 - Windows 10 Version (x64)

Additional updates will be shared out once the permanent fixes for the problem Microsoft June patches have been distributed by Microsoft and tested by IBM.

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Issue: The CWS/CMS application generates a 29956 error in certain situations when attempting to make a call to Word documents. This error prevents the user from data input as part of normal workflow processes.

Cause: Microsoft has confirmed that the issue has been caused by Microsoft’s June 2026 update (released on June 9, 2026), specifically the KB5094126 installation on Windows 11 desktops. Microsoft has confirmed this issue is present for multiple customers.

Workaround Solution: A temporary workaround from Microsoft is to uninstall KB5094126 on impacted systems. A permanent fix is expected to be released by Microsoft within the next few days.

Note: This issue and workaround does not apply to the Dedicated County workstations. The June 2026 Microsoft patch KB5094126 was not yet installed on the Dedicated County workstations.

Action Required

Co-Existent Counties that installed the June 2026 updates from Microsoft should, as a temporary workaround, uninstall patch KB5094126 from their workstations, until Microsoft provides a permanent fix.

CWS/CMS Hot Fix Release 9.8.1

All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:

Following the deployment of Release R9.8, two issues were identified that required corrective action. In addition, an update to the JV-415 form has been included to incorporate the latest version released by the Judicial Council. The CWDS Office and IBM has created a hot-fix release, R9.8.1, to provide fixes and / or updates for these items. There is no outage associated with this release.

The R9.8.1 MSI file is now available in the “R981” staging folder. Counties may deploy the release as soon as they have received the MSI file.

R9.8.1 is an optional release for Co-Existent Counties; however, deployment of the R9.8.1 code is strongly recommended.

R9.8.1 Release Highlights

IN10025562 - Case Closure Approval Issue

  • R9.8 introduced a new requirement that the focus child's ICWA Eligibility value cannot be "Not Asked" when ending a Case. As an unintended consequence, 235 Cases that were already in Pending Approval status when R9.8 was deployed could no longer be approved.
  • Resolution: R9.8.1 restores the ability to approve the affected Case Closure requests while maintaining the new requirement for Cases submitted after the R9.8 release.

IN10025575 - Process Placement Home Move (PPHM) Issue

  • An issue introduced with R9.8 prevented users from running the Process Placement Home Move (PPHM) function.
  • Resolution: R9.8.1 resolves the issue and restores normal PPHM processing functionality.

IN10025759 – JV-415 Form Update

  • The recent forms release included the January 1, 2026 version of form JV-415. The July 1, 2026 version became available after release development activities were completed.
  • Resolution: R9.8.1 updates JV-415 to the July 1, 2026 version.


Action Required

Co-Existent Counties

Distribute the release through the normal county process. Since R9.8.1 is an optional release, Co-Existent Counties can plan to deploy the update when it is most convenient for them once they have received the MSI file.

Dedicated Counties

IBM distributed the MSI file to the Dedicated Counties on Monday, July 20, 2026. Release 9.8.1 will be installed automatically via the normal release deployment process.

For best results the users should do the following on Tuesday, July 21, 2026:

  • Reboot the workstation and log into Windows at least once to receive the Release 9.8.1 installer.
  • If prompted, select “Take All Actions” (the prompt will not occur while CWS/CMS is running);

or

  • When leaving the office at the end of that day, reboot the workstation again, but do not log into Windows.
  • Leave the workstation powered on so that automatic installation can occur overnight.

If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.

CWS-CARES Prod Sim and Additional Updates – 7/6/2026

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

This is the July 6 update regarding the CWS-CARES Production Simulation (Prod Sim) and additional updates as we track toward our CWS-CARES Version 1 Go-Live on October 26, 2026.

Attached to this post are two linked documents:

  1. How to Access & Self-Enroll in Enablement Guide
  1. The CWS-CARES Prod Sim and Environment Status document

The How to Access & Self-Enroll in Enablement Guide explains how to sign up for CWS-CARES training. Non Train-the-Trainer (TTT) users should follow their role-based learning path, and consult their county training coordinator if needed. TTT users will receive separate communication soon regarding their specific Enablement programs.

The CWS-CARES Prod Sim and Environment Status is a detailed document outlining the current capabilities, limitations, and system status as of July 6 for CWS-CARES Prod Sim and other environments. This resource is designed to provide clarity on what to expect, what has changed, and how to understand the current system behavior.

Please note that the attachment is a living document. We will refresh this framework regularly, with the next update scheduled for August 4.

The CWS-CARES Prod Sim and Environment Status document covers:

Prod Sim

  1. Prod Sim (CARES100) Revised Onboarding Approach: The onboarding approach is revised with all users being added to the CWS-CARES Prod Sim environment in phases between July 6th and July 16th. Individual counties have full control over their participants and the timing of their Prod Sim activities.
  1. CWS-CARES Support and Data Security Protocols: To protect the case data in the Prod Sim environment, users must strictly redact PII/PHI from support tickets, prohibit screenshots or recordings during screen shares, and utilize secure transmission methods for all data transfers.
  1. CWS-CARES Prod Sim Support Options: Support is available for system usage, technical issues, and feedback through daily Microsoft Teams office hours, regional clinics, and dedicated weekday email channels across six regions.
  1. Known & Expected Issues, Current System Behavior: Highlights of known and expected issues, and current system behaviors users might encounter, focusing primarily on data-related issues.
  1. Resolved Issues: A summary of resolved bugs and defects. Users should report these if any unexpected behavior persists within these specific areas.
  1. Open/Reported Issues, Capabilities Not Available on July 6: A generalized overview of current Prod Sim issues classified by subject area; please note this does not represent the entirety of all reported active issues.
  1. Forms Status: A dedicated status update on the readiness and functionality of project forms.

Environment Specifications 

  • We are sharing information on the current operational status and specifications of the CWS-CARES environments including configuration, data sets, access rights, and feature availability.

We acknowledge how critical this information is to your planning, and we remain fully committed to partnering with you to ensure a smooth transition. We will continue to keep you informed with our next update scheduled for August 4. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to preparing your teams for the V1 Go-Live.

 

Action Required

No action is required.

Please contact Customer Relations for questions.

Binti Conversion Reports: What to Expect and Next Steps

Binti County SPOCs and Implementation Coordinators:

As part of the ongoing Binti to CWS‑CARES data conversion effort, county‑specific data cleanup reports have been distributed. All counties received their initial set of reports June 29, 2026, with earlier delivery occurring for some counties.

These reports identify Binti records for county review before data is converted into CWS-CARES. Counties should review their report, confirm whether the records are accurate, and complete updates where cleanup is needed. Some records may be accurate as-is and may not require updates.

This workbook is the first set of data cleanup workbooks counties will receive. Additional workbooks may be distributed as further data cleanup needs are identified during ongoing analysis. Counties will be notified if subsequent workbooks become available.

To ensure updates are reflected in CWS-CARES, counties are encouraged to complete cleanup activities by the end of September 2026, prioritizing records that may impact business functions. Some cleanup activities may still be completed in CWS-CARES after Go-Live.

Report Delivery

Following feedback from counties, reports were delivered through Keeper, which provides a simple and secure way to share files without requiring a password or account setup.

If your county submitted the Binti Conversion Report Delivery – County Contacts & Delivery Preference survey, the report was sent to the designated contact identified in the survey. That contact received an email from Naomi Robledo with a secure link to download the report. The link is valid for 30 days and can be accessed from a single device.

If your county did not submit a survey response, the report was sent to your county’s CWS‑CARES Single Point of Contact (SPOC) and Implementation Coordinator.

If your secure link expires or you experience any issues accessing your report, please contact the External Systems Data Conversion Mailbox.

Binti Data Conversion Reports Overview

Each county received an Excel workbook for this initial round of data cleanup activities. Additional workbooks may be provided later if further data cleanup needs are identified. Each workbook contains multiple tabs, with each tab representing a category of records identified during the Binti data analysis. Tabs vary by county based on applicable records. For detailed instructions, please refer to the Instructions tab included in your county workbook.

Below is a high-level overview of each tab:

  • users_with_binti_email (Portal users with placeholder emails)
    • This tab contains portal user records with placeholder emails (@binti.com emails). Placeholder emails cannot be used to create a CWS-CARES account or send an invitation. Counties may review these records to determine whether each user is needed for CWS-CARES access.
  • multiple_or_no_profiles (County workers with duplicate or unmatched CWS/CMS profiles)
    • This tab contains worker records that exist in Binti but could not be matched or have multiple matches in CWS/CMS. Counties may review these records to determine whether access is still needed and whether any identity or duplicate issues apply.
  • Binti_homes_same_license (Homes sharing the same license number in Binti)
    • This tab contains home records sharing the same license number. Counties may review these records to determine whether they represent duplicates or valid business scenarios.
  • CMS_multiple_license_match (Homes with multiple license matches in CWS/CMS)
    • This tab contains home records with multiple license matches in CWS/CMS. Counties may review these records to determine whether any duplicates or multi-match issues need to be addressed.
  • CMS_multiple_ address_match (Homes with multiple address matches in CWS/CMS)
    • This tab contains home records with multiple address matches in CWS/CMS. Counties may review these records to determine whether any data issue apply.
  • invalid_address_match (Homes with missing or invalid address information)
    • This tab contains home records with missing or invalid address information. Counties may review these records to determine whether updates are needed to support a valid CWS/CMS match.

Action Required

Review your county’s Binti Data Conversion Report(s) when received and complete any needed cleanup, prioritizing records that may impact business functions. To ensure updates are included in CWS-CARES, counties are encouraged to complete data cleanup by the end of September 2026.

Questions?

If you have questions, please contact the CWDS CARES External Systems Data Conversion Mailbox.

Please Note

When working with the CARES support teams we ask that you take the following precautions to protect CARES case data: 

  • Do not share sensitive data (PHI / PII)  or other case details with the Service Desk, either directly or via email.  Sensitive and confidential data cannot be stored in the ticketing system. The Service Desk can only receive fully redacted information.
  • If performing a screen share at the request of the support team, ensure minimum necessary practices are followed, including that only those that need to see the information are present. Screenshots or recordings of the meetings where sensitive/confidential information is present is not permitted.
  • If sensitive information is required by third tier support (e.g., case numbers), ensure that it is shared via secured methods – please contact your county Privacy officer or the CWDS ISO for guidance as needed.