Update

CWDS Migrating to Microsoft Teams for Virtual Meetings

All SPOCs:
The Office of Technology and Solutions Integration (OTSI) has decided to phase out the use of WebEx and will use, instead, Microsoft Teams exclusively for all virtual meetings. Child Welfare Digital Services (CWDS) plans to make the move to Microsoft Teams by Monday, September 30, 2024.

Organizations will see many CWDS project meetings either updated or cancelled and rescheduled to make the change to Microsoft Teams instead of WebEx. This communication is being sent out to explain the reasoning of the updates to the existing meeting invites.

Recipients of “forwarded” meeting invites will not receive the updates to the meetings and will have the previous WebEx link on their calendar if they were not included in the invite distribution. If you have previously forwarded an invite to a meeting that has since been updated, please be sure to forward the updated invite to those parties, or work with the meeting organizer to add them to the invite’s distribution list, if appropriate.
 
Action Required
Please accept the updated meeting invites and remove the canceled meetings, due to the change from WebEx to Teams, as they are received.
 
Forward any updated meeting invites that you have previously forwarded, if the new recipients are not included in the meeting’s distribution. The other option is to work with the meeting organizers to add the appropriate people to the invite.

The CARES Explorer Newsletter – September 2024 Issue

To: CARES SPOCs and Implementation Coordinators 
CC: County, Tribe, Probation, and State Leadership, OCM Coordinators, Specific CWDA Staff Related to Child Welfare  
We are pleased to share the CARES Explorer - September 2024 issuethe newsletter for staying up to date on the CWS-CARES project.

This is sent directly to our key stakeholders for project communications: County, Tribe, Probation, and State leadership, CARES Single Point of Contacts (SPOCs), Organization Implementation Coordinators, and specific CWDA staff related to child welfare.  
This issue contains information on: 
  • Stakeholders:Discover the ways that the County Welfare Directors Association (CWDA) is working on the project and understand the role of the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) as the CWS-CARES project sponsorRead about El Dorado County’s contributions to CWS-CARES and how the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) serves as a voice for tribal governments and native children.  
  • CWS-CARES: This issue highlights the Case Management Service Area and seven related functions including Prevention Services, Case Plan, and Placement. There is a spotlight on the Smarty Streets address validation featurean update on connectivity between CWS-CARES and CalSAWS, and ways that counties participate in data conversion.  
  • Hidden Gems:Learn more about our progress with holistic design, participation in conferences, and take the survey to vote on what merchandise to feature in our new CWS-CARES branded store. 
We recommend that you share this newsletter at your discretion with staff that are impacted by the changes coming with CWS-CARES. When executives or key staff take the initiative to communicate about CWS-CARES directly, it shows staff that leadership values the project and its impact on child welfare. This fosters a sense of ownership and encourages staff to actively participate in learning about CWS-CARES. 

The CARES Explorer – September 2024 issue is now available here: The CARES Explorer - September 2024
You may also obtain all CARES Explorer issues on the CWDS website: CARES Compass/Explorer | Child Welfare Digital Services 
If you have any questions, need clarification, or have any accessibility issues, please do not hesitate to contact Customer Relations 

Action Required: 
We request that all CARES Single Point of Contacts (SPOCs) and Implementation Coordinators coordinate and distribute the CARES Explorer Newsletter to all staff impacted by CWS-CARES. 

CWS/CMS - ICPC State Contact Information Update - SCR 8992 | Oct. 15, 2024

All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) requires certain forms to be completed to act as a contract and placement documentation for children being placed out of state into a relative, foster, parent, adoptive, or residential placement. ICPC forms must be created in CWS/CMS within a child’s case. These forms pre-populate with incorrect and outdated names and contact information for the Receiving State ICPC Compact Administrators. This issue affects the following forms: ICPC 100A, ICPC 100B, and the Financial Medical Plan.

SCR 8992 will update the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) Administrator’s information for each state to “[Receiving State] ICPC Compact Administrator”.  For example, an ICPC referral being sent to Nevada would pre-populate with the following: “Nevada ICPC Compact Administrator.” The address of the receiving state ICPC Office will be removed, as all ICPC referrals are now sent electronically to all 50 states, and most states no longer accept ICPC referrals by mail. This SCR will go live by Tuesday, October 15, 2024.
 
Action Required
No action is required. Informational only.

CWS/CMS: CAD Server Upgrade to Training Environment - Oct. 1, 2024 | 6 AM - 10 AM

All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and CAD Contacts:
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled an upgrade to the CAD Business Objects (BO) server in the CAD Training environment. The upgrade window is scheduled for Tuesday, October 1, 2024, beginning at 6:00 AM and concluding at 10:00 AM.

All users should be sure to be logged out of the CAD BO Training environment prior to the start of the upgrade window.

Action Required
All users should logoff of the CAD BO Training environment prior to the start of the stated maintenance timeframe.
Contact the IBM Help Desk (800-428-8268) to report any issues with Business Objects.

CWS/CMS: Data Quality Fuzzy Reports Available

All SPOCs and Data Quality Analysts:
The latest versions of data quality fuzzy reports for clients & placement homes are now available. Note that Substitute Care Provider (SCP) Fuzzy reports have been replaced by SCR8912 SCP Deduplication. The Client & Placement Home Fuzzy reports assist with data cleanup by providing a greater number of potential duplication matches, using “fuzzy” matching criteria, than would be possible on the more restricted results on the Semi-annual merge reports. Additional information on CWS/CMS data cleansing activities and benefits, including fuzzy reports, is found on the Data Quality Portal.

To help the Data Quality team to keep track of requests for fuzzy reports, a simple online request form has been developed. A new request must be submitted each time to receive the updated fuzzy reports. The Data Quality Fuzzy reports request online form is located at 2024 September DQ Fuzzy Reports Request.
 
Action Required
If a county wants to request a Data Quality Fuzzy Report (for Client or Placement Home), please complete and submit the online request form located at 2024 September DQ Fuzzy Reports Request.

RFA Written Report Unavailable - RESOLVED

All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:
September 19, 2024 UPDATE: The issue that was preventing the availability of RFA Written Reports in CWS-CARES has been resolved. The Written Report is now accessible.
________________________________________________________________________________________
In CWS-CARES RFA, the RFA Written Report is currently unavailable. The CARES development teams plan to address this issue today, between 12:00 noon and 1:00 PM. During this maintenance window, the document generation feature will not be functional. The CWS-CARES RFA will otherwise be functional and available.
A communication update will be sent following the maintenance window to inform everyone of the status of the RFA Written Report functionality.

Action Required
No action required from end-users during this maintenance window.
 
If users experience any issues with the CWS-CARES, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CWS-CARES 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 Servicedesk@cwds.ca.gov during normal business hours. You may also email after hours, and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.

CWS/CMS: Business Intelligence County Access Data – Upgrade to CAD BOBJ 4.3 – UPDATE

All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and CAD Contacts:
September 13, 2024 Additional UPDATE: Please note that the BOBJ 4.3 Quick Reference Guide has been added to the BI Launchpad in both the Production and the Training environments. The guide is located under Folders à Public Folders à **New – Start Here à BOBJ 4.3 Quick Guide. In addition, there is an Administrators Guide saved in the same folder, in both the Production environment and the Training environment. Users in the Training environment are managed separately than the BI IDs in the Production environment. They are both administered in the Central Management Console (CMC) separately, within their specific environment.
_____________________________________________________________________________
September 13, 2024 UPDATE: After conducting thorough testing, CWDS is now ready to proceed with having users test the Business Objects upgrade to version CAD BOBJ 4.3 and to reschedule the upgrade in the production environment. The new production upgrade date is Wednesday, October 16, 2024. The production upgrade window will begin at 11:00 AM and conclude at 5:00 PM. An additional communication will be sent to provide details regarding the new requirements to use Business Objects following the upgrade.
Prior to the production upgrade, users will be able to test the upgrade to CAD BOBJ 4.3 in the Training environment, beginning on Friday, September 13, 2024, and concluding on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.
As a REMINDER, you will need a CAD ID to log onto the Training environment. Please see instructions listed below if assistance is needed with logging into the Training environment.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

August 26 - UPDATE: For clarification, the CAD BOBJ 4.3 Testing is in the TRAINING Environment at the URL https://cwscadtrn.int.osi.ca.gov/BOE/BI which is being used as a sandbox area. This environment is currently in the process of being upgraded. The CWDS teams encountered an issue with the upgrade and the issue is expected to be resolved soon. Additional updates will be sent out as new information is received.
______________________________________________________________________________________

August 22 - UPDATE: The CAD BOBJ 4.3 Sandbox Test Environment is currently down and not completely upgraded. The CWDS teams are working on a resolution. Additional updates will be sent out as new information is received.
______________________________________________________________________________________
July 26, 2024 - REMINDER: The upgrade to County Access Data (CAD) - CAD BOBJ 4.3 will take place on September 14, 2024. The Business Intelligence (BI) team will provide a demo on Thursday, August 8, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, and a Sandbox environment will be available from Friday, August 9, through Friday, September 13. Please see the details below to ensure you have your County CAD ID.
________________________________________________________________________________________
July 9, 2024 - REMINDER: This is a reminder of the upgrade to CAD BOBJ 4.3 on September 14, 2024. The Business Intelligence (BI) team will provide a demo of the updated version on Thursday, August 8, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, and a Sandbox environment will be available from Friday, August 9, through Friday, September 13. Please see the additional details below. As an additional update, the Demo will not be recorded due to privacy guidelines.
________________________________________________________________________________________
June 13, 2024: The Business Intelligence (BI) County Access Data (CAD) application will upgrade to version CAD BOBJ 4.3 on September 14, 2024. The BI team will provide a demo of the updated version on Thursday, August 8, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. You will receive a meeting invite from OSI-CWS-CAD@osi.ca.gov for the Thursday, August 8, 2024 demo soon.
 
The enhancements are primarily focused on visual differences, featuring a new User Interface. Our goal is to ensure that users can easily navigate through this updated version. To facilitate that goal, we will be offering a Sandbox version for a five-week period starting Friday, August 9, until Friday, September 13.
 
You will need a CAD ID to log onto the Sandbox environment. 
 
NOTE: Most CAD users already have CAD IDs, however if you do not:
  • Please contact one of your County CAD Contacts to request a CAD ID.
    • You can locate your County CAD list of contacts on the CWDS website.
Action Required
  • Accept the meeting invite from OSI-CWS-CAD@osi.ca.gov scheduled for Thursday, August 8, 2024 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
  • Explore the new BI Interface from Friday, August 9, through Friday, September 13 from Friday, September 13, through Tuesday, October 15, 2024.
  • If you have issues, contact Chris Lovejoy at Chris.Lovejoy@osi.ca.gov.

CWS/CMS: Business Intelligence County Access Data – Upgrade to CAD BOBJ 4.3 – UPDATE

All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and CAD Contacts:
September 13, 2024 UPDATE: After conducting thorough testing, CWDS is now ready to proceed with having users test the Business Objects upgrade to version CAD BOBJ 4.3 and to reschedule the upgrade in the production environment. The new production upgrade date is Wednesday, October 16, 2024. The production upgrade window will begin at 11:00 AM and conclude at 5:00 PM. An additional communication will be sent to provide details regarding the new requirements to use Business Objects following the upgrade.
Prior to the production upgrade, users will be able to test the upgrade to CAD BOBJ 4.3 in the Training environment, beginning on Friday, September 13, 2024, and concluding on Tuesday, October 15, 2024.
As a REMINDER, you will need a CAD ID to log onto the Training environment. Please see instructions listed below if assistance is needed with logging into the Training environment.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

August 26 - UPDATE: For clarification, the CAD BOBJ 4.3 Testing is in the TRAINING Environment at the URL https://cwscadtrn.int.osi.ca.gov/BOE/BI which is being used as a sandbox area. This environment is currently in the process of being upgraded. The CWDS teams encountered an issue with the upgrade and the issue is expected to be resolved soon. Additional updates will be sent out as new information is received.
______________________________________________________________________________________

August 22 - UPDATE: The CAD BOBJ 4.3 Sandbox Test Environment is currently down and not completely upgraded. The CWDS teams are working on a resolution. Additional updates will be sent out as new information is received.
______________________________________________________________________________________
July 26, 2024 - REMINDER: The upgrade to County Access Data (CAD) - CAD BOBJ 4.3 will take place on September 14, 2024. The Business Intelligence (BI) team will provide a demo on Thursday, August 8, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, and a Sandbox environment will be available from Friday, August 9, through Friday, September 13. Please see the details below to ensure you have your County CAD ID.
________________________________________________________________________________________
July 9, 2024 - REMINDER: This is a reminder of the upgrade to CAD BOBJ 4.3 on September 14, 2024. The Business Intelligence (BI) team will provide a demo of the updated version on Thursday, August 8, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM, and a Sandbox environment will be available from Friday, August 9, through Friday, September 13. Please see the additional details below. As an additional update, the Demo will not be recorded due to privacy guidelines.
________________________________________________________________________________________
June 13, 2024: The Business Intelligence (BI) County Access Data (CAD) application will upgrade to version CAD BOBJ 4.3 on September 14, 2024. The BI team will provide a demo of the updated version on Thursday, August 8, from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM. You will receive a meeting invite from OSI-CWS-CAD@osi.ca.gov for the Thursday, August 8, 2024 demo soon.
 
The enhancements are primarily focused on visual differences, featuring a new User Interface. Our goal is to ensure that users can easily navigate through this updated version. To facilitate that goal, we will be offering a Sandbox version for a five-week period starting Friday, August 9, until Friday, September 13.
 
You will need a CAD ID to log onto the Sandbox environment. 
 
NOTE: Most CAD users already have CAD IDs, however if you do not:
  • Please contact one of your County CAD Contacts to request a CAD ID.
    • You can locate your County CAD list of contacts on the CWDS website.
Action Required
  • Accept the meeting invite from OSI-CWS-CAD@osi.ca.gov scheduled for Thursday, August 8, 2024 from 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM.
  • Explore the new BI Interface from Friday, August 9, through Friday, September 13 from Friday, September 13, through Tuesday, October 15, 2024.
If you have issues, contact Chris Lovejoy at Chris.Lovejoy@osi.ca.gov.

CAD Business Objects Currently Unavailable - RESOLVED

All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and CAD Contacts:
September 11, 2024 UPDATE:  The problem which made BusinessObjects (BO) unavailable has been resolved. The server certificate was installed, allowing access to be restored.
Review and rerun the recent BO report jobs, as necessary.

_____________________________________________________________________________________
The CWS/CMS CAD BusinessObjects (BO) server is unavailable. The CWDS Infrastructure team and IBM are working with the California Department of Technology (CDT) to investigate the cause of the problem and to work on implementing a resolution.

There is currently no estimated time of recovery. Updates will be sent out as they are received.
 
Action Required
No action currently needed. Review scheduled BO reports when BO has resumed. Rerun the report jobs, as necessary.

CWS-CARES Meeting Calendar – September and October 2024

Child Welfare Directors, Child Welfare Director-Alternates, Tribal Leadership, specific CWDA staff, All CARES SPOCs and Implementation Coordinators:

Child Welfare Leadership, 

We’ve heard your feedback that you would like more insight into where organization staff is spending their time on the CWS-CARES project. In response, the CWS-CARES project is developing a long-term, live calendar solution that will be accessible to all meeting participants and leadership. In the meantime, we will be sharing 2-month meeting calendars at the beginning of each month to ensure you have clear visibility into upcoming commitments.  

Please link to the updated CWS-CARES Meeting Calendar for September and October 2024. This calendar replaces the previous version and includes all CWS-CARES readiness meetings, including the new holistic design overview sessions and core constituent demonstrations.   

In addition to the attached calendar, participants have received Outlook meeting invitations for all sessions through the month of October. Please note: This calendar is point-in-time and subject to change.  

If you have any questions, please contact CWS_CustRel@osi.ca.gov.  

CWS-CARES Strategic Communications Team 

Action Required
None at this time.