July 26, 2024
Communications
All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and CAD Contacts:
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.
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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.
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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.
- If you have issues, contact Chris Lovejoy at Chris.Lovejoy@osi.ca.gov
July 25, 2024
Communications
We are pleased to present the third issue of the CARES Compass, the two-page executive summary with upcoming project communications and brief informational highlights.
In this issue, you will find:
A Holistic Design Update: An overview of the changes coming with the holistic design approach, which improves how we build and deliver CWS-CARES Version 1.
ACF Annual Visit: The Federal Administration for Children and Families (ACF) conducted their annual onsite visit to the CWS-CARES project.
Resources: Links to self-service resources such as the CWDS Bulletins, CWS-CARES Meeting Matrix, and CWDS Glossary.
CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing Insights: The first session was conducted on June 26, 2024.
Upcoming Events and Communications: A list of CWS-CARES communications that will be released in the next three months.
The third issue of the CARES Compass is available here: The CARES Compass - Vol 1 - Issue 3 - July 2024
We appreciate your continued commitment to staying informed.
Action Required
If you have any questions, need clarification, or have any accessibility issues, please do not hesitate to contact Customer Relations.
July 24, 2024
Communications
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
July 24, 2024 UPDATE: The purposed new dates for the CWS/CMS Release 9.4 deployment originally scheduled for Saturday, July 20, 2024 are either August 17, 2024 or August 24, 2024.
To help us finalize the new release date, all counties are required to complete the attached quick survey. We ask that all surveys be completed no later than Friday, July 26, 2024. Your timely response is essential to ensuring a smooth Release 9.4 deployment process.
Survey link: Rescheduled R9.4 Go Live Date
Action Required
Please submit the survey no later than 5:00 PM on Friday, July 26, 2024.
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Due to the impact caused by the CrowdStrike update bringing many systems down, the CWDS Executive Leadership Team has decided to postpone the CWS/CMS Release 9.4, originally scheduled for Saturday, July 20, 2024. We apologize for any inconvenience this postponement may cause; however, it was decided this was the safest decision to avoid complications with the release. This decision will best allow all counties to fully recover from the impact of the major CrowdStrike incident before pushing out the release to CWS/CMS workstations.
The new date for the CWS/CMS Release 9.4 is still to be determined. An update will be sent out as soon as the new release date has been finalized.
Additional updates will be sent out as new information is received.
Action Required
No action regarding CWS/CMS Release 9.4 needed at this time. Release activities are postponed until the release date has been finalized.
July 24, 2024
Communications
ALL SPOCs and TRAINING CONTACTS:
July 24, 2024 Update: This is a reminder that the deadline to register for the R9.5 County Test Workshop (CTW) is Friday, July 26, 2024.
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July 17, 2024 Update: This is a reminder that the deadline to register for the R9.5 County Test Workshop (CTW) is Friday, July 26, 2024.
In addition, there is an update. Due to the planned testing of Windows 11 support during CTW, the decision has been made to not use Server Based Computing (SBC) for these testing sessions. Instead, connection to Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP) workstations will be used.
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The Child Welfare Digital Services (CWDS) Office is requesting county staff to participate in the Release 9.5 County Test Workshop (CTW). Release 9.5 is scheduled for delivery to the counties on December 14, 2024.
The CTW for Release 9.5 will be conducted in a remote setting, via Server Based Computing (SBC) soft tokens.
The deadline to register is: July 26, 2024
The CWDS Office is requesting county staff to participate in the Release 9.5 CTW. Registered testers will participate in the testing of Release 9.5, which is scheduled for delivery to the counties on December 14, 2024. CWDS is seeking a total of 15 county staff members for each of the 12 sessions (2 sessions per day, 9AM - 12PM and 1PM - 4PM) for VB6 testing and 16 sessions (2 sessions per day, 9AM - 12PM and 1PM - 4PM) for C# testing. There will be no testing from 12PM - 1PM each day of CTW.
Remote CTW sessions for VB6 testing will be on the following dates:
Tuesday, August 27, 2024 (AM or PM session)
Wednesday, August 28, 2024 (AM or PM session)
Thursday, August 29, 2024 (AM or PM session)
Tuesday, September 3, 2024 (AM or PM session)
Wednesday, September 4, 2024 (AM or PM session)
Thursday, September 5, 2024 (AM or PM session)
Remote CTW sessions for C# testing will be on the following dates:
Monday, October 21, 2024 (AM or PM session)
Tuesday, October 22, 2024 (AM or PM session)
Wednesday, October 23, 2024 (AM or PM session)
Thursday, October 24, 2024 (AM or PM session)
Monday, October 28, 2024 (AM or PM session)
Tuesday, October 29, 2024 (AM or PM session)
Wednesday, October 30, 2024 (AM or PM session)
Thursday, October 31, 2024 (AM or PM session)
Participants are welcome to register for any of the sessions listed above, in half or whole day increments. 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 July 26, 2024. 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 9.5 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 July 26, 2024.
If for any reason, you cannot access the Online Registration Form, please contact Customer Relations at CWS_CustRel@osi.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 July 26, 2024, Customer Relations will schedule a WebEx 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 8954 – Service Provider NPI Data Batch Update
- SCR 8960 – Other Child in Home Name Fields
- SCR 8961 – Other Child in Home Name Fields Data Population
- SCR 8964 – Update CWS/CMS User Emails for CARES Readiness
- SCR 8965 – Mandatory CWS/CMS User Emails
- SCR 8970 – Deduplication of Hearing Notebooks
- SCR 8971 – Illogical Client Relationship Correction
- SCR 8990 – R9.5 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@osi.ca.gov.
Your continued support of CWDS is greatly appreciated.
Action Required
Submit a Release 9.5 County Test Workshop Online Registration Form no later than July 26, 2024.
July 22, 2024
Communications
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
July 22, 2024 UPDATE: All of the gateway servers have been restored. All that remains is to restore all the CWS/CMS workstations. Unfortunately, each workstation must be restored individually.
The CWDS Infrastructure team and IBM have developed a fix for the CWS/CMS Dedicated County workstations which will require the use of a bootable USB drive. The instructions are being drafted and will be sent out later this morning. Co-Existent Counties may use this same process to restore connection to their workstations.
Dedicated Counties: Follow the instructions, once received, to create a bootable USB drive. If unable to create the bootable USB drive, you can request a copy of it from the IBM Help Desk and it will be mailed to you using next‑day shipping. Then, use the bootable USB drive on each CWS/CMS workstation to remove the files which are preventing the CWS/CMS workstations from correctly connecting to CWS/CMS.
In addition, a WebEx conference call is being set up for counties to assist with how to create and use the bootable USB drives and to receive updates on the status of connected workstations in each Dedicated County. The meeting will focus on assisting Dedicated Counties, but Co-Existent Counties can join the call and listen to the instructions. We encourage all Dedicated County Technical Contacts to join the call. We apologize for the short turnaround. Here is the logon information for the meeting:
Time: 11:00 AM – 12:00 Noon
Join from the meeting link:
https://osi-ca.webex.com/osi-ca/j.php?MTID=m65ab2e8f5f7011527ab1839d6e489a63
Join by meeting number:
Meeting number (access code): 2541 692 4576
Meeting password: hYNamCuA823
Tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only)
+1-415-655-0001,,25416924576## US Toll
Join by phone
+1-415-655-0001 US Toll
An additional WebEx session will be set up to assist with troubleshooting with implementing the Microsoft fix: from 1:00 to 3:00 PM. Here is the WebEx information for the troubleshooting call:
Time: 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
Join from the meeting link
https://osi-ca.webex.com/osi-ca/j.php?MTID=m7cc56df578e7dfbf450297629737f61d
Join by meeting number
Meeting number (access code): 2546 841 7948
Meeting password: DXt4DZmf744
Tap to join from a mobile device (attendees only)
+1-415-655-0001,,25468417948## US Toll
Join by phone
+1-415-655-0001 US Toll
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July 19, 2024 UPDATE: The CWDS Infrastructure team and IBM continue to work with the California Department of Technology (CDT) to resolve this issue. Multiple gateway servers have been restored and CWS/CMS transactions are being reported. However, there is no current estimate of when the system will be fully restored and all CWS/CMS servers and workstations are connected and up.
There are no reported issues with CARES-Live or CWS-CARES RFA connection issues.
Additional updates will be sent out as new information is received.
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A major incident has affected many systems worldwide. Crowdstrike performed a code update on Thursday, July 18, 2024, which has caused Windows workstations and servers to crash. Impacted systems include CWS/CMS, CARES-Live, and Microsoft Windows. All Dedicated Counties are affected. All Co-Existent Counties which use Crowdstrike are also affected. Crowdstrike has implemented a fix, but actions are required to recover the affected systems.
The CWDS Infrastructure team and IBM are working with the California Department of Technology (CDT) to implement the fix. They started with the CWS/CMS application’s servers. Then they are working on the workstations.
Some servers and workstations use BitLocker encryption and require a recovery key. A solution for these encrypted items is being developed.
Additional updates will be sent out as new information is received.
Action Required:
CWS/CMS Users
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 Users
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 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.
July 19, 2024
Communications
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
July 19, 2024 UPDATE: The CWDS Infrastructure team and IBM continue to work with the California Department of Technology (CDT) to resolve this issue. Multiple gateway servers have been restored and CWS/CMS transactions are being reported. However, there is no current estimate of when the system will be fully restored and all CWS/CMS servers and workstations are connected and up.
There are no reported issues with CARES-Live or CWS-CARES RFA connection issues.
Additional updates will be sent out as new information is received.
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A major incident has affected many systems worldwide. Crowdstrike performed a code update on Thursday, July 18, 2024, which has caused Windows workstations and servers to crash. Impacted systems include CWS/CMS, CARES-Live, and Microsoft Windows. All Dedicated Counties are affected. All Co-Existent Counties which use Crowdstrike are also affected. Crowdstrike has implemented a fix, but actions are required to recover the affected systems.
The CWDS Infrastructure team and IBM are working with the California Department of Technology (CDT) to implement the fix. They started with the CWS/CMS application’s servers. Then they are working on the workstations.
Some servers and workstations use BitLocker encryption and require a recovery key. A solution for these encrypted items is being developed.
Additional updates will be sent out as new information is received.
Action Required:
CWS/CMS Users
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 Users
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 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.
July 19, 2024
Communications
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
July 19, 2024 UPDATE: Due to the CrowdStrike major incident, the CWS/CMS Release 9.4 deployment, originally scheduled for Saturday, July 20, 2024, has been postponed. The new release date is still to be determined.
The CARES-Live scheduled outage will also be postponed, to coincide with the new deployment date of the CWS/CMS Release 9.4. An update will be sent out once the new outage date is finalized.
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In support of the CWS/CMS Release 9.4 deployment scheduled for Saturday, July 20, 2024, from 5:00 AM to 1:00 PM, the CARES-Live application will also not be available during this CWS/CMS scheduled deployment.
Action Required
If users experience any issues with CARES-Live outside of this scheduled outage, 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 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.
July 19, 2024
Communications
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
Due to the impact caused by the CrowdStrike update bringing many systems down, the CWDS Executive Leadership Team has decided to postpone the CWS/CMS Release 9.4, originally scheduled for Saturday, July 20, 2024. We apologize for any inconvenience this postponement may cause; however, it was decided this was the safest decision to avoid complications with the release. This decision will best allow all counties to fully recover from the impact of the major CrowdStrike incident before pushing out the release to CWS/CMS workstations.
The new date for the CWS/CMS Release 9.4 is still to be determined. An update will be sent out as soon as the new release date has been finalized.
Additional updates will be sent out as new information is received.
Action Required
No action regarding CWS/CMS Release 9.4 needed at this time. Release activities are postponed until the release date has been finalized.
July 10, 2024
Communications
All SPOCs, Training Contacts and Technical Contacts:
Customer Relations is pleased to announce that the Single Point of Contact (SPOC) Guide has been updated to version 3.0. This version has refreshed links to the Child Welfare Digital Services (CWDS) website and current information on:
- Child Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS)
- California Automated Response and Engagement System - Live (CARES-Live)
- Child Welfare Services California Automated Response and Engagement System (CWS-CARES) – In Development
Important Sections of the SPOC Guide:
- SPOC, Customer Relations and Specific County Roles and Responsibilities
- Web Administration
- CWDS Meeting Information
- County Resources – including the following:
- CWDS Website (https://cwds.ca.gov/) resources including:
- CWS/CMS Release Information
- Data Deletion Request (DDR)
- System Change Request (SCR)
- Server Based Computing (SBC)
- CWS-CARES User Resources, including:
- CWS-CARES Users – Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
- CWDS Glossary
- CWS-CARES Newsletters
- RFA Application Process Release Notes
- County Funding Process (Logon Required)
- Advanced Planning Document
- County Contacts
Action Required
Please review the attached SPOC Guide for information regarding SPOC responsibilities and available CWDS reference materials. The attached guide is also located on the CWDS website under the Stakeholder Resources tab>CWS/CMS Users>CWS/CMS Guides>Website and Web Application Guides>See the SPOC Guide PDF.
June 19, 2024
Communications
Child Welfare Directors, Child Welfare Director-Alternates, Tribal Leadership, All CARES SPOCs and Implementation Coordinators
Child Welfare Leadership,
Thank you for your staff’s continued participation in the design and development of CWS-CARES. Through lessons learned and feedback we’ve received from your organizations we have identified opportunities to improve the way we build and deliver CARES V1.
We recognize that our current model has created gaps in the user experience. To address these gaps, we are launching a more holistic approach to delivering CARES V1 while preserving the October 2026 Go-Live date and scope.
The holistic design approach considers all aspects from the user experience and functionality to the visual design. It ensures that every element works together seamlessly to achieve the desired outcomes.
Given the scope and complexity of CWS-CARES, it has been challenging to connect the user experience across service areas and functional areas of the product. The new holistic design process will increase early opportunities for users to provide feedback and offer a broader functionality preview during Extended User Scenario Testing (EUST). This allows design review participants to see the proposed user experience across an entire business process, rather than incrementally. It also helps teams identify interdependencies across business areas earlier in the design process and reduce the need for rework.
Over the coming weeks, we’ll be sharing more information and a schedule to prepare for this transition. We understand that any change requires adaptation and with that said, we believe that the holistic design approach will improve the quality of our work and ultimately benefit CWS-CARES end users.
If you have any questions, please contact CWS_CustRel@osi.ca.gov.
