Q: Can you provide a high-level overview of the Implementation phases of Child Welfare Services-California Automated Response and Engagement System (CWS-CARES) V1?

A: Key phase activities for CWS-CARES V1 include the following:
Phase 1: Planning & Preparation (Today – March 2026)
•    Organization Assessment and Go-Live Readiness Checklist 
•    CWS/CMS data clean-up and CWS-CARES data validation 
•    Analysis of County-specific business processes 
•    Training needs analysis and County-specific tailoring of training materials
•    External systems, forms, and reports identification 
•    End User Scenario Testing (EUST) and user feedback activities
Phase 2: Readiness & Cutover (Fall 2025 – October 2026)
•    Readiness & Cutover 
•    Completion of final readiness activities
•    CARES V1 training delivery
•    Evaluation of interim processes impact on planned business processes
•    Data conversion, user configuration, roles analysis, and permissions configuration
Phase 3: Go-Live Support (October 2026 and beyond)
•    Go-Live Support 
•    Post-conversion data cleanup
•    Post-Go-Live communications and training