Frequently Asked Questions
CWDS Support
Q: Will the project hold post Go-Live check points with county help desks during the first few weeks post Go-Live?
A: The Project will provide the option of both over-the-shoulder and virtual support to organizations post Go-Live. Implementation Leads will be coordinating with the organizations directly to understand what works best for them.
Q: Will the help desk be available to support families once CWS-CARES V1 goes live or are the counties required to support families on their own?
A: The CWS-CARES V1 Service Desk is not intended for families to call in to. This service desk is exclusively for Counties, California Tribes with a Title IV-E Agreement, and CDSS users. Currently, there are tiers of service that provide support within the counties. When an issue extends beyond a county question, the county then would reach out to the service desk. This model also applies to the Production Simulation environment.
Q: Will instructions be provided on how to open tickets in the new Help Desk service?
A: Yes, we are setting up a Service Desk County Advisory Committee (CAC) to work through the ticketing process and service level expectations. This CAC will include county/project representatives and the focus is operational county and state coordination, incidents and escalations, defect prioritization, business continuity, and knowledge base.
Q: Is there help desk or service desk specific training?
A: Yes. Service desk/help desk personnel have role-specific On-Demand courses. The recommended audience in the Instructional Design Maps indicates the ILT courses the CWS-CARES Team feels would support this group of people the best. However, you may choose to assign ILT courses that do not indicate service/help desk personnel as the target audience if you feel the content covered aligns with the tasks performed by the individual.
Q: Is there an Admin training module in Train-the-Trainer (TTT)?
A: The Train-the-Trainer (TTT) curriculum mirrors the Instructor-Led Training (ILT) curriculum, which includes an Administrator (Help Desk) course.
Q: Will there be dedicated support to assist County Admins with configuration?
A: Support will be provided for all Product Simulation users via a Service Desk. The specific support model is still being finalized, and more information will be shared as those details are confirmed.
Q: What ticketing tool will be used during Production Simulation to log incidents? If it is ServiceNow, will counties receive training, and if so, when?
A: At least during Phase 1, ServiceNow will be used for logging incidents for Tier 2 to work on. County/organization Tier 1 teams will be able to log tickets using the ServiceNow portal (CSM). Otherwise, county users who are not Tier 1 should reach out to their Tier 1 staff or contact Tier 2, and Tier 2 will log the ticket in ServiceNow. Tier 1 will receive dedicated overviews of how to create a ServiceNow incident.
Q: Who will provide support for the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) and Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) Portal once CWS-CARES goes live, including password resets? How does someone get access to the portals?
A: The CWDS Service Desk will be responsible for system support for the RFA and FFPSA portals. Within each portal, should a user need their password reset, there is an option to self-serve a password reset. In most cases this will resolve a user’s password concern, such as forgetting their password. However, if the password reset link is not received by a portal user after 24 hours, the user will need to contact the CWDS Service Desk for additional support.
For basic troubleshooting and supporting the applicant (i.e., how to complete an application), questions on overall application questions and processes, etc., the County would be responsible for providing that support.
Portal access is granted/received in two distinct methods based on the portal.
- RFA Portal – A Resource Family can access the portal via public link on the CWDS and county website(s) and is open for individuals to submit applications for interest in becoming a Resource Family Home (RFH). The second way to access the RFA Portal is for a CWS-CARES RFA Worker or RFA Supervisor to initiate an invitation to the prospective portal applicant. It should be noted that this method of invitation is only in the circumstance of an Emergency Placement, otherwise the Applicant would go to the public link to apply. Existing RFH homes with an email address previously provided will be extended an invitation to the portal. This will be done in the CWS-CARES application and dedicated training materials and guides will be provided on how to accomplish this task.
- Link to RFA Portal end-to-end demonstration
- FFPSA Portal – Access to this portal is by invitation only to Community Based Organizations (CBOs). A CWS-CARES worker will initiate the invitation to the portal by adding the prospective or existing Service Provider to CWS-CARES, including their email. Once the email address has been added to CWS-CARES, the provider will receive an email inviting them to the FFPSA Portal. With this invitation email, the provider will be able to establish their password and update any applicable information. CWS-CARES will provide CARES workers with the necessary training materials and guides on how to accomplish this task.
- Link to FFPSA Portal demonstration
- CBO Portal Worker
- They can fill out and submit candidacy determinations and cost tracking
- CBO Portal Supervisor
- They receive requests from IV-E agencies
- They assign CBO workers to children/cases
- They enter cost information for monthly reports
- CBO Portal Administrator
- They activate and deactivate portal access for workers within their organization
- They handle profile changes/updates
- They upload capacity reports
- They also enter cost information for monthly reports
Q: Where can users find the details or itemization of the essential items and refinement items produced by Extended User Scenario Testing (EUST) 3 feedback?
A: These lists were shared as part of the EUST 3 Report Out presentation – please reference this document for the itemization of the essential, refinement, and enhancement development tickets produced by EUST 3 feedback.
Regarding training materials, the Training Team will incorporate updates based on the functionality available at the time materials are finalized. Any changes implemented after training materials are completed will be captured in supplemental job aids, release notes, or updated training content as needed prior to Go‑Live. This ensures training remains accurate and aligned with the final solution.
Q: Who will open/create tickets during CWS-CARES Production Simulation?
A: Tier 2 Support and Organization Administrators.
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