Frequently Asked Questions
Case Management
Q: When are Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) assigned that role in CWS-CARES?
A: In CWS-CARES, once the adoptions service request has been approved, the placement providers are brought over to the adoption case as Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs).
Q: How should counties document relinquishments and pay foster care for children from the community who are not dependents?
A: Independent Adoptions are not part of the scope for CWS-CARES Version 1. Given that, all Independent Adoption work would follow the same process that counties and CDSS are using today.
Q: What does the 'FOP' label on one of the records mean?
A: The 'FOP' followed by a series of numbers indicates the individual person record ID number for the child or person receiving services.
Q: What happens if the CBO attempts to provide services, but the family doesn't engage?
A: There will be functionality for the provider to report in the system that they did not provide services because the family did not engage.
Q: Will you be able to see if a child has Medi-Cal, Medi-Cal Fee for Service or Managed Care Medi-Cal, and what health provider they have?
A: Medi-Cal is not being tracked in CARES V1, and CARES V2 scope is not yet available.
Q: Who from the CBO will submit data in the portal? Is it a data system manager, or a case manager entering information? Will only one CBO role be doing the management and submission of records?
A: The system will have different roles such as CBO admin, CBO supervisor and CBO worker. This is based on provider feedback we received that some folks in their organization are handling only administration, and others are managing services and entering info about delivery, etc. It will be up to the county/provider to determine who is assigned what permission in the portal. Portal Administrators have additional capabilities including updating provider profile information, submitting portal access requests, etc.
Q: Will the 'Inactive Worker with Caseloads' report only be available to County Administrators, or would Supervisors and Managers in that Office be able to pull those reports as well?
A: The “Inactive Worker with Caseloads” report in Salesforce is currently only available to County Administrators through the Action Launcher Section. Managers and Supervisors do not have access to this report. As a note, “Manager” is not used as a permission type. This report isn’t available in Tableau for supervisors unless they learn how to create it.
Q: Is there an anticipated timeline for when the state will take over costs related to SafeMeasures?
A: The State expects to take over county costs associated with SafeMeasures starting on July 1, 2028. Counties must continue to submit an Advance Planning Document (APD) to the California Department of Social Services prior to executing, renewing, or amending the agreement or paying for associated services. Please see External Systems Monthly Meeting May 2026 Questions and Answers County Fiscal Letter 23/24-12 for APD submission requirements and details as counties will be responsible for the existing contract and access until June 30, 2028. Please refer to The Future of SafeMeasures and Structured Decision Making (SDM) Assessments with CWS-CARES for more information.
Q: Can you provide more details about the Case Management Assessment (CMA) Suite Opeeka Person-Centered Intelligence Solutions (P-CIS) and clarify what information is being exchanged in the interface?
A: P-CIS provides real-time, bidirectional data exchange with CWS-CARES. P-CIS will support care coordination, assessments, and data sharing across agencies. Within PCIS, the CMA Suite is used to complete Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessments, Supervised Independent Living Program Readiness assessments, Life Skills Assessments, Child and Family Team Meeting surveys, and National Youth in Transition Database surveys.
For more information, please refer to the CWS-CARES and Data Exchange Fact Sheet.
Q: We were wondering if CWS-CARES will incorporate Safety Organized Practice (SOP) into the system. This is the state approved model approach we use in practice.
A: CWS-CARES incorporates elements aligned with Safety Organized Practice (SOP) where appropriate within system functionality. For example, provisional Harm and Danger Statements are available at Intake (Screening) and can be further developed throughout the referral and case lifecycle. Additionally, SOP-aligned language has been integrated into relevant areas of the system, including structured contact notes and other documentation features, where applicable.