Frequently Asked Questions

Case Management

Q: Where will the Child and Family Team (CFT) Action Plan be located in CWS-CARES?

A: The Child and Family Team (CFT) Action Plan is located in the CFT Summary and Action Items section.

Q: The "wraparound" indicator is currently a special project code in CWS/CMS. What code or field will indicate wraparound services in CWS-CARES?

A: In CWS-CARES, wraparound services are captured as a service type within the "Case Management Services" category. A dedicated checkbox is also available to indicate wraparound services, consistent with how this information was captured in CWS/CMS.

Q: Will CWS-CARES include built-in templates for documenting parent/child visitation, and what visit information can be captured?

A: Visit records in CWS-CARES include a section in the left navigation dedicated to notes and to capturing visit quality, per the definitions listed in the Resource Information and External Links sections. Visitation notes include an overall narrative as well as narratives on progress toward case plan goals, any concerns observed, and new or existing skills observed.

Q: Will all Probation departments be required to have an office separate from the county Child Welfare office in CWS-CARES?

A: Counties have the flexibility to determine how offices, units, and user access are structured in CWS-CARES based on their local operational needs. This includes configuring Adoptions, Probation, and Child Welfare staff under a single office structure, similar to current CWS/CMS configurations. CDSS recommends maintaining separate offices for certain functions (such as Probation and Child Welfare) to support data security and access considerations, but this is not a system-enforced requirement; counties are responsible for assessing and managing access, security, and associated risks in alignment with applicable regulations and local governance. Note that CWS-CARES does not include unit-level record security in the same way CWS/CMS does, so users across units within the same office may have visibility into each other's records based on assigned permission sets. Existing office and unit structures from CWS/CMS will be mapped into CWS-CARES with no expected impact, business workflows will continue to function regardless of office structure, and reporting will continue to support unit-level analysis. The Project recommends that counties review the differences between the CWS/CMS and CWS-CARES security models and consult internal leadership, including County Counsel, when determining their structure.

Q: Will current CWS/CMS office, unit, and caseload names still be used in CWS-CARES?

A: In CWS-CARES, the User ID will change from RACF ID to email address, and a field has been added to capture employee number. Office, unit, and caseload names will follow each county's current format in production; those names will not be changed.

Q: How will approved Resource Family Approval (RFA) homes be assigned and managed in CWS-CARES, particularly for counties with a large number of approved homes?

A: Each county in CWS-CARES will be assigned a RFA queue where these homes could reside. The county will have flexibility to assign someone to this queue as notifications on needed actions will need to be sent to someone.

Q: What are the Candidacy Determination Request and the Family Well-Being Plan, and will they be mandatory?

A: A Candidacy Determination Request is the process that will determine if the child meets the IV-E eligibility requirements to receive services under Title IV-E funding. This is required to be completed for each child that is referred to prevention services. If approved, a worker would continue the process of coordinating prevention services. If the child has an open case and/or is receiving services from the county themselves, the county will be required to create a Family Well Being Plan in CWS-CARES. This plan will only be used in the FFPSA process and can be added as part of a case plan. In short, the Candidacy Determination Request and/or Family Well-Being Plan are to be used for FFPSA only.

Q: Can a county configure CWS-CARES so that Adoptions, Probation, and Child Welfare teams are all under the same office, similar to their CWS/CMS setup?

A: Counties have the flexibility to determine how offices, units, and user access are structured in CWS-CARES based on their local operational needs. This includes configuring Adoptions, Probation, and Child Welfare staff under a single office structure, similar to current CWS/CMS configurations. CDSS recommends maintaining separate offices for certain functions (such as Probation and Child Welfare) to support data security and access considerations, but this is not a system-enforced requirement; counties are responsible for assessing and managing access, security, and associated risks. Note that CWS-CARES does not include unit-level record security in the same way CWS/CMS does, so users across units within the same office may have visibility into each other's records based on assigned permission sets. Existing office and unit structures from CWS/CMS will be mapped into CWS-CARES with no expected impact, business workflows will continue to function regardless of office structure, and reporting will continue to support unit-level analysis. The Project recommends that counties review the differences between the CWS/CMS and CWS-CARES security models and consult internal leadership, including County Counsel, when determining their structure.

Q: Can a contractor access the Person-Centered Intelligence Solution (P-CIS) as a stand-alone system outside of CWS-CARES to record the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) assessment?

A: No. External partners, such as contractors, cannot access P-CIS outside of CWS-CARES. Any CANS assessment conducted as part of a child welfare case must be completed through CWS-CARES.

Q: In the adoptions case, are court reports under court section or the documents section?

A: The Final Court Report is created within the Adoption case under the Court section in the left-hand navigation.