A: CWS-CARES continues to ingest new documents from CWS-CMS on a weekly basis. Counties can continue to upload documents into CWS/CMS until the day of CWS-CARES go-live and expect those files to be transferred into the CWS-CARES environment.

A: CWS/CMS limits the file size for uploaded documents to 5 MB per document. CWS-CARES will allow documents uploads of up to 100 MB. File types must be compatible with CWS-CARES, allowable file types include PDF, DOC/DOCX, XLS/XLSX, Jpeg/jpg, txt, mov/mkv/mp4 files. Users will be able to upload files into CWS-CARES using either individual or multifile selection into a case record.

A: The draft of the data dictionary will be published by the end of 2024.  CWS-CARES will remain in active development through March 2026. As a result, the data dictionary will continue to evolve till then. We plan on publishing updates to the CWS-CARES data dictionary every quarter after the initial draft is published by end of 2024.   

A: Upon the release of CWS-CARES V1, there will be a data exchange with the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) that will add Regional Center data into the system. This Regional Center Listing will include names, address(s), and phone numbers. This information will be gathered from the DDS website and will be updated any time a new location or changes are made to the webpage. At the release of CWS-CARES V1, a more robust interface and data exchange with DDS is not feasible and the project will be looking towards building something more comprehensive in later iterations of CWS-CARES.

A: CWS-CARES Document Management System (aka DocuEdge) is designed to make it easy for Counties and Organizations to store, index, and retrieve documents. Organizations can attach documents to many CWS-CARES’ record types, such as Screening, Contact Log, Case, Assessments, etc. To store documents in CWS-CARES, users can upload (or simply drag and drop) one or multiple files and attach them to an allowed record type. Any form that is generated by CWS-CARES is automatically stored in CWS-CARES. Further, documents and forms that are part of a CWS-CARES managed workflow, such as review/approval or electronic signature, are stored in CWS-CARES as they go through the workflow. Users can also download a document to their desktop to view, print, or share if needed. However, please note that any document that is changed outside of CWS-CARES cannot be tracked automatically in CWS-CARES. For example, if a user downloads a document or a form to their desktop and edits it locally, then the user will need to re-upload the document into CWS-CARES if the revised document needs to be saved in CWS-CARES.
 
If an Organization creates a document outside of CWS-CARES, say using Microsoft Word or Excel, it can be uploaded into CWS-CARES by following the steps to attach a document to an existing CWS-CARES record. Organizations can attach other file types as well, such as PDF, DOC/DOCX, XLS/XLSX, JPEG/JPG, TXT, MOV/MKV/MP4. Currently, there is no optical character recognition (OCR) capability planned for CWS-CARES document management system. However, many Counties and Organizations have document capture/imaging hardware (e.g. a scanner) to convert their paper documents to electronic files. If the converted file type is one of the CWS-CARES supported file types, such as a PDF, then it can be uploaded into CWS-CARES.
 
All uploaded documents into CWS-CARES undergo a rigorous malware scanning process for viruses and other similar threats. If a document is flagged by the malware scanning process, then it will not be uploaded into CWS-CARES and the user is notified accordingly. 
 
While the CWS-CARES Document Management System does provide for malware scanning, it does not change the content or the format of the document. The uploaded documents retain their inherent capabilities and properties. For example, if a searchable PDF document is uploaded in CWS-CARES, then it will not lose its search capability when stored in CWS-CARES. If a PDF that is not searchable is uploaded in CWS-CARES, then its contents will remain unsearchable when the document is retrieved from CWS-CARES. Similarly, if a Word document is uploaded with comments and tracked changes, then the stored document will retain comments and changes.
 
CWS-CARES Document Management System tracks auditing capabilities as well. It captures information on when the document was uploaded and by whom. It also provides multiple categories and subcategories when uploading documents. Categories and subcategories help organize the documents in a folder/subfolder-type structure that groups related documents together to help quickly locate a specific document. Below are a few examples of categories and subcategories:
 

All records in CWS-CARES will have a unique ID to aid with data quality, generated by CARES. We will also retain certain existing standard IDs, such as State IDs, that are used for business processes across child welfare systems and the systems of our partner agencies. We research and design unique CARES IDs incrementally as part of ongoing research and design and in collaboration with county child welfare offices and partner agencies. The unique CARES IDs will always be present alongside the more recognizable record name, and shared IDs such as State IDs and will be available to view as part of a record's System Information. We will also retain the 19-digit CWS/CMS IDs (for Referral, Case, Client and Service Provider) on records that get converted from CWS/CMS to CARES, in case they are necessary for historical reference.

The system-generated numbers in CWS-CARES are currently under development. More information regarding the format will be available in the near future.

A: Counties should continue to enter CWS/CMS Case Number in CalSAWS. This is required for data conversion to establish a link between CWS/CMS and CalSAWS Cases.

A: Child Welfare Services-California Automated Response and Engagement System (CWS-CARES) is introducing the following three new case types for guardianships:

• Non-related legal guardian from probate court.
• Non-related legal guardian from dependency court.
• Relative guardian.

A: Counties and Tribes will participate in data conversion activities in three ways:

• Counties in the CWS-CARES Org Data Conversion Workgroup assist in validating field mappings of data elements and list of values mappings for data that will be converted from the CWS/CMS to CWS-CARES and provide county specific usages of fields and data in the system. 
• Counties and Tribes also participate in the Data Quality Workgroup assisting with data cleanup efforts in the CWS/CMS, which helps ensure high quality data is converted. 
• Core constituent counties participate in validating data that has been converted from the CWS/CMS to CWS-CARES. 

A: Counties can upload Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) in Child Welfare System-California Automated Response and Engagement System (CWS-CARES). Documenting background checks is a core functionality of resource family approval (RFA) that allows for each individual required to have background checks, be documented, and cleared. CWS-CARES can record background checks.