Frequently Asked Questions
Data
Q: Are there plans on implementing a document imaging solution for CWS-CARES?
A: Currently, there are no plans for a document imaging solution directly into CWS-CARES at this time. Users can scan documents to their computers and upload any saved documents as needed.
Q: Outside of Child & Family Services (CFS) staff, will other Health & Human Services (HHS) partners, like Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) for example, who have access to CWS-CARES be able to access all information or will they only have access to limited information/functions in CWS-CARES?
A: Access to CWS-CARES is role-based, and counties are responsible for determining how system access is assigned to their users based on local operational needs.
At this time, there is no dedicated worker permission specifically configured for Behavioral Health staff. For secondary role assignment, a “Public Health Nurse” role is available and may be leveraged by counties as appropriate. However, there is currently no distinct Behavioral Health role with a separate, limited permission set.
Q: How will Resource Family Approval (RFA) Applicants be categorized in CWS-CARES V1? Will they remain separate or become part of the Person record?
A: RFA Applicants will be put in as Category 1 people, and they will become part of the Person record.
Q: If a client moves from one county to another, will imaged documents and associated data transfer automatically with the rest of the client’s data?
A: Yes. In CWS-CARES, documents attached to a unit of work, such as a case, remain associated with that case. When the case is transferred from one county to another, the associated documents and relevant data remain linked to the case and are accessible to the receiving county.
Q: Will converted documents from CWS/CMS to CWS-CARES be in the same format they were originally saved in, or will they be converted to a standard format?
A: Yes, documents converted from CWS/CMS to CWS-CARES will retain their original file formats. The conversion process preserves the document format as stored in CWS/CMS rather than converting documents into a standardized format.
Q: Will CWS-CARES pull data from CWS/CMS and Binti? If data is in Binti, is there any need to enter that data into CWS/CMS before the go live date? If data is in Binti but not in CWS/CMS, will the Binti data be loaded into CWS-CARES?
A: CWS/CMS data is the primary source of Child Welfare information and supersedes all other record sources. If a field in CWS-CARES already contains data from CWS/CMS, it will not be augmented or overwritten by Binti data.
For more details, please refer to the Binti to CWS-CARES V1 Data Conversion Fact Sheet located in the CWDS External Systems Portal. If you have additional questions, reach out to the External Systems Data Conversion (ESDC) team.
Q: Will Binti data be migrated by the first day of Go-Live, on October 26, 2026?
A: Yes, the Binti data will be migrated into CWS-CARES at Go-Live using the conversion logic as described in the Data Conversion Fact Sheet.
Q: Are the organizations (CDSS, Counties, Tribes with California Title IV-E Agreement(s)) responsible for accomplishing External System decommissioning activities?
A: Yes, organizations are responsible for creating and implementing external system decommissioning plans. For more information on decommissioning planning, please reach out to the External Stakeholder Coordination Units.
Q: Will all content in the miscellaneous section of Binti be transferred to CWS-CARES?
A: Yes. All PDFs, images, and documents from Binti will be migrated and linked. Please refer to the Binti to CWS-CARES V1 Data Conversion Fact Sheet for more.
Q: Is Binti considered a Fully-In-Scope External System? If so, will all data, documents and images be migrated from Binti to the CWS-CARES platform prior to Go-Live?
A: Binti Resource Family Approval (RFA), Placement, and Family Finding functionalities are considered fully in scope for CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1).
Please note, the RFA module used by Los Angeles County providers for Foster Family Agencies is not in scope for CARES V1.
For more details, please refer to the Binti to CWS-CARES V1 Data Conversion Fact Sheet located in the Child Welfare Digital Services (CWDS) External Systems Portal. If you have additional questions, reach out to the External Systems Data Conversion (ESDC) team.