Frequently Asked Questions
External Systems
Q: What is the benefit of validating External System functionality in Production Simulation for systems already assessed by the CWS-CARES V1 Preliminary Scope Assessment and Gap Analysis process?
A: The CWS-CARES V1 Scope Assessments are preliminary and based on functionality descriptions provided by organizations. Production Simulation provides the opportunity for organizations to validate functionality in CWS-CARES V1 prior to go-live, in order to identify any gaps or issues that were not previously identified or documented by the gap analysis process. Use of the Production Simulation environment also allows organizations an early opportunity to validate and finalize business process changes ahead of go-live. This will minimize the effort for Fully-In-Scope decommissioning planning as validated systems can be made inactive or read-only prior to December 31, 2027.
Q: Will Production Simulation be canceled if the project does not receive federal approval?
A: The State intends to utilize state funds in order to proceed with Production Simulation and is not dependent on federal approval.
Q: With CWS-CARES no longer generating User IDs, will SDM and SafeMeasures be modified to accommodate no usernames, or will we be entering emails instead? How will users log into SDM and Safe Measures?
A: CWS-CARES will have a data interface to SDM and SafeMeasures will use the user's email address to connect to these systems.
Q: Will Binti documents be converted?
A: Yes. Binti documents, often referred to as unstructured data, are planned to be migrated into CWS-CARES.
Q: Are all the functions of the Binti Family Finding module session (3/26/26) available for CWS-CARES V1 Family Finding functionality?
A: Yes, all the functions of Binti Family Finding are in CWS-CARES V1. Process documentation for CWS-CARES V1 Family Finding functionality is anticipated to be available in the online training tool Enablement, with Production Simulation.
Q: How will CWS-CARES handle Resource Family Approval (RFA) home naming conventions when Binti does not create facility names the same way as CWS/CMS?
A: For CWS-CARES data migration, CWS/CMS remains the system of record. Naming and facility records will follow CWS-CARES standards, with issues reviewed during data mapping and validation.
Q: Will counties receive their data from Binti prior to the Binti Data Mapping - Large Group sessions?
A: No, the data conversion team is not able to share Binti data. Counties will have to coordinate with Binti directly to receive the files due to data security risks.
Q: Will Production Simulation include the counties' Binti data?
A: Yes, the Binti data will be included in the Production Simulation environment once the project has loaded, converted the data, and counties have verified the data. However, we do not anticipate Binti data will be available at the beginning of Production Simulation.
Q: Is the Foster Care Eligibility Determination (FCED) Interface sending information from CWS-CARES into CalSAWS, or just from CalSAWS into CWS-CARES?
A: In general, this interface is bidirectional, meaning information will be flowing both ways. CWS-CARES will send certain information to CalSAWS, and CalSAWS will send certain information to CWS-CARES. For Assistance Payments specifically, the flow of information is strictly from CalSAWS to CWS-CARES.
Q: Will Production Simulation include data from the RFA Greenfield Application and the CARES-Live CANS assessment tool?
A: Yes, all state system data will be in Production Simulation. This includes CWS/CMS, CARES-Live, and RFA Greenfield data.