Frequently Asked Questions
External Systems
Q: Which CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1) activities will be completed within California Statewide Automated Welfare System (CalSAWS)?
A: The Foster Care Eligibility Determination (FCED) is an interface that will electronically transmit key case and placement data between CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1) and California Statewide Automated Welfare System (CalSAWS) in near real-time. This includes the transmission of determination results back to CWS-CARES V1 and the sharing of documents, forms, and notices between CalSAWS and CWS-CARES users.
For information related to the CalSAWS activities completed in CWS-CARES, please refer to the Process Information Session for Placement and Eligibility which provides a walkthrough of the CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1) To-Be Process Map and Change Impacts.
Q: What will be included in the Department of Developmental Services (DDS) - Regional Center Services interface?
A: The DDS interface with CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1) will provide current contact information for California Regional Centers to support children with development disabilities. For more information, please refer to the CWS-CARES and Data Exchange Fact Sheet.
Q: Since Production Simulation will not incorporate all the Extended User Scenario Testing (EUST) 3 changes, will a list of the EUST 3 issues that are currently being addressed be shared to help avoid duplication of efforts?
A: A report will be shared in the following weeks after EUST 3 ends that will compile, analyze, and summarize the EUST 3 feedback to stakeholders. More information about the report will be shared toward the end of EUST 3.
If you have any additional questions regarding EUST 3, please contact the EUST Team.
Q: Will Production Simulation include all aspects of CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1)?
A: All CARES V1 functionality will be available in Production Simulation, including:
• Intake & Investigations
• Case Management
• Courts
• Resource Family Home
• Resource & Provider Management
• Financial Management
• Eligibility
Q: Where can I locate my county’s CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1) Preliminary Scope Assessments?
A: For a copy of your county’s CWS-CARES V1 Preliminary Scope Assessment, please reach out to your assigned External System Coordination Unit Analyst via the ESCU Mailbox.
Q: Is Efforts to Outcomes (ETO) a data conversion system? Will there be additional external system specific meetings for external systems like ETO?
A: No, ETO was not slated for data conversion in CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1). If you have specific questions related to your county’s ETO use case, please reach out to your assigned External System Coordination Unit Analyst via the ESCU Mailbox.
Q: Will Resource Family Approval (RFA) Greenfield be treated as an external system? Who is responsible for data mapping?
A: RFA Greenfield is a State managed legacy system and is not being treated as an external system. The CWS-CARES Data Conversion team is responsible for RFA Greenfield data mapping. For RFA Greenfield specific inquiries, please reach out to the Customer Relations Mailbox.
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: If CWS/CMS has an incomplete address and Binti data fills in the blank fields, is there a verification process to ensure the addresses are correct and should be merged?
A: The hierarchical conversion logic preserves CWS/CMS addresses, and Binti addresses are only utilized if the CWS/CMS field is blank. The Smarty Streets tool is used in CWS-CARES to automatically correct and complete address information.
As a reminder, CWS/CMS is the statewide system of record and the primary source of CWS-CARES data. For more information, please refer to the Binti to CWS-CARES V1 Data Conversion Fact Sheet.
Q: If a field in CWS-CARES already contains data, will the field be overwritten by the data received from the external system (Binti)?
A: No, if a field in CWS-CARES already contains data from the Child Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS), it will not be augmented or overwritten by Binti data. For more information, please refer to the Binti to CWS-CARES V1 Data Conversion Fact Sheet.