A: CWS-CARES is being built on a Salesforce platform, a cloud-based Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform, and the CWS-CARES team has selected three tools that integrate seamlessly with this platform. The tools and a description of each are as follows:   

Document Generation          
Document Generation includes the design, production, and delivering of documents in the CWS-CARES tool. Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) software will be used to enable the Document Generation process.   

• Design:  Design includes the design of the template, authoring of documents, and all elements of the design lifecycle. For the purposes of the document generation design lifecycle, it includes review, approval, and publishing of the document.   
• Produce: Produce includes the interactive editing and form generation.   
• Deliver: Deliver is the staging and multi-channel delivery of the form.   

• Storage: Includes the document category and metadata definition, full text & metadata – based search, library services, and redaction.   
• Document Lifecyle: Includes compliance, retention and hold management, and archival features.

• Enterprise/Originator: Includes import from Document Generation and will send a notification to the signer.   
• Customer/Signer: Includes authenticating identity, review and apply sign, and document submission.   
• Document Storage: Includes document retrieval, counter signature, if necessary, and storing to the document management system.  

A: CWS-CARES is designed to improve compliance with state and federal policy (CCWIS) and support the improvement of child welfare programs. For example, a worker will now have information currently stored in contact notes or case plans auto-populate in court reports, and CWS-CARES will help child welfare workers stay on pace with their work and make sense of how their children and families are doing. CWS-CARES will have capabilities for identifying missing information and discrepancies for federal reporting and the system is designed to help end-users and clients by automating processes and tasks, streamlining workflows, and providing a more robust and effective engagement platform with clients and stakeholders. For example, CWS-CARES will populate information into forms and reports to save valuable time.

A: The county agency is responsible for translating the court report and case plan using their current tools or processes. The court report and case plan will not be translated via Child Welfare Services-California Automated Response and Engagement System (CWS-CARES).

A: During initial product requirements gathering and design, we rely primarily on the constituent model. The core counties for each service area were carefully selected in conversation with all counties a) to best represent the wide range of county needs across California, and b) to offer most counties a core seat for at least one service area, which will also give them some exposure to CARES as a whole. There are several additional things we do to give all our county partners as much of a voice as possible in CARES:   

 As we work through the many aspects of child welfare work, the Product team identifies areas that do need input from a wider set of constituents. We plan research especially suited to those complex processes and the wide variation in counties’ needs. Often, this research is planned in collaboration with the representatives from the core counties, so that they can help coordinate with additional counties.  

We encourage non-core counties with a particular need or question to reach out to the appropriate Service Area. They may be able to answer your question, share your input on your behalf during one of our regular meetings, or help coordinate a special direct engagement as appropriate. 

Please click the following link to view CWS-CARES Service Areas and corresponding contact info. You may also scroll to the bottom of the page and click on “Service Area Core Constituent List” for further detail. CWS-CARES Service Areas  

A: Current Child Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS) Spanish forms and templates will be available in Child Welfare Services-California Automated Response and Engagement System (CWS-CARES) V1. Please note that while there are pre-built Case Plan and Case Plan Family Assessment forms in Spanish in CWS/CMS, there is no translation capability for items entered by workers.

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: Currently, no. Workers need to complete the SDM tool before submitting a referral to their supervisor.

A: Yes. In CARES V1, Financial Management Funding Assistance Payments and Prevention Services will be specifically included for prevention services and administrative costs including foster care candidacy determinations.

A: Yes. BCIA forms will be automatically created and stored upon approval of specified allegation substantiations.

A: Currently, there is no plan to incorporate online mandated reporting as a feature of CWS-CARES V1.