A: CWS-CARES will receive DFA600 data from CECRIS in CWS-CARES V1. All of this data is aggregated and program code specific.

A: No, counties will not be expected to do that. Case specific costs will be transmitted to CWS-CARES via an interface with CalSAWS.

A: CWS-CARES will receive client-specific assistance payment details from CalSAWS. That information will be read-only in CWS-CARES.

Note: while CalSAWS sends Assistance Payment information to CWS-CARES, it won't be displayed the same way in CalSAWS and CWS-CARES. That is, if a user looks at an Issuance Detail in CalSAWS and then looks at an Assistance Payment record in CWS-CARES, they will see some of the same data elements, but that page layout and user interface won't be the same.

A: CWS-CARES has finalized development of stories to capture Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths Assessment (CANS) assessment results, translate them into the appropriate tiered rates, and allow counties to select and apply those rates for children.

Testing with CalSAWS will occur later, as CalSAWS is still building its Tiered Rate System (TRS) functionality. CWS-CARES will automatically translate CANS results into an applicable tier based on the CDSS Decision Support Model, and counties will be able to send those tiered rates to CalSAWS for payment processing.

The timeline for when TRS-related functionality will be available for user testing is currently being finalized, and the Project will notify counties once that information is confirmed.
 

A: CWS-CARES funding allocations can only be utilized for participation pertaining to CWS-CARES design, development, and implementation activities. This funding does not include merchandise. Please refer to the California Department of Social Services ACL 23-62 and CFL 23/24-03 for more information.

A: The CWS-CARES project will cover the costs associate with integration. There will be no additional costs impacting county budgets for these integration activities.

Based on the planned CWS-CARES Version 2 implementation date, the State expects to take over county costs associated with SafeMeasures starting on July 1, 2028. Counties will be responsible for the existing contract and access until June 30, 2028. Counties must continue to submit an Advance Planning Document (APD) to the California Department of Social Services prior to executing, renewing, or amending the agreement or paying for associated services. Please see County Fiscal Letter 23/24-12 for APD submission requirements and details. This means counties shall plan to end their contracts on June 30, 2028, and will no longer be responsible for these costs after this date.

A: Funding for Probation staff involvement in CWS-CARES activities will be covered by the Core Constituent Participation Funding Model, meaning County Child Welfare and County Probation subject matter experts (SMEs) are reimbursed through their local agreements.

A: Payments will continue to be administered through county-level systems.

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: The Child Welfare Services-California Automated Response and Engagement System (CWS-CARES) Implementation Team estimated organization implementation participation hours that took into consideration the types of interactions it anticipated would be needed from the counties over the course of the next few years, recognizing that participation would increase as the go-live date gets closer. Examples of the types of activities that were anticipated in the near term include: 

• Attendance at the bi-weekly CWS-CARES Implementation Meeting

• Initiating organization engagement with the CWS-CARES Implementation Team by way of attendance at the Implementation Executive Briefing

• County Implementation Coordinator Kickoff meetings, County Implementation Assessments, and then ongoing monthly interactions with each county