Frequently Asked Questions
Implementation Readiness Meetings
Q: Will CWS/CMS user permission settings carry over to Production Simulation and CWS-CARES?
A: CWS/CMS permission sets will be the source of truth for Production Simulation and production Go-Live. All permissions from CWS/CMS will be mapped to CWS-CARES permissions. There are also new CWS-CARES permissions that will require County Administrator input on who should have them; these can be added by an administrator during Production Simulation for testing and research purposes. For Go-Live, CWS/CMS permissions will again be pulled and mapped to production. The Project also plans to provide counties a report of all new CWS-CARES permissions assigned in Production Simulation for review.
Q: How will CWS-CARES capture the Prospective Adoptive Parent (PAP) designation?
A: CWS-CARES will include fields to capture the Prospective Adoptive Parent (PAP) role, and that assignment will be given once the court makes the PAP finding.
Q: What is an estimated number of hours or resources that a mid-size county should allocate for data cleanup?
A: Refer to County Fiscal Letter (CFL) 23/24-07 for guidance on resources and allocations related to data cleanup.
Q: Are Implementation Leads (ILs) directly involved in responding to Core County feedback?
A: CWS-CARES is being built using a core constituent model, in which different groups contribute to the service areas that affect features and functionality. Core counties have a direct line to provide feedback. Implementation Leads (ILs) do not need to be involved in this feedback discussion but should attend.
Q: Will organizations have flexibility in which virtual meeting platform (such as WebEx or Microsoft Teams) is used for meetings such as Regional User Groups (RUGs)?
A: In general, the State uses WebEx but remains flexible to meet Organizations' needs. Regional User Groups (RUGs) meetings belong to the counties, and counties use the format they prefer.
Q: Can Implementation Leads (ILs) join a county's instance of Microsoft Teams?
A: Yes, Implementation Leads can be added to a county's Teams channel and SharePoint if the county prefers. However, they cannot share access to the State SharePoint or share documentation from it; that documentation may need to be reconciled separately.
Q: Can a demo be requested for a county for staffing or other purposes?
A: No. However, Implementation may provide regional demos periodically.
Q: Will user role configuration be specific to a position or function?
A: Role configuration will be specific to a function. This work will be performed by organizations as part of an activity called role mapping in which security profiles for CWS-CARES will be provided to your organization (through your IC) and your implementation team will have the opportunity to assign profiles based on job responsibilities.
Q: Can the Project provide more information about Prospective Young Adult Re-Entry into Extended Foster Care (EFC), including what triggers the process and the points of re-entry?
A: CWS-CARES will have one consistent location for documenting re-entry into EFC activities, so that documentation can be better captured and monitored by the county. The user will be able to manage all of the tasks required when an eligible young adult wishes to re-enter EFC, and the system will prompt the user to complete the required tasks. Training materials are being developed to guide this process. There are various points of re-entry, including at screening and within case units of work. A recent demo is available on the CWDS website under Case Management, titled "Extended Foster Care - Initial Entry & Re-Entry into EFC".