Frequently Asked Questions
Implementation Readiness Meetings
Q: What are the expectations of prioritization with respect to the hours-per-role which were projected in the meeting slide deck as opposed to other ongoing project meetings?
A: The expectation is to please prioritize completion of CWS-CARES readiness activities within target completion dates. If you are finding that the workload exceeds the estimated hours, please have a discussion with your Implementation Lead (IL) to determine where adjustments can be made.
Q: Is there specific guidance around who will be a good candidate for a County SME?
A: SME selection will vary by topic. Depending on the nature of the readiness task, SMEs in general should have expert knowledge of related business processes, technology, training, and or policy within your organization.
Q: There was concern that anyone with a county email can sign-up for an account to access the Data Quality Portal protected pages. Are there any security measures to limit sign-ups to only members of a county's specific Implementation Team?
A: The cwds.ca.gov website where the Data Quality Portal lives allows anyone with a government domain email to register. So while it cannot be limited to the county implementation team, no one outside of the State or counties can register and view this information.
Q: Is it possible in CWS-CARES to systematically track when parent(s) are incarcerated so that plans and outcomes can be adequately created and tracked?
A: Yes, there will be a way for a worker or other user to enter this data manually into CWS-CARES, so that it can be referenced when developing case and safety plans.
Q: What is the purpose of the CWS-CARES Forms Tracker, and when will counties be given access to the state's forms list?
A: The CWS-CARES Forms Tracker, located in the CWS-CARES Forms Teams Channel, is the repository for the list of state forms that have been identified as potential candidates for CARES V1 development. The Project plans to share the Tracker with counties at an upcoming Forms Workgroup meeting.
Q: How is Holistic Design integrating data mapping in CWS-CARES?
A: Holistic Design uses the legacy domain model mapping as an input to its design. For example, there are more than 200 adoptions fields in CWS/CMS; business analysts have built a domain model showing where those fields are expected to live in CWS-CARES. As Holistic Design for Adoptions moves forward, the team will create a substantial amount of new adoptions functionality while using the domain model as a starting input.
Q: Will Hispanic or Latino ethnicity details be a primary/mandatory field in CWS-CARES?
A: Hispanic or Latino details will be a primary/mandatory field for ethnicities. If “yes” is indicated for Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity, then Hispanic or Latino Ethnicity Details can be selected. Otherwise, the details field is not applicable.
Q: Will CARES V1 include a training application similar to the CWS/CMS Scenario Manager?
A: There are no plans for CARES V1 to develop a training app like Scenario Manager. The scenarios for CWS-CARES training are in CWS-CARES along with the material and there will be walk through prompts to guide the learner. The material for Adoptions will be based on the functionality developed by the development team and released in to the CARES V1 Training Environment. This material once developed will be reviewed by the State Review team and the Training Advisory Workgroup.
Q: Will probation data be converted from CWS/CMS as-is, so that case counts are preserved (for example, 600 cases remain 600 rather than becoming 300)?
A: Probation data will be converted to CWS-CARES. The primary and secondary responsible agency for a case in CWS-CARES will not use the terms "600" or "300" (it will show "Probation"); however, the dual statuses from CWS/CMS will be brought into a narrative field in CWS-CARES so users can see the original CWS/CMS term (for example, "Dep 300 Receiving Prob Srvcs" or "Ward 601/602 Receiving CWS"). As an example of the mapping: if a CWS/CMS case has a primary responsible agency of "County Welfare Department" and a client dual status of Probation, then in CWS-CARES the case's primary responsible agency would be "Child Welfare" and the secondary responsible agency would be "Probation."
Q: How will CWS-CARES populate user profiles — from CWS/CMS or from the probation directory?
A: For most counties, Probation workers in CWS/CMS have their own Office. Those workers will be converted from CWS/CMS to CWS-CARES into: 1) their office/unit/caseload, along with 2) the corresponding permissions.