Frequently Asked Questions
Implementation
Q: When are Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) assigned that role in CWS-CARES?
A: In CWS-CARES, once the adoptions service request has been approved, the placement providers are brought over to the adoption case as Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs).
Q: For the Relinquishment rights section, will there be an 'Other' option with free-text entry for the designated name?
A: For V1, CWS-CARES will only cover Adoptions for children who are in the foster care system, which does not include a section for “other” with a textbox. This is because while the family can request a designated relinquishment, it has to be agreed upon and accepted by the Adoption Agency. Adoption Agencies will only accept these relinquishments if these homes are Resource Family Approval (RFA) approved. Therefore, the family will be known to CWS-CARES and will have an RFA record.
Q: Will adoptions workers have permission to access Resource Family Approval (RFA)?
A: This will be controlled by county administrators and their delegation of permissions per county business practice.
Q: If a resource family home belongs to another county, can an Adoptions worker access its Resource Family Approval (RFA) information?
A: Yes, an Adoptions Worker will be able to view the RFA Written Report.
Q: Does the suitability assessment auto-populate into the 366.26 Selection and Implementation Hearing court report?
A: The Parent Child Suitability Summary (PCSS) is generated into a separate document that is signed by both the Adoption worker and Adoption Supervisor and does not auto-populate into the 366.26 Selection and Implementation Hearing report. The PCSS is available to the Case Management (CM) Worker in the Assessments section of the Case Management case. The CM worker can then attach it to the 366.26 Selection and Implementation Hearing report.
Q: For post-adoption agreements, can counties upload documents?
A: Yes. Documents can be uploaded for post-adoption agreements.
Q: Is the adoptions supervisor responsible for closing only the adoptions case, or both the adoptions and Foster Care cases?
A: This is a county decision.
Q: Will instructions be provided on how to open tickets in the new Help Desk service?
A: Yes, we are setting up a Service Desk County Advisory Committee (CAC) to work through the ticketing process and service level expectations. This CAC will include county/project representatives and the focus is operational county and state coordination, incidents and escalations, defect prioritization, business continuity, and knowledge base.
Q: How will County Help Desk staff be expected to take over support without completing the required training, and will the support transition timeline vary by county based on training schedules? The current plan suggests that County Help Desk support begins in July, yet the CWS‑CARES trainings required for Help Desk staff in Riverside do not begin until August–September.
A: The Project is working on confirming timelines and a plan to support those counties. Once those are available, they will be released through a formal communication.
Q: Is there help desk or service desk specific training?
A: Yes. Service desk/help desk personnel have role-specific On-Demand courses. The recommended audience in the Instructional Design Maps indicates the ILT courses the CWS-CARES Team feels would support this group of people the best. However, you may choose to assign ILT courses that do not indicate service/help desk personnel as the target audience if you feel the content covered aligns with the tasks performed by the individual.