A: Additional information was released to all counties on August 31, 2026. For full details, see the Interim Guidance Document: Managing RFA, Emergency Placements, and External Systems Processes at CARES V1 Go-Live in the CWDS website.

To reduce impacts to the families and children we serve, counties will be permitted to complete Resource Family Home Applications initiated prior to CWS-CARES V1 Go-Live in the external system in which it was initiated until data conversion to CWS-CARES is complete. For systems with data conversion deferred to until after CWS-CARES Go-Live, conversion is currently anticipated to occur in July 2027. Once all active applications have been completed in the external system or data conversion is complete, whichever comes first, the external systems identified are required to be made inactive or read-only.

A: Additional information was released to all counties on August 31, 2026. For full details, see the Binti County Guidance Update: Contracts, 181 Report Planning, New Workshop Series and Resources – 8/31/2026 communication in the CWDS website.

Counties should decide whether to extend their Binti contracts based on when those contracts expire and how much Resource Family Approval (RFA) work is still underway. As work in Binti winds down, systems can move to read‑only access.

Because Binti data conversion is planned for end of July 2027, counties are encouraged to keep contract flexibility and ensure they have secure plans for storing any data they retain. Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) waiver funding ends in October 2026, but an extension is being pursued. Any software licensing changes for child welfare systems require an Advance Planning Document (APD) and State approval.

A: Guidance explaining temporary procedures counties must follow for Resource Family Approvals (RFA), Resource Family Homes (RFH), and Emergency Placements when CWS‑CARES Version 1 (CARES V1) goes live was released August 31.
At CARES V1 Go-Live:

• All new RFA/RFH applications and Emergency Placements must be started and managed in CWS‑CARES.
• If an RFA/RFH application is approved in an external system after Go-Live, counties must re‑create and fully process the application in CWS‑CARES so the Resource Family Home can be created.
• Applications already in progress in external systems can continue there through approval.
• Historical information will remain in external systems until data is converted after Go-Live.

A: Additional information was released to all counties on August 31, 2026. For full details, see the Binti County Guidance Update: Contracts, 181 Report Planning, New Workshop Series and Resources – 8/31/2026 communication in the CWDS website.
 

A: Yes. Binti documents, often referred to as unstructured data, are planned to be migrated into CWS-CARES.

A: To access the Readiness Checklist in Asana, please contact your respective Implementation Lead (IL).

A: The office hours are different for EUST as they are slated for individuals who are enrolled in participating in EUST 3 whether that be admin, general, or report. The Training Office Hours are specific to answering county questions about the Training Curriculum Assignments for the planning of virtual instructor-led training for CWS-CARES V1 Go Live.

A: Yes, training will count towards the required 20 hours.

A: The Opeeka Interface will have the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths Assessment (CANS) assessment highlighted as well as multiple other assessments available (separate from Structured Decision Making (SDM) which have the more change based assessments). This will mirror how the CANS assessment is currently done, pulling it into CWS-CARES using the Opeeka Interface (referring to the system look and feel).

A: No. This is not in the scope of CWS-CARES V1 or V2.