Frequently Asked Questions
Policy
Q: Why would an Approved Relative Caregiver (ARC) 2 form be sent to the caregiver? Are counties required to follow this extra step?
A: The ARC 2 Redetermination: Statement of Facts Supporting Eligibility form is required by state regulations. The process maps reflect the state-required process. Counties should continue following applicable state policy and regulations regarding use of this form. The generation of this form being from CWS-CARES or from CalSAWS is based on county business processes. Additionally, state policy that the ARC 2 form can be completed by the Social Worker (SW) in the event that the Approved Relative Caregiver is unable to do so.
Q: Why does CWS-CARES deactivate accounts when they have not been used or accessed after 90 days?
A: It is California State policy using National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 800-53 rev5 guidelines, that account usage be monitored and disable accounts where the user has not logged into the CWS-CARES system for more than 90 days. This policy helps us maintain the data integrity and security of the system. For instance, this policy helps to prevent users who may have left a department, but whose accounts might not have been disabled by that department, from logging in to the system.
The County and Office Administrator will be able to reactivate that user when their account has become disabled.
Q: Who will have access to Production Simulation in early May, and how will counties communicate which users they want to have access?
A: More information on this topic was released in All County Letter No. 26-21.
Q: What is a "core user" as referenced in the All County Letter (ACL)?
A: Counties identify their own "core users" so that those users can be given access to the Production Simulation environment.
Q: Will CWS-CARES allow entry of extended relatives — such as great-grandparents and great-great-grandparents, aunts, and uncles — in the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) section?
A: Yes, CWS-CARES includes relationship modifiers up to the great-great-great level.
Q: What will Probation departments be required to enter into CWS-CARES?
A: Probation will be entering the same data into CWS-CARES as they do in CWS/CMS.
Q: What All County Letters (ACLs) or County Fiscal Letters (CFLs) provide information on training and available funding for counties?
A: CDSS identified the following resources: for training, ACL 25-66 and ACIN I-15-24; for funding, the 2025–2026 County Fiscal Letters (Allocations).
Q: How/where will Child and Family Team (CFT) Brochure distribution to CFT members, required by All County Letter (ACL) 25-54, be logged and tracked in CWS-CARES?
A: ACL 25-54 is a new requirement that was published in 2025. We are tracking this requirement in our backlog, and it will be implemented in a future version of CWS-CARES.
Q: Will the State stop requiring counties to submit certain quarterly or annual reports once the State has direct access to the data in CWS-CARES?
A: This will be a CDSS decision made program by program, once CDSS can validate that the data needed is being consistently entered into CWS-CARES.
Q: Do existing dedicated county workstations meet CWS-CARES hardware requirements if they are out of warranty?
A: Counties' dedicated workstations meet the required hardware specifications even if out of warranty. Counties will, however, need to ensure that the software and operating system on each workstation are fully up to date.