Frequently Asked Questions
Policy
Q: Why is the child's Social Security Number (SSN) automatically included in the Health and Education Passport (HEP)?
A: There is a field on the Health and Education Passport (HEP) to capture the Social Security Number (SSN); however, if the SSN is not captured in CWS-CARES, it will not auto-populate into the HEP. This is not the physical Social Security card.
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: 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 happens when "confidential" is selected in a health record?
A: When "confidential" is selected, the record is excluded from the Health and Education Passport (HEP) when it is generated and will not auto-populate into the HEP, similar to CWS/CMS. The information icon notes that, when checked, the health record will not display on the HEP.
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: Since the Social Security Number (SSN) can appear on the Health and Education Passport (HEP), how is that confidential information protected?
A: Only users with permission to access CWS-CARES will see this information. As in CWS/CMS, users should only access information that pertains to the task at hand. Substitute Care Providers (SCPs) are advised to keep the document in a safe and secure place, as it contains sensitive and confidential information.
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.
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: 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: Would time spent by staff participating in CWS-CARES training activities during Phase 1 from May 4, 2026 until July also count toward the mandatory hours of ongoing training requirements for social workers?
A: Yes, the time spent staff participating in CWS-CARES training activities during Phase 1 do count towards the mandatory hours of ongoing training requirements for social workers.