Frequently Asked Questions
Policy
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: 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 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: 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.
Q: We were wondering if CWS-CARES will incorporate Safety Organized Practice (SOP) into the system. This is the state approved model approach we use in practice.
A: CWS-CARES incorporates elements aligned with Safety Organized Practice (SOP) where appropriate within system functionality. For example, provisional Harm and Danger Statements are available at Intake (Screening) and can be further developed throughout the referral and case lifecycle. Additionally, SOP-aligned language has been integrated into relevant areas of the system, including structured contact notes and other documentation features, where applicable.
Q: Outside of Child & Family Services (CFS) staff, will other Health & Human Services (HHS) partners, like Behavioral Health and Recovery Services (BHRS) for example, who have access to CWS-CARES be able to access all information or will they only have access to limited information/functions in CWS-CARES?
A: Access to CWS-CARES is role-based, and counties are responsible for determining how system access is assigned to their users based on local operational needs.
At this time, there is no dedicated worker permission specifically configured for Behavioral Health staff. For secondary role assignment, a “Public Health Nurse” role is available and may be leveraged by counties as appropriate. However, there is currently no distinct Behavioral Health role with a separate, limited permission set.
Q: What are the requirements from the State for entering Child Abuse Central Index (CACI) information and uploading CACI documents in CWS-CARES? Would CWS-CARES need to hold all of the "administrative record," or just those available in CWS-CARES currently, request and notices.
A: Regarding State requirements for entering Child Abuse Central Index (CACI) information in CWS-CARES, there are no requirements from the State for entering that information. In CWS/CMS, there is currently an ID page that includes fields for entering this information if a disposition is changed to a grievance. CWS-CARES will also include these fields.
Q: Can there be an additional outcome option such as “amended”? Scenario example: A perpetrator had two allegations substantiated. The perpetrator grieved the results and one substantiated was modified to inconclusive/unfounded, while the other substantiated allegation was sustained. How would this split result be documented within the Internal Review section of CACI if there is no amended option?
A: For a list of definitions on outcome results, these definitions are county specific, so there isn’t a standardized list from the Project. Options for what will be included in this field within CWS-CARES are currently under review and will be shared in future communications. If there is a split result in CWS-CARES, each allegation will be able to have that individual record updated with the values in CWS-CARES and reflect any changes to the allegation conclusion.
Q: Can counties use offshore resources for forms development activities?
A: Counties should consult their county counsel to determine whether offshore resources may be used based on their specific circumstances. While CDSS cannot provide county-specific legal advice, counties should consider the following:
- Offshore resources should not have access to production data
- Any agreement or contract for these services should be with an entity located in the United States, preferably California.
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