A: Yes, CWS-CARES allows users with the appropriate permissions to redact information in documents such as PDFs, Word files, and Excel files. All redacted documents are saved as PDFs, even if the original file was created in another format.
Redaction can be done in two ways:

• Manual redaction: selecting specific portions of the document to block out.
• Automatic redaction: searching for a word or phrase and redacting all occurrences at once.

A: Yes, State forms developed by the project will be ADA compliant and follow the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) and ADA state requirements. Counties are responsible for ADA compliance for their own forms created in CWS-CARES. The Project will not be validating compliance on county created forms.

A: Yes, the structured investigative contact note (which is in progress) has a place to indicate if the Civil Rights Publication 13 brochure was provided. Preferred spoken and written languages can be documented on the person profile, and the use of an interpreter can be noted. As to if the brochure was “explained” to them, the staff member will need to rely on entering that into their contact note. 

A: Yes, CWS-CARES administrators will be able to limit access to areas of the system. Administrators will also be able to limit the number of records users can view or edit (including sealed and sensitive referral/cases). For further questions, please contact CARES Administration.

A: The CWS-CARES Tribal Governments Directory will allow for organizational information for both Federally Recognized and Non-Federally Recognized Tribes to be entered in the system. Organizational information will include Contact Information, Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) Region (if applicable), CWS/CMS Tribal Number (if applicable), ability to record if the Tribe is Federally Recognized, whether the Tribe has lands in California or that extend into California, and if it has an IV-E and/or 1919 Agreement. The Directory will also capture whether the tribe provides Tribal Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) and the Tribal TANF Counties served. Contact person(s) for each tribe will be documented in CWS-CARES. Contact information will include name, title, and role. CWS-CARES will provide the ability to add multiple contact people per tribal organization with different associated roles. 

A: Yes, tribally approved homes will be a placement type in CWS-CARES. There won’t be a dedicated field in CWS-CARES, but there will be an indicator on the Resource Family Home (RFH) profile to identify a tribally approved home.

A: Specifically for Indian children we have the following pathways covered in CWS-CARES:

• Tribal Customary Adoption of an Indian Child who is a Dependent of the Juvenile Court
• Voluntary Relinquishment of an Indian Child who is a Dependent of the Juvenile Court
• Tribal Customary Adoption of a Non-Minor Dependent Indian Young Adult who is a Dependent of the Juvenile Court

A: CWS-CARES V1, CWS-CARES functionality will support Plans of Safe Care and the capture of all substance abuse and exposure information (Alcohol and Other Drugs) necessary to complete the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). California Department of Social Services (CDSS) will release additional guidance on opportunities to use CWS-CARES in support of assessment and treatment protocols.

For V1, the state does not plan to build a dedicated medical assessment in CWS-CARES, but the worker could attach any document to a record such as an investigation, case, child health information, etc. in support of any correlations the worker draws between exposure and symptoms. As the CWDS project and the counties identify additional guidance and practices, CWS-CARES will expand functionality to meet additional needs in CWS-CARES V2 and any subsequent releases.

A: CWS-CARES will have a “Data checking tool” that can be run to make sure that we have entered known data related to Federal and State Reports. CWS-CARES will also have the ability to see who edits records and when they are edited. CWS-CARES will not have CFSR functions. However, we support CFSR with clearer ways to find information such as a structured contact note, clear documentation of case start dates, concurrent plan, service provision, etc.

A: Social workers will be able to complete all intake and hotline steps digitally, removing the use and needs of paper forms to complete the intake process. When a worker is in CWS-CARES and completing the Intake process, the worker will be directed to a newly created Structured Decision Making (SDM) tool where certain information will be automatically populated from CWS-CARES into the assessment fields, thus streamlining the assessment process. Once the assessment is completed, the assessment results will be shared back to the CWS-CARES system.
 
With the release of CWS-CARES, county workers will be directed to use the new modernized system and will no longer use CWS/CMS or CARES-Live. The existing WebSDM application will no longer be used, and the worker will be directed to use the SDM Assessment(s) via the CWS-CARES system.