A: Production Simulation is a controlled, production‑like space used to test, validate, and gain knowledge of system processes before the statewide implementation of CWS-CARES V1. The environment mirrors the full CWS-CARES V1 system, ensuring that teams can safely explore, evaluate, and refine workflows without impacting actual production data

A: A report will be shared in the following weeks after EUST 3 ends that will compile, analyze, and summarize the EUST 3 feedback to stakeholders. More information about the report will be shared toward the end of EUST 3.

If you have any additional questions regarding EUST 3, please contact the EUST Team.

A: All CARES V1 functionality will be available in Production Simulation, including:

A: All CARES V1 functionality will be available in Production Simulation, including:

• Reporting
• Intake & Investigations
• Case Management
• Courts
• Resource Family Home (RFH)
• Resource & Provider Management
• Financial Management
• Eligibility

A: Because Production Simulation is used solely for testing and validation, its data will not be moved into the live CWS-CARES Production Environment. There will be periodic refreshes that will delete and update the data with new copies.

A: Production Simulation is intended to supersede the Sandbox environment, which will be retired once Production Simulation is activated. It is important to note that Business Process Validation (previously called Process Simulation) is not a standalone environment. Instead, it is an activity conducted within the Production Simulation environment to validate workflows. 
 
Unlike temporary testing sites, the Training environment is a permanent resource that will remain available after CWS-CARES V1 go-live to support onboarding and continued learning using generic (non-production) data and artificial cases. 
 
Environment Summary: 

1. Sandbox: Temporary testing environment; will be replaced by Production Simulation. 

2. Production Simulation (Pending Federal Approval): Real-data practice environment that will be retired once CWS-CARES is live. 

3. Training: Ongoing staff development environment using non-production data. 

4. EUST: Extended User Scenario Testing environment, scheduled to retire after EUST 3. 

A: Following go-live, counties and organizations will maintain access to multiple environments in addition to Production. This multi-environment structure enables them to develop and test county-specific forms and reports, conduct ongoing practice sessions and staff training, and support continuous learning without disrupting live operations.

Available non-production environments include:

• Training Environment – For staff training and onboarding
• County/Organization Dev Environment – Specifically for forms and report authors to continue development work. This environment will have non-production (test/simulated) data
• Readiness Environment – For ongoing practice and readiness activities. This environment will have production data (refreshed from the Production environment at a yet TBD interval). Can also be used for testing county-developed forms and reports against production data

A: Yes. Preparation of the Training Environment with “real-life” scenarios plays a vital role in the CARES V1 approach to Instructor-led Training. A fluid, functional CARES V1 Training environment will be developed as part of live, lab-based, Instructor-led Training that includes: 
•    Data creation for all end-users 
•    Script development partnering with the Product as a Service System Integrator (PaaS-SI) team 
•    Data development for key functional areas 
•    Data creation for Train The Trainer (TTT) trainers 
•    Data creation for Sandbox/Readiness 
•    Data creation for trainers to practice 
•    Data refresh schedule