Frequently Asked Questions
Stakeholder Briefing
Q: Will the test scenarios include examples relevant to child welfare, probation, and prevention populations?
A: The Project is actively preparing scenarios to mirror as many different aspects as possible and will communicate further as scenarios are finalized.
Q: If workers are mid-function in CWS/CMS when it changes to read-only and data transfers to CWS-CARES, will in-progress items default to pending or be treated as finalized?
A: The Conversion team has developed and implemented transformation logic that allows users to continue "in-flight" cases, referrals, or other units of work (such as items pending approval) from CWS/CMS into CWS-CARES. Production Simulation is a good opportunity to test these in-progress workflows.
Q: Will CWS-CARES V1 address the Word compatibility limitation where court reports, case plans, and forms must be downloaded and re-uploaded?
A: For templates with fields such as checkboxes or radio buttons that are expected to be modified during form generation, the template choice should be revisited. This is a product limitation, and users are advised to account for these factors when selecting templates.
Q: Can California Immunization Registry (CAIRS) immunization reports be uploaded into CWS-CARES rather than hand-entered?
A: For immunizations to appear in the Health and Education Passport (HEP), they must be entered into CWS-CARES. A CAIRS immunization report can be uploaded into the document section of CWS-CARES, but it will not generate as part of the HEP. CAIRS will not be included in CWS-CARES V1, though the Project is considering integrating the functionality in future development.
Q: Are checkboxes and radio buttons functional in CWS-CARES when using a Microsoft Word template, and are entry fields still editable?
A: When using Word-based templates within CWS-CARES, certain native Word functionalities — such as checking or unchecking checkboxes and toggling radio button selections — are not supported. This is a product limitation within the integration, and counties are advised to account for it when choosing template formats. Note that restrict editing is also not supported: the document will be editable in both the fillable fields and the static text.
Q: Will all existing documents in CWS/CMS be migrated to CWS-CARES, and how will that migration be accomplished given the multiple document areas in CWS-CARES?
A: Yes. All existing documents in the legacy system will be available in CWS-CARES as part of the data conversion process.
Q: Will CWS-CARES eventually auto-populate more fields than CWS/CMS currently does?
A: Yes. The Project aims to open up more fields than are currently available in the legacy system, though that is slated to happen after Go-Live.
Q: How can counties confirm whether they are scheduled for training?
A: To confirm whether a county is scheduled for training, reach out to the respective workgroup based on the activity type. For Forms or Reports activities, contact the CARES Analytics Transition (CAT) Workgroup at osicwdsanalyticstransition@osi.ca.gov or the CARES Forms Workgroup at otsicwdscaresforms@otsi.ca.gov.
Q: Can the Project send a formal communication to County Implementation Teams explaining the limitations of Word forms?
A: The Project will ensure this message reaches form developers and the target audience and will consider sending the communication to a wider audience.
Q: Is there a limit to the number of Health and Education Passports (HEPs) that can be created and kept in CWS-CARES?
A: No, there is no limit. The document list shows the date and time of each document, allowing the user to see HEPs generated on different dates and at different times.