Frequently Asked Questions
Stakeholder Briefing
Q: Are Public Health Nurses (PHNs) doing the Train-the-Trainer (TTT) prerequisite & Enablement modules?
A: Public Health Nurses (PHNs) would only need to attend TTT if they are planning on facilitating training.
Q: When is the Production Simulation date for public health nurses?
A: Production Simulation access will be granted in Phases, with roughly 2,800 users participating in Phase 1 and the remaining county & organization users accessing the Production Simulation environment in Phase 2, beginning July 6, 2026. Some Public Health Nurses are participating in Phase 1, and the remaining Public Health Nurses are expected to be granted access to the Production Simulation environment in Phase 2.
Q: How do we find out what group we are in for Production Simulation phasing?
A: To find out what group you’re in, please contact your county SPOC(s).
Q: When will Resource Family Approval (RFA) and FFPS portals will be available in Production Simulation?
A: The project is working to finalize a plan for when both portals will be available for testing in Production Simulation and will share the details of that plan in a formal communication once available.
Q: Is there a training prerequisite for Tier 1 Support staff to ensure they are prepared to assist county users with resolving CWS‑CARES issues and answering questions?
A: There are no prerequisites for Tier 1 Support Staff. We encourage Tier 1 Support Staff to include County Admins and persons who are familiar with CWS-CARES. Support clinics will be made available to potential Tier 1 Support Staff to discuss details and processes for providing Tier 1 support and escalating issues to Tier 2.
Q: What is the status of the SOC 96 (Child and Family Team - Meeting Summary and Action Plan) Form?
A: The SOC 96 Form will be drafted and included as part of the Post Version 1 releases with further details to be shared in a formal communication closer to those releases.
Q: Will the child's/youth's health insurance information be incorporated into CWS-CARES?
A: This is part of the Health and Education Passport (HEP) on the person profile. CWS-CARES users can capture Medi-Cal, Medicaid and other Health Insurance coverage info in ‘Health Information’ section of Person Profile.
Q: Will the vendor convert forms strictly from CWS/CMS into CWS‑CARES, will those forms be remediated for ADA compatibility, and is there a process for counties to submit forms not currently in CWS/CMS for conversion?
A: Yes, the vendor will convert up to 2,400 county developed forms directly from CWS/CMS into the AEM format. Once built, counties will continue to validate forms. Counties will be responsible for building forms maintained outside of CWS/CMS, such as forms in external or local systems.
Q: In CWS-CARES, can two people work on the same case at the same time and save their entries, and can users have multiple cases open simultaneously or only one at a time?
A: Yes, you can have multiple cases open at one time. The workspace tabs organize the cases. More than one person can work in a case at the same time as long as they are not working on the same record at the same time. So, for example, someone can be entering a placement while someone else is entering a contact note without a problem.
Q: Will all community (unmatched) Resource Family Approval (RFA) applications be handled by the county child welfare department? If not, how will the system determine if the application is handled by child welfare vs probation?
A: This is a county practice issue on how they process unmatched/community applicants. CWS-CARES will allow for internal county controls to manage unmatched/community applicants. CWS-CARES will not account for unmatched/community applicants that are outsourced to external agencies.