Frequently Asked Questions
Stakeholder Briefing
Q: After Go-Live, will there be a procedure manual on how to use CWS-CARES?
A: Yes, we are continuing to work on plans for training; there will be a Procedure Manual with "Cheat Sheets" that you can utilize as you're training.
Q: Will the State set up all county users/teams/caseloads/offices in Production Simulation?
A: Yes, we will work with your county admin person to set up those users with the exact permission settings they should have and validate that they are correct.
Q: Will the CWS-CARES project provide guidance on which permissions users will need for Production Simulation?
A: Guidance will be provided as to what various CWS-CARES users will need for permissions in Production Simulation.
Q: Can County Administrators adjust staff roles themselves to validate that ability in Production Simulation?
A: Yes. This is part of Production Simulation scenarios and business process activities, and County Administrators are encouraged to test different permissions. Note that changes to existing permissions may not carry over to Go-Live, though the Project will carry over as much as possible to minimize duplicate work.
Q: When CWS/CMS transitions to read-only before Go-Live, will there be a freeze over that weekend?
A: CWS/CMS will be in read-only mode during the weekend before Go-Live.
Q: Is there a contingency plan if federal approval for Production Simulation is delayed or does not materialize?
A: Federal approval for Production Simulation is not a factor in timing. Activities that could not wait for federal approval have been moved to state-only funding to ensure the Project can proceed on schedule and meet the October 2026 Go-Live date.
Q: Will CWS-CARES look different from CWS/CMS?
A: Yes. CWS-CARES will look and feel very different from CWS/CMS. CWS/CMS is a Windows-based, mainframe-dependent system, while CWS-CARES is a modern, web-based system built using Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) technology on Salesforce. Users new to Salesforce are encouraged to take the Salesforce navigation training before the CWS-CARES-specific training. CWS-CARES also introduces expanded features and integrations, including connections with Structured Decision Making (SDM), Case Management Assessment (CMA), and Foster Care Eligibility and Determination (FCED), with a more modern interface designed to make day-to-day tasks easier.
Q: Why is Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Gender Expression (SOGIE) data being changed to read-only in CWS-CARES?
A: In accordance with federal reporting requirements that changed under federal executive orders, the child welfare information system cannot collect certain SOGIE-related data. Because this functionality was already developed for CWS-CARES, it has been moved to read-only, and the system will not allow this data collection until reporting requirements change.
Q: When a data refresh occurs, will the most recent CWS/CMS data be loaded into CWS-CARES, or will the environment reset to the data originally loaded for Production Simulation?
A: The Project plans one or two refreshes only, when needed, recognizing counties' preference to minimize refreshes. When a full data refresh occurs, the most recent updates from all legacy systems will be converted and applied to the environment, giving counties another opportunity to validate the most recent data.
Q: At Go-Live, when CWS/CMS is in read-only mode over the weekend, which system will be the database of record?
A: The current plan is that CWS/CMS will enter read-only mode the Friday before Go-Live (the exact date and time are being finalized). By the Monday Go-Live, CWS-CARES will be the system and database of record.