Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Is a comprehensive list of CWS-CARES V1 functionality available?
A: Yes. The CWS-CARES V1 Scope Summary, available on the CWDS website, provides a comprehensive overview of CARES V1 functionality.
Q: What All County Letters (ACLs) or County Fiscal Letters (CFLs) provide information on training and available funding for counties?
A: CDSS identified the following resources: for training, ACL 25-66 and ACIN I-15-24; for funding, the 2025–2026 County Fiscal Letters (Allocations).
Q: In an adoptions case, can hearing types other than the finalization hearing be documented in the Court section?
A: In CWS-CARES, two active cases will exist for the focus child: a Case Management case and an Adoption case. The Case Management case is where all dependency-related activities are documented, including status review hearings, case plans, monthly contacts, and ongoing case work. The Adoption case is designed specifically for adoption-related functionality, and within it the Court section is limited to documenting the finalization hearing. Other hearing types — such as status review hearings, related reports, memos, and ex parte activities — should be documented within the Case Management case. Counties may determine how work is assigned based on their local business processes: a single worker may be assigned to both cases, or responsibilities may be split, in which case the Adoption worker may also hold a secondary role on the Case Management case to support coordination.
Q: In the adoptions case, are court reports under court section or the documents section?
A: The Final Court Report is created within the Adoption case under the Court section in the left-hand navigation.
Q: When are Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs) assigned that role in CWS-CARES?
A: In CWS-CARES, once the adoptions service request has been approved, the placement providers are brought over to the adoption case as Prospective Adoptive Parents (PAPs).
Q: How should counties document relinquishments and pay foster care for children from the community who are not dependents?
A: Independent Adoptions are not part of the scope for CWS-CARES Version 1. Given that, all Independent Adoption work would follow the same process that counties and CDSS are using today.
Q: For the Relinquishment rights section, will there be an 'Other' option with free-text entry for the designated name?
A: For V1, CWS-CARES will only cover Adoptions for children who are in the foster care system, which does not include a section for “other” with a textbox. This is because while the family can request a designated relinquishment, it has to be agreed upon and accepted by the Adoption Agency. Adoption Agencies will only accept these relinquishments if these homes are Resource Family Approval (RFA) approved. Therefore, the family will be known to CWS-CARES and will have an RFA record.
Q: Will adoptions workers have permission to access Resource Family Approval (RFA)?
A: This will be controlled by county administrators and their delegation of permissions per county business practice.
Q: If a resource family home belongs to another county, can an Adoptions worker access its Resource Family Approval (RFA) information?
A: Yes, an Adoptions Worker will be able to view the RFA Written Report.
Q: Does the suitability assessment auto-populate into the 366.26 Selection and Implementation Hearing court report?
A: The Parent Child Suitability Summary (PCSS) is generated into a separate document that is signed by both the Adoption worker and Adoption Supervisor and does not auto-populate into the 366.26 Selection and Implementation Hearing report. The PCSS is available to the Case Management (CM) Worker in the Assessments section of the Case Management case. The CM worker can then attach it to the 366.26 Selection and Implementation Hearing report.