Frequently Asked Questions
Q: For Foster Care Public Health Nurses (PHNs), will the Special Project Codes be available in CWS-CWS-CARES to pull data for performance measures?
A: Special Project Codes will be converted from CWS-CMS and admins will have the ability to create new special project codes that their county might need.
Q: Will Tableau only be available to pull for our County by specific staff who have access to Tableau?
A: This is still being developed. Users will get access to reports based on permissions as Tableau report viewers. How report developers will get access to Tableau is being reviewed.
Q: Would time spent by staff participating in CWS-CARES training activities during Phase 1 from May 4, 2026 until July also count toward the mandatory hours of ongoing training requirements for social workers?
A: Yes, the time spent staff participating in CWS-CARES training activities during Phase 1 do count towards the mandatory hours of ongoing training requirements for social workers.
Q: Will CWS-CARES automatically convert .doc files to .docx format during the conversion process?
A: The Project has received this request from the counties and is currently evaluating options to address it. This item is under active discussion, and an update will be communicated through the Weekly Digest new feature, “Functionality of the Week”, once it is finalized.
Q: For dedicated counties, will the CWS/CMS servers be removed from the premises after CWS-CARES V1 goes live?
A: For dedicated counties, servers located there will remain post-launch of CWS-CARES. These are the counties’ DHCP/File/Print/Utility servers used to access CWDS state resources and are separate from CWS/CMS application. At this time, there is no plan to remove these servers.
Q: Will reports continue to be available in SafeMeasures as an ancillary application, be migrated into CWS‑CARES, or be embedded within the CWS-CARES system in some way?
A: Legacy SafeMeasures will continue to exist separately from CWS-CARES SafeMeasures. The legacy application will update as usual until we no longer receive CWS/CMS data. At that point, legacy SafeMeasures will stop updating and will be available with historical data. Legacy SafeMeasures will be maintained until CWS/CMS is decommissioned and we are told to decommission legacy SafeMeasures. This could happen six months after CWS-CARES implementation, but no hard date has been set. CWS-CARES SafeMeasures will not be integrated or embedded in CWS-CARES for V1. The new SafeMeasures will be a standalone application like it is currently but with a new URL and login page. Staff will be able to access both legacy SafeMeasures and CWS-CARES SafeMeasures sites.
Q: Will the Production Simulation environment have Foster Care Eligibility and Determination (FCED)/CalSAWS interface capability for testing/viewing?
A: Yes, the Foster Care Eligibility Determination (FCED) interface between CWS-CARES and CalSAWS will be available in the Production Simulation environment for all necessary testing and validation.
Q: What are virtual offices in CWS-CARES?
A: A virtual office refers to an office that does not have a physical location.
Q: How do we identify the County Geographic Region in CWS-CARES?
A: This field is not used by all counties, and it is not required. Those that do use the field would know if they were North, South, East, West, etc.
Q: What is the process for administrators transferring a worker from one office and unit to another where the worker will retain their existing caseload?
A: A user must be added to the new unit in the new office and then end dated from the previous office. The bulk transfer process can then be used to move the entire caseload.