A: The draft of the data dictionary will be published by the end of 2024.  CWS-CARES will remain in active development through March 2026. As a result, the data dictionary will continue to evolve till then. We plan on publishing updates to the CWS-CARES data dictionary every quarter after the initial draft is published by end of 2024.   

A: Yes, counties must complete and submit their scope assessment to finalize and confirm the list of external systems for CARES V1, as this will be used to identify which systems are in scope based on the counties’ unique system configurations and needs. A preliminary scope assessment for external systems has been provided to each county in the External System County Catalog. 

A: As we begin planning for each EUST period, we will reach out to Core Constituents to request their participation and provide a summary of the functionality included in that period. The team will engage with specific Service Area users as needed in future EUST periods to gather diverse insights and scenarios.  It will be important that the users participating have direct experience with the Service Area being tested and are familiar with executing the related functions in practice, ensuring that their time and efforts are used most effectively. 

Additionally, we are collaborating with our Systems Integration partner to provide at least 4 weeks’ advance notice on specific topics, allowing counties sufficient time to arrange for the appropriate subject matter experts to participate in each review. 

A: Holistic design will provide additional feedback opportunities during both design and development in addition to extended user scenario testing (EUST).  

In addition, Core Constituents will have the opportunity to participate in Holistic Design transition sessions beginning the week of September 9th.  

We will continue to share updates on feedback outcomes in future meetings and are exploring ways to give our constituents a way to check up on the status of their input at any time. The goal is to keep engaging as we have, but more frequently, and with more transparency. We look forward to sharing more detail on the timing and methods. 

A: There is no plan to decommission Safe Measures. CWS-CARES is working alongside Safe Measures to make sure all reporting needs are covered. Currently, the data team is working on a cross walk, or data exchange, to compare what reports are completed in Safe Measures, CWS/CMS, and CWS-CARES so that we can efficiently identify reports already built in Safe Measures that won’t need to be rebuilt for CWS-CARES. Any state/federal required reports that are not built in Safe Measures will be built into CWS-CARES.

A: Here are a few of the most common references to CWS-CARES:

A: CWS-CARES V1, CWS-CARES functionality will support Plans of Safe Care and the capture of all substance abuse and exposure information (Alcohol and Other Drugs) necessary to complete the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS). California Department of Social Services (CDSS) will release additional guidance on opportunities to use CWS-CARES in support of assessment and treatment protocols.

For V1, the state does not plan to build a dedicated medical assessment in CWS-CARES, but the worker could attach any document to a record such as an investigation, case, child health information, etc. in support of any correlations the worker draws between exposure and symptoms. As the CWDS project and the counties identify additional guidance and practices, CWS-CARES will expand functionality to meet additional needs in CWS-CARES V2 and any subsequent releases.

A: CWS-CARES will have a “Data checking tool” that can be run to make sure that we have entered known data related to Federal and State Reports. CWS-CARES will also have the ability to see who edits records and when they are edited. CWS-CARES will not have CFSR functions. However, we support CFSR with clearer ways to find information such as a structured contact note, clear documentation of case start dates, concurrent plan, service provision, etc.

A: Upon the release of CWS-CARES V1, there will be a data exchange with the California Department of Developmental Services (DDS) that will add Regional Center data into the system. This Regional Center Listing will include names, address(s), and phone numbers. This information will be gathered from the DDS website and will be updated any time a new location or changes are made to the webpage. At the release of CWS-CARES V1, a more robust interface and data exchange with DDS is not feasible and the project will be looking towards building something more comprehensive in later iterations of CWS-CARES.

A: Tableau will replace Business Intelligence (BI) when Child Welfare-Services-California Automated Response and Engagement System (CWS-CARES) officially goes live.