CWS-CARES Public Library

The CWS-CARES Implementation OCM Team is proud to present the CWS-CARES Video Series. The videos showcase the CWS-CARES product and prepare you for the coming changes.   ​

Video 1 - "Why CARES? A Case for Change"

The first video, Why CARES? A Case for Change explains why the CARES modernization is important to child welfare and describes the benefits​. 

Video 2 - "CWS-CARES: A New Way Forward"

The second video, CWS-CARES: A New Way Forward, was developed with all end-users in mind and expands on the benefits of CWS-CARES from the first video.

Video 3 - "CWS-CARES 101"

The third video, CWS-CARES 101, demonstrates parts of the CWS-CARES system, introduces new system functionality and shows critical simplifications, automations and timesavers.

Video 4 - "CWS-CARES 101: Intake: Screening & Investigations"

The fourth video, CWS-CARES 101: Intake: Screening & Investigations shows a glimpse into a day in the life of a hotline worker and ER worker highlighting new features in CWS-CARES.

Video 5 - "CWS-CARES 101: Placement & Eligibility"

The fifth video, CWS-CARES 101: Placement & Eligibility shows a glimpse into a day in the life of a Case Worker and Eligibility Resource Worker, highlighting new features in CWS-CARES.
 

We encourage you to show the videos to your teams in upcoming meetings or when someone contacts you to ask about CWS-CARES. We hope you can use this video series as a tool to help jump-start conversations with your teams about the future. 

In the future, RFA (Resource Family Approval) features will be integrated directly into CWS-CARES, eliminating the need for separate county systems like Binti. Once CWS-CARES is fully operational, existing county RFA systems will be decommissioned.  ​

​Data conversion from current RFA systems to CWS-CARES is underway. Counties with eligible systems have completed their kickoff meetings and identified their Points of Contact to support the transition. The State has established a collaborative approach to assist the 43 Binti counties with CWS-CARES data conversion, addressing their request for direct vendor involvement. Counties were contacted by email individually in late December 2024 with instructions and a memo template to authorize the collaboration if desired.​ Special thanks to all counties on their work in this important transition! 

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Compass.

As part of the holistic design process, Core Constituents have been participating in prototype demonstrations and giving feedback to improve the user experience. During Prototype Demonstrations, Core constituents review prototypes, or pre-build designs of CWS-CARES, that represent system functionality. Then they provide early feedback on user experience, navigation, and screen actions before the designs go into development. ​

These demonstrations typically begin with contextual information or a scenario, and then presenters show how a user would navigate through the system. The facilitators also allow time for feedback, and participants can ask to revisit items or ask questions. Occasionally, the discussion uncovers differences in procedures or preferences among counties.​ Core Constituents can enter their feedback in Microsoft Teams using a form or ask questions during the demonstrations (the team tracks these items as well).​

What are prototypes?​

• Prototypes are designs of CWS-CARES built in Salesforce to represent system functionality, where the presenter can showcase the screens during the demonstration. ​

• Prototypes illustrate the user experience, navigation, and screen actions viewers can expect to see in CWS-CARES. ​

• Prototypes give Core Constituents an opportunity to provide early feedback on user experience, navigation, and screen actions before the screens go into development. 

Will the prototype demonstrations be recorded so that folks can revisit the content later? ​

Yes, the sessions will be recorded and shared via the Microsoft Teams Channel. Recordings will be available for 3 business days. ​

Is the Microsoft Teams Channel feedback form the only avenue to provide feedback? ​

During the prototype sessions, feedback that is given live and in the chat is captured by our team which is then added to the feedback log. Outside of this, the feedback log in the Microsoft Teams Channel is the only avenue to provide feedback. Core Constituents will have additional opportunities to provide feedback in future project phases, including build demonstrations, user feedback, and Extended User Scenario Testing (EUST).​

Will Core Constituents have access to the feedback log and the decisions/categorizations made about feedback?​

Yes, Core Constituents will be able to see not only the feedback provided and the decisions made regarding it, but also a list of feedback and decisions that other participants have provided as well. ​

Are we expected to submit feedback through the form if we've already given it verbally during the live demonstration?​

The PaaS SI Team will ensure any verbal and chat-entered feedback provided during the call will also be recorded and documented in the feedback log. Participants are also welcome to use the feedback form provided during the session to provide comprehensive feedback during the demonstration.​

How long will I have to provide feedback after the prototype demonstration?​

The feedback form in the Microsoft Teams Channel will be open for 3 business days after the ​demonstration. ​

Can I show the recorded demonstration to others in my county, gather their feedback, and provide it to you via the feedback form on the Microsoft Teams Channel?​

We encourage you to invite others in your county to attend and participate in the demonstrations. However, the feedback form will be open for 3 days after the session to gather any offline feedback county users want to share. We request that Core Constituents gather and consolidate all additional feedback and enter it into the feedback form on the Microsoft Teams Channel.​

My county has been designated as a Core Constituent for a Service Area I'm not very familiar with. Will there be opportunities for me to be included as a Core Constituent in other Service Areas that I have more experience with? ​

Counties have been designated to serve as Core Constituents for different Service Areas by recommendation from the County Welfare Director’s Association (CWDA). Up to this point in the CWS-CARES Project, we've used those Service Area designations to solicit input from Core Constituents. What Core Constituents will see moving forward in holistic design is a greater emphasis on getting input across Service Areas. For example, all Core Constituents are invited to provide feedback on the upcoming prototype demonstrations. It's not limited to just Core Constituents designated to those Service Areas. We encourage Core Constituents to forward these sessions to colleagues at their organizations with additional expertise. 

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.

What is holistic design?​

The holistic design approach considers the larger Child Welfare ecosystem in which the product exists, and the relationships between functional areas of the product. With holistic design, milestones will be grouped into Process Areas, so that reviews of the CWS-CARES system are conducted in the context of overall business processes. ​Overall, holistic design improves how we build and deliver CWS-CARES Version 1.

Holistic design allows the Product Team to:​

• Identify dependencies across business areas, design, downstream requirements, and user feedback earlier.​

• Conduct analyses across business areas to reduce the likelihood of unexpected findings earlier.​

• Gather Core Constituent feedback earlier and at multiple stages of design and build reviews.​

• Streamline the user experience with a holistic view of all needs within a process area.​

With holistic design, Core Constituents are being involved in the pre-build review of a larger portion of the system. The Product Team demonstrates how the system would function and can gather feedback prior to building the system, making it easier to address feedback. Holistic design aims to provide a more robust user experience for Core Constituents by gathering and addressing their needs and expectations early on, in part by collecting feedback across four Extended User Scenario Testing (EUST) phases and sharing prototype demonstrations.

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.

RFA (Resource Family Approval) supports the process of approving foster and adoptive families and is a component that will be integrated into CWS-CARES. Today, RFA features are not currently available in CWS/CMS, and counties are using other systems for this function.​

​In the future, RFA features will be integrated directly into CWS-CARES, eliminating the need for separate county systems. This will prevent redundancy and streamline the approval process for resource families. ​

RFA systems currently in use will be retired once CWS-CARES is fully operational, including Binti RFA. Greenfield RFA functionality will be incorporated into CARES V1 and will no longer be a standalone system as it is now. 

​One of the many RFA features that will be incorporated in CWS-CARES is the RFA Application Portal. Potential resource families can apply online, reducing paperwork and speeding up the process. The system guides applicants through the streamlined process of becoming a foster or adoptive parent, ensuring all necessary information is provided.​

​To prepare for RFA in CWS-CARES, data conversion from current RFA systems and migration planning activities are underway. The project plans to migrate existing county RFA data into CWS-CARES. RFA functionality in CWS-CARES is planned for testing in February to March 2026 during the third round of Extended User Scenario Testing (EUST 3). ​

​By automating and streamlining the RFA process, CWS-CARES helps to expedite the approval of resource families, allowing children to be placed in stable, loving homes more quickly.​

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.

Current State - Context

In the current CWS/CMS system, addresses are not validated when they are entered. This can cause problems if there are errors, or if the address does not exist. 

New CWS-CARES Feature 

​In CARES V1, users will enter the address, search, and then select the correct one from a validated list. The goal of validating addresses as they are entered is to eliminate errors and duplicates, and to ensure that addresses exist. Address data will come from a tool called Smarty Streets.​

Note: Product features and screens are subject to change; we may make adjustments based on feedback.​

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.

The CWS-CARES project team has been working hard to enhance document generation and management in an effort called Content Management. ​

The three parts of Content Management for CARES V1 include: Document Generation (i.e., create documents) by Adobe Experience Manager (AEM), Document Management (i.e., access, collaborate and route documents) by DocuEdge, and eSignature by AdobeSign.​

The CARES V1 system will:​

• Generate documents using the specific templates tailored by State, County, Organization, and Tribe​

• Organize, access, collaborate and pass along documents and forms for review ​

• Easily route documents for eSignatures for both internal and external signers ​

• Contain security features to keep sensitive data safe ​

• Help create an accessible and inclusive online experience ​
   

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.

Imagine CWS-CARES as a big city, bustling with information flowing everywhere. CWS-CARES content management acts like the city's library, a content repository so to speak, and archive system ensuring that all crucial documents are stored electronically, organized, quickly accessed, and secure. This eliminates files stored in various places, and time wasted searching for content. Just like a library adds new books, CWS-CARES content management allows for easy upload of electronic documents and scanning of paper documents. Librarians categorize books; CWS-CARES content management uses metadata (descriptive labels) and indexing to classify documents. This makes searching easier, like finding a book by title or author. 

As a library offers designated areas for group study, CWS-CARES content management facilitates document sharing and collaboration, allowing staff to work on the same document, or route the document through workflow. A library also tracks who borrows books. CWS-CARES content management maintains an audit trail, recording who accessed or modified documents, for better accountability. Content management is a vital part of CWS-CARES, ensuring all the crucial information within the system is organized, secure, searchable, and available.

CWS-CARES content management has 3 parts: document generation, document management, and eSignature. Learn more about these in The Three Parts of Content Management​.

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.

Child welfare services technology is being modernized and meeting CCWIS compliance through automation.

Automation is the use of technology to perform tasks where human input is minimized. Automation in CWS-CARES will significantly change the way that people do their daily work related to child welfare services. It streamlines administrative tasks such as data entry, scheduling appointments, and generating reports. Electronic forms facilitate easy access to secure information sharing between different agencies and departments involved in child welfare cases. Automating tasks like eligibility verifications and benefit calculations can reduce the administrative burden on workers. 

The goal of CWS-CARES is to ensure that information is available to support all children across California, regardless of their county, have equal access to the level of care, services, and resources. This establishes consistent 
standards and protocols for child welfare services to achieve the goal of ensuring all children receive protection and support, regardless of their location. 

Each county has unique demographics, challenges, and resource needs, and this statewide system is being built with all counties, Tribes, and other entities in mind, addressing the broader systemic challenges affecting child welfare practices across the state. 

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.