CWS-CARES Public Library

As CWS-CARES V1 approaches Go-Live, the Project is preparing the organizations for the transition in two connected ways: understanding how the new system will change the way work gets done, and making sure people are ready for those changes. Two teams lead this effort, working closely with all 129 organizations.

BPR Team: Understanding How Work Will Change
The Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) team identifies where new technology changes an organization’s day-to-day operational practices. Working directly with county and state users, the team compares how work is done today with how it will be done in CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1) and helps organizations see where its local practices or policies may need to adjust. This work happens through a series of working sessions with organizations:

• Operational Alignment Session (scheduled for 7/7/26): Orients organizations to the BPR process and the tools it supports.
• Archetype Sessions (scheduled for early to mid July): Identifies the statewide process that are shared and those that vary.
• Delta Sessions (scheduled for late July to August): Helps each organization pinpoint where local practices or policies need to align with CARES V1 workflow.

OCM Team: Helping People Get Ready
The Organizational Change Management (OCM) team focuses on the people side of the transition, preparing staff to adopt the changes BPR identifies. OCM is delivering two key resources:

• OCM Plan: A clear strategy/roadmap that guides leadership and builds change management capacity.
• OCM Guidance Material: Toolkit of resources, templates, and processes that help local coordinators carry out the strategy.

Together, the BPR and OCM teams use insights gathered to develop change management and communication plans and materials to help the 129 Organizations understand and implement the changes.

In essence, Business Process Re-engineering builds the path to CARES V1, and Organizational Change Management prepares the people who will walk it.

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.
 

CWS-CARES Infographics, Flyers, and Slogans Webpage 

Product Demonstrations Webpage

CWS-CARES Weekly Digest 

Progress and Engagement Summary 

CWS-CARES Public Library 

Portals and Hubs 

Project Newsletters 

CWS-CARES Video Series

CWDS Website Update: The External Systems Portal​

To make it easier to stay informed, the new External Systems Portal serves as your one-stop shop for all external systems information. The portal includes monthly meeting recordings and materials, along with other helpful resources to keep organizations connected and prepared. To access these materials, please log in using your county email address.​

External Systems Monthly Meetings ​

The CWS-CARES Project launched a new External Systems Monthly Meeting Series to create a consistent space for organizations to connect with the Project team, share updates, ask questions, and stay aligned on upcoming activities. Meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month from 10–11 AM. ​

Topics covered so far: ​

• July 10: Kickoff and External Systems Overview ​
• August 14: Resource Family Approval (RFA) Overview ​
• September 11: Data Conversion and County Engagement Milestones

Upcoming session topics: ​

• October 16 [updated]: Continued Operations – Validating and Preparing External Systems for CWS-CARES V1 Go-Live ​
• November 13: Exploring Validation ​Tools and Activities​

If you would like to receive a meeting invite, please contact the ​External Systems Coordination Unit (ESCU) Team.  ​

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.

The CWS-CARES Super Users Program aims to facilitate the successful implementation, adoption, and ongoing utilization of CARES V1 within Organizations. It is voluntary for all Organizations. The Supers Users Program is integral in successfully implementing CWS-CARES by providing post Go-Live support and assisting with worker onboarding. 

Key Roles and Responsibilities of Super Users​

Super Users are organization staff members that support end users with expertise, coaching, and first-level support during critical project phases and at Go-Live. Super Users will be instrumental during the Go-Live phase by partnering with the project's implementation team to provide over-the-shoulder support to CWS-CARES users within their organization.

How many Super Users are there?​

As of May 2025, there are just over 800 Super Users that have been identified across 53 Child Welfare counties, tribes, and CDSS. The project's implementation team will continue to collect names of Super Users.  

Orientation Sessions for CWS-CARES Super Users​

Orientation will provide participants with an in-depth overview of the Super Users Program. This will include the functions of a Super User and strategies for success when implementing CWS-CARES in their Organization. Orientation sessions will also provide more information on the opportunities that Super Users can participate in and what support is offered. 

Originally Published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.

In May 2025, the CWS-CARES Implementation Team held Process Information Sessions for Intake (Screening and Investigations). These sessions walked organizations through the new Intake processes and terminology they can expect to see in CWS-CARES; they also highlighted the ways CWS-CARES is different from CWS/CMS. Session participants are sharing what they've learned with their organizations to help prepare for CWS-CARES Go-Live. 

New Terminology in CWS-CARES

Here are a few new terms CWS-CARES users will see across different areas of the new system: 

Client → Person​
Individuals who play a role in a Screening, Referral, or Case are captured as 'Persons' in CWS-CARES. Persons categorized as Core Participants can include the focus child, parent, CFT Member, and more.​

Client Abstract/Notebook → Person Profile/Record​
The ‘Person Record’ in CWS-CARES holds details about the Person depending on their role. The Person Record for a focus child includes comprehensive details and demographics including date of birth, address, education, health information, and more.

New Features and Updates in CWS-CARES

Two-Step Referral Process ​

Hotline Workers will document information from the reporter into a Screening record in CWS-CARES. If an investigation is required, the Hotline Supervisor will promote this Screening to an Investigation and a new Referral record will be created. The assigned Emergency Response Worker will then document the details from the Investigation in the Referral record. ​

Streamlined Non-Abuse and Neglect Calls​

Hotline Workers will be able to indicate the reason for calls not related to abuse and neglect, including prevention services requests, community resources, social worker information requests, and prospective young adult re-entry requests. CWS-CARES will prompt the worker to collect only the information needed and generate reports on the different types of calls.​

Data Integration ​

Workers conducting assessments can easily access SDM by clicking a link within CWS-CARES. After they've completed an assessment in SDM, that data will populate back into CWS-CARES to eliminate duplicate data entry.​

Dashboards​

Dashboards in CWS-CARES will organize Screenings, Referrals, assessments, and other work items to give workers and supervisors visibility to pending work. ​Supervisors can see a list of Screenings and Referrals that have been submitted for approval and how much work is assigned to each of their workers. Workers can see a list of Screenings and Referrals assigned to them and track unsubmitted items. ​

Address Validation​

CWS-CARES will have address validation software that checks entered addresses against the United States Postal Service records to help prevent incorrect or incomplete addresses. Workers will have the option to override a suggested address. ​

Autogenerated Email Responses​

A Mandated Reporter may now choose to receive the Emergency Response Notice of Disposition by email. CWS-CARES will automatically send this document to the email address provided to the Hotline Worker and evaluate at the disposition of a screening or an investigation.  ​

Originally Published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.

The Q&A feature in Microsoft Teams is used by the Project for large webinars like the Stakeholder Briefing. Attendees can easily ask questions, add emoji reactions, and upvote posts with Teams Q&A. Below is a brief introduction on how to use this tool. 

Accessing Teams Q&A

The teams Q&A button is located on the menu bar across the top of the screen, next to the Chat feature (note: the chat feature may be disabled in webinars where the Project uses Q&A). Clicking on the Q&A button will open a side panel on the right side of the screen. Here, attendees can ask questions, start discussions, and view the archive of posts from the webinar.  

Pinned Posts

At the top of the thread, attendees will see posts pinned by the organizers of the meeting. They may contain announcements or resources applicable to all attendees. Pinned posts will show a green pin on the top right corner and will remain at the top of the thread throughout the meeting. 
 

Asking Questions and Starting Discussions

To ask a question, select “Ask a Question” from the dropdown, then click “Publish”. Attendees can also “Start a Discussion” to add comments that do not require a response (i.e. requests for troubleshooting). 

Best Answer Feature

Questions that have been answered or vetted by CWS-CARES Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) will be marked with the “Best Answer” check mark.  

Reactions and Participation

Attendees can react to posts with emojis or with upvotes by clicking the blue arrow icon in the bottom left corner. 

Moderation Settings

Depending on the webinar, the Project may turn on additional moderation features which limit the amount of questions in the main thread. If these settings are enabled, there may be a delay in seeing your question appear while a SME generates a response.

For additional support with Microsoft Teams or to request accommodations for a virtual meeting, please contact Customer Relations at CWS_CustRel@osi.ca.gov. 

The CDSS Office of Tribal Affairs (OTA) is grounded in meaningful Tribal Consultation and Engagement that elevate and assist in building the capacity of the State, Tribes, and Counties to collaboratively create and sustain an equitable continuum of care for American Indian and Alaska Native children and families.

The Office of Tribal Affairs, as a part of the Office of Equity, guides the California Department of Social Services efforts to help create and facilitate policies, procedures, and programs that serve Tribes, and tribal children and families.

OTA actively contributes to CWS-CARES development by guiding the direction of the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) Steering Committee. This workgroup consists of tribal representatives collaborating with CWDS and CDSS to improve data quality and ICWA implementation in California. Through these discussions, OTA has helped shape key system updates to be more inclusive and culturally responsive. These efforts ensure CWS-CARES better reflects tribal children and families’ needs and strengthens data collection for improved child welfare outcomes.

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.

Background

One of the main benefits in transitioning from legacy to CWS-CARES is the creation of a single, comprehensive data system. With streamlined case data entry and storage, counties will save time and resources and reduce the need for supplementary external systems.  

What are external systems? 

An external system is defined by the project as, “a tool or application used by organizations to deliver child welfare services in addition to, or outside of, the legacy CWS/CMS solution. This includes Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) software, County-developed systems, and data files.” The project is actively working on identifying which of these external systems have overlapping, or “duplicative,” functionality with CWS-CARES. 

How does the project determine which external systems have overlapping or duplicative functionality? 

Given that CWS-CARES is still in development, discussions about external systems can be challenging. While the CWS-CARES Project Value Services (PVS) team has made initial assessments on which systems are duplicative, they rely on county input and collaboration to make all final determinations. The External Systems Coordination Unit (ESCU) has defined the categories for external systems as: 

• In-scope – a system with functionality that will be fully covered by CARES V1 
• Partially in-scope – a system with some functionality that overlaps with CARES V1 and some functionality that does not overlap with CARES V1
• Out of scope – a system with functionality that is not planned for inclusion in CARES V1 

External Systems Flow Chart

What will happen to external systems after Go-Live?

Due to federal regulations, all systems that are fully in-scope (duplicative functionality to CWS-CARES) will eventually need to be decommissioned, or discontinued, from use. Counties, in collaboration with ESCU, will develop tailored plans for external systems deemed in-scope and partially in-scope, to ensure continued operations. These plans will account for system dependencies with other external systems, the criticality of any missing functionality, alternate solutions, and whether the absent functionality is planned for inclusion in future versions of CWS-CARES. Out of scope systems may continue operating with or without modifications, as long as they remain compliant with federal and state regulations. 

What support can counties expect when planning for decommissioning? 

We are committed to meeting county and tribe needs for support, transparency, and uninterrupted county and tribe business activity throughout the transition to CWS-CARES and beyond. We have created the External Systems Coordination Unit (ESCU), a team solely dedicated to providing counties with support in preparation for the decommissioning process. As we approach Go-Live, ESCU will work in collaboration with county representatives to create decommissioning plans that address individual county needs while also ensuring federal and Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS) compliance. 

How will external systems data be converted to CWS-CARES?

Counties will conduct Source-to-target-mapping (STTM), data cleansing, and data loading for eligible systems. For systems that are not being converted but will be decommissioned or taken offline, counties will need to determine how best to retain and access necessary data. This may include maintaining read-only access, manual data entry, or implementing other solutions to support operational needs.

We recognize that counties and tribes are experiencing a lot of change in the transition to CWS-CARES; we appreciate your patience, feedback, and active participation throughout the process.  

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.

The CWS-CARES Project team partners with organizations to ensure information is shared effectively. Each organization has three key communication roles for CWS-CARES that foster statewide adoption and utilization of CWS-CARES: Single Point of Contact (SPOC), Implementation Coordinator, and OCM Coordinator.  

Download the CWS-CARES Communications Infographic: A guide on how to participate in and support CWS-CARES communications.
It covers: 

• An overview of the three main CWS-CARES communications roles (Single Point of Contact (SPOC), Implementation Coordinator, and OCM Coordinator)
• Opportunities to stay informed 

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer and a Bulletin: CWS-CARES New Resources to Support your Work | Child Welfare Digital Services.