CWS-CARES Public Library

As CWS-CARES moves towards Go-Live, we continue to receive inquiries from users like you from across the State. We welcome your questions because they give us an opportunity to better track which questions are being asked frequently so that we can proactively draft communications and ensure the response is disseminated widely. ​

If you have a question:
1. Email the Implementation Team or Customer Relations Team.​
2. Raise a question in other project meetings.​
3. If a question cannot be answered in these forums, there is a good chance it will make its way to the Inquiry Response Team (IRT).​

After a question is submitted: The IRT Lead reviews our repository of previous questions to ensure the question hasn’t already been answered. If not, the lead records the new question and works with subject matter experts (SMEs) to draft a response and then reviews it with the IRT team. ​The team decides if the response requires executive approval, if it should be posted as an FAQ to the CWDS website, or if any further clarification is needed. Lastly, the IRT lead finalizes any edits, takes record of the response, and works with the original team that received the question to respond. CWS-CARES values your questions and appreciates your patience while we draft responses.​

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.

County Consultants are subject matter experts (SMEs) representing the interests of counties. There are currently 24 County Consultants representing 14 counties actively participating as a SME in policy, program requirements, outcome measures, and county user needs and preferences. They serve across more than a dozen project teams, such as Intake, Case Management, and Resource Management.​

County Consultants are full-time, contracted project resources selected though a collaboration between counties, the County Welfare Directors Association (CWDA), the Department of Social Services (CDSS) and the Office of Technology and Solutions Integration (OTSI). They play a critical role on CWS-CARES, as they help provide the level of engagement needed on various teams while preventing the disruption of services to families and children at risk. Most of them have a broad background in Child Welfare and have years of service and experience in their Counties.

Counties represented include: Kern, Los Angeles, Madera, Monterey, Placer, Riverside, Sacramento, San Bernardino, San Francisco, Stanislaus, and Yolo. ​CWDA also contracts with staff with previous experience in Fresno, Orange, Placer, San Luis Obispo, and Sacramento counties.​ ​

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.

To support the learning journey from CWS/CMS to CARES, the Implementation Training team has devoted itself to creating, building, and delivering an effective training program to prepare users to complete their work processes in CARES beginning the day of Go-Live.​

Early CARES training audience analysis indicated that a blended learning approach would best meet the needs and preferences of CARES users. The Training team developed the CARES training approach to reflect this preference by pairing on-demand eLearning, instructor-led training and over-the-shoulder coaching support at Go-Live and beyond. The interactive combination of self-paced eLearning with live end-user training offers a dynamic learning journey to support varied learning styles while providing flexibility across Organizations.  

On-demand eLearning is the foundation of the immersive learning experience, with end-to-end CARES child welfare workflows built directly within CARES. Integrated through CARES, the small, digestible units will typically take less than 15 minutes to complete, and include hands-on simulated practice, workflows, and work-related scenarios. On-demand learning will be opened to all end-users beginning Summer 2026 as a prerequisite to live instructor-led training.​

Instructor-led training (ILT) continues the learning journey by focusing on cross-functional areas, complex learning areas, skill building, areas not currently in the legacy system such as Resource Family Approval (RFA), Family First Protection Services ACT (FFPSA) Adoptions, and other potential learning needs folded into CARES. ILT will be delivered via a hybrid partnership between the California RTAs, County trainers, Juvenile Probation, Organizations, and the CARES Training team. Trainers will deliver training over the 12 weeks leading up to Go-Live in October 2026. ​

Supporting training materials for Instructor-led training include coaching from trainers and Super Users and Go-Live Command Center Support. More ILT and eLearning materials will be made editable and released to Organizations in 4 cycles leading up to Go-Live. ​

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.

Currently there are two Tribes with Title IV-E agreements with CDSS: the Karuk Tribe and Yurok Tribe. Title IV-E agreements allow for funds to pass from the State to the Tribe for the provision of comprehensive child welfare programming and services, depending on the Tribe’s agreement with CDSS. This may include foster care, transitional independent living programs for children, guardianship assistance, and adoption assistance for children.  

Representatives from the Karuk and Yurok Tribes are actively involved as Core Constituents and will use CWS-CARES Version 1. Tribal representatives have participated in the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) Steering Committee to provide feedback and inclusion of ICWA and Tribal cultural and social standards into the development of CWS-CARES. In 2020, CDSS made a commitment to federally recognized Tribes in California to build all the ICWA AFCARS data elements from the 2016 Final Rule into the new CWS-CARES System. 

In September 2023, the steering committee completed gathering input on all ICWA AFCARS data elements, a Race and Ethnicity Model, a Tribal Organization Directory, and additional ICWA best practices. Thank you to the Tribal representatives who have participated in this important work.  

About the Karuk and Yurok Tribes

The Karuk Tribe is located in the northwestern corner of present-day California, in Humboldt and Siskiyou counties. The Karuk Tribe is one of the largest Indian Tribes in California. They have a population of 4,800 enrolled members. The Yurok Tribe is located in the  northwestern corner of present-day California stretching from Trinidad in the south to Crescent City in the north, spanning Trinity, Del Norte, and Humboldt Counties. They have a population of 6,567 members in the United States and its territories. 

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.