CWS-CARES Public Library

Definitions

The CWS-CARES Data Dictionary and Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERDs) are designed to assist counties and other data partners in understanding the structure, purpose, and use of data within CWS-CARES.  

The Data Dictionary is a reference guide that explains the structure and meaning of data in CWS-CARES system, such as database fields, types, and relationships, ensuring consistency and clarity.

Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERDs) are a visual representation of how different data elements are related within CWS-CARES system, helping to design and understand databases.

Evolution of the Data Dictionary

The initial version of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary and legacy mapping of CWS/CMS fields is now available. This version reflects the current state of CWS-CARES. As CWS-CARES continues to evolve and improve over the coming months, this initial version will be updated to incorporate new changes. 

The CWS-CARES Project conducted a walkthrough of the initial version of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary and related materials with county representatives and data partners in March 2025. A recording of the walkthrough is available in the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary Microsoft Teams channel.

Publication and Ongoing Updates

A dedicated Microsoft Teams channel has been created for all CWS-CARES Data Dictionary-related materials. Contact CWDSDataManagement@osi.ca.gov to request access to the Microsoft Teams Channel called CWS-CARES Data Dictionary. Questions can be submitted directly to the CWS-CARES Technology team's inbox: CWDSDataManagement@osi.ca.gov. 

Future iterations of the Data Dictionary will be published quarterly to provide greater clarity, address gaps, and potentially modify or remove certain fields or rename them. We appreciate your patience and understanding as we work diligently to ensure the successful implementation and ongoing maintenance of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary.

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.

In late February, an updated CARES V1 Scope Summary was shared with counties. The goal of the Scope Summary, in combination with the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary and product demos, is to provide counties with a better picture of CARES Version 1. The Scope Summary includes a summary of each Service Area, key functionalities of each Milestone, and the Building Blocks (specific capabilities) for each Milestone. Counties are encouraged to use this resource to help assess which external systems have overlapping functionality with CWS-CARES. It will continue to be updated as CWS-CARES is developed.

The CARES V1 Scope Summary (published February 2025) covers the following Service Areas and Milestones:

• Intake & Investigations (Milestones 3, 4, 5)
• Case Management, Placement, Adoption (Milestones 6, 6.1, 7, 7.1, 8, 9, 10, 10.1, 11, 13)
• Courts (Milestones 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
• Resource Family Home – Post Approval (Milestones 26, 26.1, 27, 28)
• Resource & Provider Management (Milestones 2, 6.1, 8)
• Financial Management (Milestones 1, 23, 23.1, 23.2, 24)
• Eligibility (Milestones 19, 20, 20.1, 21)
• Reporting (Milestones 29, 30, 31)

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.

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.

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.

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.

The CWS-CARES Organizational Change Management (OCM) Team disseminated an Engagement Survey to the 58 county child-welfare agency implementation teams (Implementation, OCM, and Training Coordinators and their backups) and representatives from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) divisions involved in the project: the Child Care Licensing Division (CCLD); Children and Family Services Division (CFSD); and the Research, Automation, and Data Division (RADD). ​

Purpose ​

The purpose of this Survey was to gauge the level of preparedness for change at Organizations on behalf of representatives involved with the project and understand their perception of CWS-CARES at this stage in the project. ​

​Timing​

The survey launched September 2nd and closed September 30th, 2024. Note that the Survey’s window from September 2nd to 30th coincided with prototype demonstrations beginning September 19th, so several recipients had not yet participated in product demonstrations.​

Format ​

15 questions were grouped into the following dimensions: Demographics; Compelling Purpose; Product; Stakeholder Engagement; Training and Support; Communications; and Preparation for Change. ​

​Responses ​

The Survey’s overall response rate was 120 out of 200 (60%). 59 out of 61 (97%) Organizations participated. Nearly 60% of respondents have worked in a child welfare-related role for over 10 years, indicating a strong knowledge base for the needs of child welfare work.​

Free Responses - Themes, Summary of Responses, and Mitigation Strategies​

The final question of the Survey was a free response question asking respondents if there are questions or comments the project team should review. The free responses were then shared with the relevant impacted teams. These included the OCM Team, Implementation Team, Training Team, Strategic Communications Team, External Systems Workgroup, and Product-as-a-Service (PaaS) Team. All of the teams reviewed the language and suggested mitigation strategies that are either upcoming in the project roadmap or are new ideas leveraging existing material.​

Summary of Findings​

Aggregated results indicate that the majority of respondents agree or strongly agree with statements such as “I believe CWS-CARES will meet future program needs of child welfare work” and “I am aware of ways to provide feedback about CWS-CARES.” ​

​Questions resulting in the highest numbers of disagree or strongly disagree responses were related to external systems (“I understand the impacts that CWS-CARES will have on my Organization's use of external systems.”) and preparation for change (“I am confident I will be able to adopt CWS-CARES with ease in the future.”). ​

​These findings have been shared and discussed with the appropriate project teams, and mitigation strategies are being developed to address key areas that need improvement.​

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.

The California Office of Technology and Solutions Integration (OTSI) is responsible for the successful delivery of our large, complex IT systems statewide. As such, OTSI is the technology sponsor of CWS-CARES, and provides ongoing leadership and direction to support the successful delivery of CARES. ​

 ​As the technology sponsor, OTSI participates in various areas of the CWS-CARES system development.  Technical and subject matter experts provide guidance on user experience, state, and federal policy, and ensure that the project is on schedule for delivery. OTSI also administers and manages the CWS-CARES project. This includes project plan management and reporting, project integration, budget oversight, and contract management.  ​

Two of the primary project resources that OTSI manages are the CWS-CARES Monthly Legislative Update and the CWDS Planning Roadmap. The roadmap is bigger picture, and includes milestone descriptions, critical training and implementation activities, and Extended User Scenario Testing (EUST) periods through CARES V1 Go-live in October 2026. The monthly legislative report is more tactical in nature and offers detailed statuses on key project milestones and implementation activities.  ​

Originally published in the CWS-CARES Explorer.