CARES SPOCs, Technical Contacts, Data Quality Analysts, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:
We are sharing the latest updates to the CWS-CARES Production Simulation (CARES100) Environment and Snowflake database, including the data refresh and important timelines as we approach the CWS-CARES Version 1 Go-Live on December 7, 2026.
Both systems have been refreshed with legacy data as of September 20, 2026—including Sealed and Sensitive data, additional code/data fixes, and relinked CWS-CARES/CalSAWS cases (AAP, Kin-GAP, and foster care)—overwriting prior data to support continued validation.
To ensure fixes can be scheduled before our November 14, 2026, Defect Code Freeze, all potential defects must be submitted no later than October 30, 2026. After October 30, only High or Critical defects will be considered for pre–Go-Live resolution on a case-by-case basis.
County Developers and Data Extract partners may now resume extract development, Tableau reporting, and testing.
Weekly deployments and Prod Sim support will continue through November 20, 2026.
For current system status, features, and known limitations, please refer to the System Updates & Release Notes | Child Welfare Digital Services page and locate the ‘CWS-CARES Release Notes – 2026-10-19 – ACC.pdf’ document.
Thank you for your ongoing commitment to preparing your teams for the V1 Go-Live.
Action Required
Please contact Customer Relations for questions.
____________________________________________________________________
Security Protocols for Prod Sim Case Data
The Prod Sim environment contains converted CWS/CMS cases reflecting actual system data as of April 17, 2026. Because this includes real, sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII), all case information must be strictly protected or redacted.
To protect CWS-CARES case data, please follow these important security guidelines when working with our support teams:
- Redact Ticket Info: Do not send Protected Health Information (PHI), PII, or confidential case details to the Service Desk via email or ticket. Sensitive and confidential data cannot be stored in the ticketing system.
- Secure Screen Shares: During support-requested screen shares, limit attendees to essential personnel only. Recording of sensitive information is strictly prohibited.
- Consult for Tier 3 Transfers: If Tier 3 support needs sensitive data, use secure transmission methods. Contact your county Privacy Officer or the CWDS ISO if you need assistance with secure routing.
Please contact the Customer Relations mailbox for questions.