CARES SPOCs, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:
- General
- Final Reminder: Two (2) Days Left to Register for CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #10
- The CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop is Now Open!
- Monthly Readiness Report Updates
- Production Simulation
- System Updates & Release Notes on the Production Simulation Hub
- Foster Care Eligibility and Determination (FCED)
- Identifying CWS/CMS Cases for Foster Care Eligibility
- Implementation
- Over 200 Quick Guides Now Available
- OCM Guidance Spotlight on Stakeholder Analysis
- Organizations Go-Live Support Planning
- CWS-CARES Functionality
- CWS-CARES Functionality Spotlight: August 24, 2026
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General
Final Reminder: Two (2) Days Left to Register for CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #10
Thank you to the 430+ stakeholders who have already registered for the next Stakeholder Briefing on Wednesday, August 26, 2026! If you’ve not yet registered, we encourage you to attend the live webinar on Wednesday, August 26, 2026, from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM. All stakeholders are welcome to attend, ask questions, and hear updates from Project leadership.
Register now at: CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #10 | Registration. Note: A separate calendar invitation will not be sent by the CWS-CARES Project. Please manually add the .ics attachment in the registration confirmation email to your calendar.
The full agenda for the August 2026 Stakeholder Briefing is available to view on the CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #10 Registration page. Updates will include:
- Preparing for Go-Live
- Project Status Update
- What to expect
- External Systems
- Implementation, OCM, and Training
- New Functionality & Production Simulation
Thank you for participating in our Stakeholder Briefing webinar series! We hope to see you on August 26, 2026 to continue the conversation on the upcoming transition to CWS-CARES.
Now Opening August 31, 2026: The CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop #3
Please note: the opening date for CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop #3 has changed. The shop will now open on Monday, August 31, and will remain available through Friday, September 18, 2026.
The CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop is back with a new selection of items! All 58 California counties, Tribes, State partners, and public agencies can purchase CWS-CARES–branded merchandise online at the CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop #3. Stakeholders will have the opportunity to purchase items using their own funds. The shop will feature a variety of new items, including apparel, stationery, mugs, accessories, and more.
To view a preview of the items offered, please see the Pop-Up Shop 3 Branding Flyer
A link to the shop will be shared in the August 31 Weekly Digest.
Monthly Readiness Report Updates
Following feedback received on the June Monthly Readiness Report, the Project Team has updated the report language beginning with the July cycle, distributed on Friday, August 14. The revised wording now clearly distinguishes overdue items that are dependent on Project deliverables or actions from those that are overdue due to Organization delays.
This update is intended to improve the accuracy of readiness reporting and ensure that county accountability aligns only with tasks that are within their control.
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Production Simulation
System Updates & Release Notes on the Production Simulation Hub
Every Monday, the CWS-CARES Project publishes new System Updates and Release Notes on the CWS-CARES Production Simulation Hub on the CWDS website. All published updates are located on the System Updates & Release Notes tab in the left navigation bar. Below is a summary of the most recent release.
CWS‑CARES Weekly Release Summary: August 17, 2026
The August 17 release delivered a range of corrections and improvements across the CWS-CARES system:
- 226 defect fixes addressing reliability, accuracy, and overall system usability across Case Management, Resource Management, Intake, Investigation, and Courts.
- 49 data conversion fixes across six key data domains, including Address, Adoption, Case, Child Location/Placement, Health, and Person.
- 3 county-reported data issues resolved, from Riverside, Fresno, San Bernardino, and San Luis Obispo, improving RFA application data, credit report history, geographic region codes, and linked application records.
Full details for last week’s release are available on the CWS‑CARES Production Simulation Hub.
Upcoming Release Information
System Updates & Release Notes will continue to be published every Monday. The August 24 System Updates and Release Notes will appear on the Production Simulation Hub once it is officially posted.
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Foster Care Eligibility and Determination (FCED)
Identifying CWS/CMS Cases for Foster Care Eligibility
CWS-CARES (CARES) and CalSAWS are collaborating to ensure that active CARES Eligibility Records are linked to active CalSAWS cases by Go-Live. To get there, CARES and CalSAWS project staff have worked to identify which CalSAWS cases should link to which CWS-CARES Eligibility Records. Most of this matching is handled through automated features, but some cases require manual research.
CalSAWS workers may reach out to county staff with CWS/CMS access for assistance with case identification. No action is required at this time.
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Implementation
Over 200 Quick Guides Now Available
The new Learning on Demand page within the CWS-CARES Implementation Portal is now live, offering improved access and expanded available resources. The Training page no longer requires a sign‑in, allowing users to access resources more quickly. Because the Training page requires this direct link, please favorite or bookmark the page for easy access.
We’ve also added over 200 Quick Guides covering common processes, tools, and workflows. Quick Guides are short and practical references that outline the essential steps for everyday tasks. They are designed to help teams find quick answers without searching through longer documentation. Additional Quick Guides are under review and will be released in a future update.
OCM Guidance Spotlight on Stakeholder Analysis
As we move into the final two months before Go-Live, Organizational Change Management (OCM) Coordinators play a critical role in preparing their Organizations for CWS-CARES adoption. Outreach and readiness activities become increasingly important during this phase, so this week, we’re highlighting the Stakeholder Analysis section available on the CWS-CARES OCM Resources page.
Stakeholder Analysis helps to clarify who is affected, who holds influence, and how to engage each group throughout implementation. On the CWS-CARES OCM Resources page, you can access the following:
- CWS-CARES Stakeholder Analysis Guidance: A presentation that provides an overview, expected outcomes, key activities, and engagement framework.
- CWS-CARES Stakeholder Landscape: A graphic identifying the estimated level of impact and influence across stakeholder groups.
- CWS-CARES Stakeholder Registry Template: An Excel tool to track stakeholders and note impacts, perceptions, and needed actions.
Although this activity is typically completed early in the change management process, revisiting it now can be helpful as training progresses, workflows evolve, and Go-Live planning accelerates. A refreshed stakeholder landscape can support more coordinated communication and help Organizations stay aligned during this final phase of readiness.
Organizations Go-Live Support Planning
Implementation Leads have begun initial discussions with Organizations throughout August to support Go‑Live Support Planning. These sessions help Organizations finalize their Go-Live Support Plans, identify staffing and internal support structures, and confirm alignment with CWS‑CARES Central Command Center operations for Day 1 and the 90‑Day post‑Go‑Live support period.
Implementation Leads will then continue working with Organizations through September to tailor and validate Organization-specific Go-Live Support Plans, with final plans targeted for completion by September 30.
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CWS-CARES Functionality
CWS-CARES Functionality Spotlight: August 24, 2026
This week, the CWS-CARES Functionality Spotlight features the CWS-CARES Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) of the Week.
August 24, 2026 – FAQ of the Week:
Q: There are more required fields in CWS-CARES than CWS/CMS. Is the county expected to fill in the new fields required when working on a converted case?
A: There are instances where a field is newly considered mandatory in CWS-CARES which was not required or entered in CWS/CMS. If a user opens a converted record for editing, they will be prompted to provide values for any unpopulated mandatory field before their changes can be saved.
To view all of the CWS-CARES FAQs, please visit the CWDS website: CWDS FAQs
Have a question? Send it to Customer Relations and we will be happy to help.
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Share Your Feedback and Subscribe
Thank you for following our progress! Share your feedback on this CWS-CARES Weekly Digest here: CWS-CARES Weekly Digest Feedback Form. Subscribe to future issues here: CWS-CARES Weekly Digest Subscription Form.
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Action Required: We request that all CWS-CARES Single Point of Contacts (SPOCs) and Implementation Coordinators coordinate and distribute the CWS-CARES Weekly Digest to all staff impacted by CWS-CARES, at their discretion.
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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.
We appreciate your dedication to protecting the safety and privacy of vulnerable children and families while we work together to support your needs.