CARES SPOCs, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:
In this Weekly Digest:
- Final Reminder: Two (2) Days Left to Register for CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #8
- Understanding Organizational Change Management (OCM) and Business Process Re-engineering (BPR)
- CWS-CARES Scheduled Maintenance – June 22, 2026 | 5 PM – 8 PM
- CWS-CARES Production Simulation: County Data Validation Begins June 22
- CWS-CARES Functionality Spotlight: June 22, 2026
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Final Reminder: Two (2) Days Left to Register for CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #8
Thank you to the 310+ stakeholders who have already registered for the next Stakeholder Briefing on Wednesday, June 24, 2026! If you’ve not yet registered, we encourage you to attend the live webinar on Wednesday, June 24, 2026, from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM. All stakeholders impacted by the changes to CWS-CARES are welcome to attend, ask questions, and hear updates from Project leadership.
Register now at: CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #8 | 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 June 2026 Stakeholder Briefing is available to view on the CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #8 Registration page. Updates will include:
- Project Status Update
- Preparing for Production Simulation
- Production Simulation Demo
- Training
- Organizational Change Management (OCM)
Having Trouble Registering?
Some registrants have reported difficulties completing registration due to a technical issue with Microsoft Teams. If you experience this, please clear your cache and open the registration link in the Microsoft Edge browser or register on a mobile phone. If you continue to experience issues, please contact Customer Relations at CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov for further assistance.
Thank you for participating in our Stakeholder Briefing webinar series! We hope to see you on June 24, 2026 to continue the conversation on the upcoming transition to CWS-CARES.
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Understanding Organizational Change Management (OCM) and Business Process Re-engineering (BPR)
As CWS-CARES V1 approaches Go-Live, the program operates a dedicated Organizational Change Management (OCM) team to support organizational readiness focusing on preparing people and Organizations to adopt the changes. A key activity of the OCM work on this project is to identify where the new technology results in changes to the operational practices of an Organization. This aspect of the work is carried out by the Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) team, who is dedicated to identifying those operational changes in collaboration with the Organizations. 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.
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CWS-CARES Scheduled Maintenance – June 22, 2026 | 5 PM – 8 PM
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for today, Monday, June 22, 2026, beginning at 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM. During the maintenance window, the CWS-CARES Resource Family Approval (RFA) Application Submission, Review, and Approval Process will be accessible for pilot counties Fresno, Placer, and Santa Clara. During the maintenance window, document related functionality in the CARES application will not be accessible.
No action required from end-users during this maintenance window. If users experience any issues with the CWS-CARES, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CWS-CARES County Administrators may contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal. Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email at Servicedesk@cwds.ca.gov during normal business hours. You may also email after hours, and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.
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CWS-CARES Production Simulation: County Data Validation Begins June 22
On June 22, 2026, counties will begin hands-on validation of converted legacy data in the Production Simulation (Prod Sim) environment. Subject matter experts and end users will verify data accuracy, business functionality, and readiness for expanded statewide testing.
Note that ‘Sealed and Sensitive’ cases and referrals will be temporarily removed from Prod Sim during this phase. All CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1) interfaces will be available.
For full details, refer to the email sent by Customer Relations on Friday, June 12, 2026, with the subject: CWS-CARES Production Simulation Revised Dates & Key Details.
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CWS-CARES Functionality Spotlight: June 22, 2026
This week, the CWS-CARES Functionality Spotlight features the CWS-CARES Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) of the Week.
June 22, 2026 FAQ of the Week:
Q: What functionality will be available in CWS-CARES Production Simulation?
A: All CARES V1 functionality will be available in Production Simulation. This includes Admin Console, Courts, Financial Management, Resource Family Approval, Adoption, After Care, and Re-Entry, Ongoing Case, Placement, Resource Management, Eligibility, Referral, and Screening/Intake.
To view all of the CWS-CARES FAQs, please visit the CWDS website: CWS-CARES FAQs | CWDS Website.
Have a question? Send it to Customer Relations at CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov 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.