CWS-CARES Weekly Digest - March 30, 2026

CARES SPOCs, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:

In this Weekly Digest:

  • The CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop is Now Open!
  • Deadline Extended: Share Your Feedback in the Communications Effectiveness Survey #3 by April 3, 2026
  • CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #6 Recap and Recording Available
  • The March 2026 Progress and Engagement Summary is Now Available
  • CWS-CARES Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) of the Week

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The CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop is Now Open! 

We are excited to announce the opening of the CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop #2! You may shop now at: CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop #2 | Order Now . The shop will be open until end of day on Friday, April 17, 2026

All 58 California counties, Tribes, and partner organizations have the opportunity to purchase CWS-CARES branded items using their own funds at this limited-time online store. For more information on ordering and shipping, please review the CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop #2 FAQs and Item Preview document.  

Please contact CWDS Customer Relations with any questions. Happy shopping! 

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Deadline Extended: Share Your Feedback in the Communications Effectiveness Survey #3 by April 3, 2026 

Share your experience in the third annual CWS-CARES Communication Effectiveness Survey, which has now been extended through Friday, April 3, 2026. We are extending the deadline to ensure the survey results accurately reflect the overall sentiment of our stakeholders. If additional submissions are not received, the survey results will be voided. 

Take the survey here to share your feedback: CWS-CARES Communication Effectiveness Survey #3The survey is confidential, anonymous, and takes approximately 3-5 minutes to complete

Please forward the survey link to other CWS-CARES users who may wish to provide feedback on CWS-CARES communications. 

The annual Communication Effectiveness Survey helps us understand what’s working and what could be improved with Project communications. Your honest feedback is greatly valued. 

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CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #6 Recap and Recording Available 

Thank you to everyone who attended CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #6 on Wednesday, March 25, 2026! We were pleased to have 457 participants across 48 counties and over 6 partner organizations join the session live – our highest participation rate to date! We received 78 questions during the session, which we are working to answer and share with you as soon as possible. 

The full recording of the session is now available on the Stakeholder Briefings and Webinar Materials page on the CWDS website. Please login with your county or organization email address to view the recording. An accessible PDF of the presentation slides along with a summary of the session Q&A will be available in the coming weeks in the same location.  

The next CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing is scheduled for Wednesday, May 27, 2026. The registration link and session agenda will be shared through the CWS-CARES Weekly Digest in April 2026. We hope to see you there! 

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The March 2026 Progress and Engagement Summary is Now Available 

The CWS-CARES Progress and Engagement Summaries provide a concise overview of the collaborative efforts and achievements of CWS-CARES. The CWS-CARES Progress and Engagement Summary | March 2026 features engagement analytics for the February 2026 reporting period across the following subject areas: 

  • Project Communications 
  • Core Constituent Demonstrations 
  • Forms and Data 
  • External Systems, Interfaces, and Analytics 
  • Implementation, OCM, and Training Activities 

View all CWS-CARES Progress and Engagement Summaries on the CWDS website: CWS_CARES_Progress_and_Engagement_Updates. 

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March 30, 2026 FAQ of the Week:

Q: What is the current plan for Non-Federally Recognized Tribes and CWS-CARES, and who is the key contact within the project for this? 
 
A: 
Non-Federally recognized Tribes are included in the Tribal Directory built by Resource Management. CWS-CARES will allow a user to capture all Tribal ancestry information for a child and family regardless of whether the Tribe is Federally Recognized. CWS-CARES functionality supports lineal descendancy and the Spirit of ICWA for Non-Federally Recognized Tribes. For any additional project questions, please send to the Customer Relations Mailbox. 

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CWS-CARES Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) of the Week

Each week, we highlight a common question from counties and partners, along with a clear, practical answer to help you better understand CWS-CARES functionality.

March 30, 2026 FAQ of the Week:

Q: What is the current plan for Non-Federally Recognized Tribes and CWS-CARES, and who is the key contact within the project for this? 
 
A: 
Non-Federally recognized Tribes are included in the Tribal Directory built by Resource Management. CWS-CARES will allow a user to capture all Tribal ancestry information for a child and family regardless of whether the Tribe is Federally Recognized. CWS-CARES functionality supports lineal descendancy and the Spirit of ICWA for Non-Federally Recognized Tribes. For any additional project questions, please send to the Customer Relations Mailbox. 

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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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