CARES SPOCs, CARES Technical Contacts, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:
Following up on our July 6th CWS-CARES Prod Sim update, we are adding all users to the CWS-CARES Prod Sim environment (CARES100) this month. This ensures staff have enough time to finish their enablement modules before starting Instructor-Led Training (ILT).
Please review the rollout schedule and let your users know they will be onboarded on July 13 or July 16, depending on their county. Please note that because we are onboarding the whole county rather than individual lists, we will not send separate user communications. Impacted staff will only receive the system-generated onboarding emails referenced below.
Monday, July 13, 2026: Approximately 10,000 users in Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Bernardino (including both probation and child welfare staff) will gain access to Prod Sim.
Thursday, July 16, 2026: Approximately 10,000 users from all remaining counties, Tribes, and CDSS (including both probation and child welfare) will gain access to Prod Sim.
- Organizations Include: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, CDSS, Colusa, Contra Costa, Del Norte, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Imperial, Inyo, Karuk, Kern, Kings, Lake, Lassen, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Merced, Modoc, Mono, Monterey, Napa, Orange, Placer, Plumas, Sacramento, San Benito, San Diego, San Francisco, San Joaquin, San Luis Obispo, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Sutter, Tehama, Trinity, Tulare, Tuolumne, Ventura, Yolo, Yuba, Yurok.
Although all users are being activated, individual counties and organizations decide who participates and when they start their activities. To gain access, users must respond to onboarding emails sent on either July 13 or July 16, depending on their rollout date.
Once access is granted, users will receive the following emails:
1. "Welcome to CWS-CARES" from sender: no-reply-test@cares.cwds.ca.gov (from Okta)
- Integrated counties/organizations: This is just a confirmation email. No action is needed.
- Non-integrated counties/organizations (New/Reactivated users): Contains a link to set up your password.
Note: The link expires in seven days for new users and one day for reactivated users.
2. "Finish changing your Salesforce account’s email address" from sender: QA_SUPPORT@salesforce.com
- Recipients: Only users in counties that are changing their email domains.
Note: You must click the verification link within 72 hours to confirm the change.
Kickoff Meetings: We will host four onboarding kickoff sessions via Microsoft Teams Town Hall. The sessions have a maximum capacity of 10,000 attendees. American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation will be provided for all sessions.
Available Sessions:
- Session 1: Monday, July 13 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Session 2: Tuesday, July 14 | 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
- Session 3: Thursday, July 16 | 1:00 PM – 3:00 PM
- Session 4: Friday, July 17 | 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Links to the kickoff meetings and regional office hours are available on the Production Simulation Hub. Counties and organizations may determine which sessions their staff should attend.
Thank you for your continued collaboration as we transition to CWS-CARES.
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 17th; because this includes real, sensitive 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 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.