CARES SPOCs, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:
September 22, 2026 - UPDATE: Postponed – Health & Education Passport (HEP) Support Clinics
The HEP Support Clinics originally scheduled for September 23 and September 24 have been postponed. We are working to identify a new date and time. Once the updated schedule is confirmed, we will communicate the details to you and post them on the Prod Sim Hub main page.
We appreciate your patience and will keep you posted as scheduling is finalized.
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September 21, 2026: In this Weekly Digest (click the link for more information):
- General
- System Updates & Release Notes on the Production Simulation Hub
- CWS-CARES Production Simulation (CARES 100) Data Refresh and Key Readiness Dates
- Final Reminder: Two (2) Days Left to Register for CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #11
- New CWS-CARES Fact Sheets Now Available
- New: Monthly Readiness Report
- CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop Now Open Through October 2, 2026!
- Production Simulation
- Health Education Passport (HEP) Support Clinic 3 Reminder
- Implementation
- OCM Guidance Spotlight on Stakeholder Engagement
- Fresh Training Content Added to the Implementation Portal
- Technical Updates
- CWS-CARES Data Dictionary Version 0.13 Now Available
- CWS-CARES Functionality
- CWS-CARES Functionality Spotlight: September 21, 2026
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General
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.
Due to the Labor Day holiday, there was no CWS‑CARES release on Monday, September 7, 2026, and the updates planned for that date will instead be included in the September 14 deployment.
CWS-CARES Weekly Release Summary: September 14, 2026
The September 14 release delivered several corrections and improvements across the CWS-CARES system:
- 150 defect fixes improving reliability, accuracy, and user experience across case management, resource management, intake and investigation, and courts.
- New functionality enabled in Production Simulation, including email notifications for assignment changes, approval requests, task assignments, and portal account activation. The RFA Portal and FFPSA Portal are also available for simulation and testing.
- Multiple ServiceNow incidents resolved across counties including Humboldt, San Diego, Los Angeles, Marin, San Luis Obispo, Santa Clara, Kings, Monterey, Contra Costa, Sonoma, and Tulare.
- High‑level improvements across Adoption, Adoption Assistance Program (AAP) & Permanency; Case Management, Referrals, Courts, and Investigations; Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA), Prevention Services, and Federal Reporting; Resource Family, Resource Family Approval (RFA), Recruitment, and Resource Management; Shared Services, Person Search, Profiles, and Access
- 27 data conversion fixes addressing child location, health information, organization records, person details, plan data, potential connections, removal records, and screening relationships.
- 5 county‑reported data issues resolved from San Diego, Humboldt, Fresno, and Tulare.
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 September 21 System Updates & Release Notes will appear on the CWS-CARES Production Simulation Hub on once it is officially posted.
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CWS-CARES Production Simulation (CARES100) Data Refresh and Key Readiness Dates
As part of ongoing readiness efforts for the December 7, 2026 CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1) Go-Live, the Project will refresh the Production Simulation (CARES 100) environment to provide users with more current converted data and additional system fixes for continued testing. Key dates include:
- September 24: CalSAWS data refresh; existing CARES-to-CalSAWS links will be cleared
- September 28 – October 6: CalSAWS will be available, allowing users to test new cases and new transactions
- September 28: Final planned Prod Sim (CARES100) weekly deployment before the refresh
- October 7–18: Prod Sim (CARES100) temporarily unavailable; Training (CARES104) and County Dev (CARES102) environments remain available
- October 19: Prod Sim (CARES100) reopens with refreshed data and approximately 2–3 weeks of accumulated code and data fixes
- November 20: Prod Sim (CARES100) support ends; user access to the environment will continue, but no additional code or data fixes will be deployed to this environment.
- December 7: CWS-CARES V1 Go-Live in separate, Production environment
Please continue testing in CARES100 and reporting identified issues throughout the remaining Production Simulation period.
For full details, refer to the CWS-CARES Prod Sim (CARES100) Data Refresh and Key Readiness Dates in the CWDS website.
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Final Reminder: Two (2) Days Left to Register for CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #11
Thank you to the 280+ stakeholders who have already registered for the next Stakeholder Briefing on Wednesday, September 23, 2026! If you’ve not yet registered, we encourage you to attend the live webinar on Wednesday, September 23, 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 #11 | 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 September 2026 Stakeholder Briefing is available to view on the CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #11 Registration page. Updates will include:
- Preparing for Go-Live
- CWS-CARES Release Timeline
- Support Available During & After Go-Live
Thank you for participating in our Stakeholder Briefing webinar series! We hope to see you on September 23, 2026 to continue the conversation on the upcoming transition to CWS-CARES.
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New CWS-CARES Fact Sheets Now Available
The CWS-CARES Project Team is releasing a series of fact sheets addressing county questions about CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1) features. Two new fact sheets are now available.
CWS-CARES Search Functionality
This fact sheet provides a guide to CWS-CARES search functionality and recent enhancements. It covers the application-wide Global search and targeted search options, including Person Search, Resource Management Directory, and Placement Search. The fact sheet also highlights recent enhancements such as more precise search logic, phonetic name search, additional search criteria, and improved person, provider, and resource searches.
For more information, please see the CWS-CARES Search Functionality Fact Sheet - September 2026 - ACC in the CWDS website.
FCED Transaction Guide: Mandatory Fields
This fact sheet serves as a reference guide for all mandatory fields required to complete a successful Foster Care Eligibility Determination (FCED) transaction from CWS-CARES to CalSAWS, and where to find them in the system. The guide covers mandatory fields across outbound data sets including Case Link, Case Workers, Individual Demographics, Communications, Determination Details, Incidental, Home of Removal, Income Assets, Placement Authority, Placement, Kin-GAP, Court Information, Extended Foster Care, and Adoption Assistance Program (AAP).
For more information, please see the FCED Transaction Guide: Mandatory Fields in the CWDS website.
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New: Monthly Readiness Report
The August Monthly Readiness Report was distributed to Organizations the week of September 7th. The update highlights key readiness milestones, current progress, and upcoming adoption activities across the Project and Organization. Please review the report to stay informed on ongoing progress towards the CWS-CARES Go-Live.
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CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop Now Open Through October 2, 2026!
The CWS-CARED Pop-Up Shop #3 has been extended and will remain open through end of day Friday, October 2, 2026! Place your orders at: CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop #3 | Order Now.
Currently, only the Curvaceous Matte Silver Ballpoint pen has met the minimum order total required for production. The Gildan Ultra Cotton T-Shirt and Non-Woven Tote Bag are close to meeting the required minimums. We encourage all stakeholders to consider making a purchase before October 2 to build excitement for CWS-CARES. Items that do not meet the minimum totals will be removed from orders and not charged.
The shop is open to all 58 California counties, Tribes, and partner organizations. CWS-CARES branded items are available for purchase using your own funds. For ordering and shipping details, please reference the Pop Up Shop 3 FAQs and Item Selection flyer.
Please contact CWDS Customer Relations with any questions. Happy shopping!
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Production Simulation
Health Education Passport (HEP) Support Clinic 3 Reminder
A quick reminder that Production Simulation is hosting HEP Support Clinics this week:
- 9/23/2026 at 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM
- 9/24/2026 at 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Detailed information and invitations have been sent directly to CARES SPOCs to share with the appropriate participants in their organization. Please continue to refer to Production Simulation Hub for ongoing updates, schedules, and recordings.
Note: Users may have to create a log-in to access materials.
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Implementation
OCM Guidance Spotlight on Stakeholder Engagement
As we continue to prepare for CWS-CARES implementation, the official Go-Live date has been adjusted from October 26 to December 7. Communication and stakeholder engagement remain important components of organizational readiness. The additional preparation period provides Organizations valuable runway to continue engagement activities that help end users build confidence, reinforce core competencies, and engage in meaningful discussions about the changes ahead.
End users are encouraged to complete self-guided learning, familiarize themselves with updated process and terminology, practice directly in the Production Simulation environment (CARES 100), and ask questions in advance. Organizations can support connections with end users by keeping staff informed, gathering questions and feedback, and identifying areas where additional support may be needed.
To support stakeholder engagement, the CWS-CARES OCM Resources page provides the CWS-CARES Stakeholder Engagement Guidance. This guidance outlines the process of identifying stakeholders, executing engagement activities, and monitoring sentiment and outcomes.
Together, through consistent engagement, we can deepen our understanding of the end user experience and respond to evolving needs. Let’s continue to prepare, listen, learn, and support one another as we move forward!
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Fresh Training Content Added to the Implementation Portal
New training sections and updated resources have been added to the Training Resources page on the Implementation Portal. These additions are designed to support users of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) Provider Portal and administrative teams with updated guidance and step‑by‑step demonstrations. The sections and related videos available are listed below:
FFPSA Provider Portal Video Trainings:
Admin Videos:
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Technical Updates
CWS-CARES Data Dictionary Version 0.13 Now Available
CWS-CARES Data Dictionary V0.13 is now available on the Microsoft Teams Channel: CARES Data Dictionary under Shared as of Monday, September 21. Check the Intro tab of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary for the detailed list of updates included in the new version.
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CWS-CARES Functionality
CWS-CARES Functionality Spotlight: September 21, 2026
This week, the CWS-CARES Functionality Spotlight features the CWS-CARES Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) of the Week.
September 21, 2026 FAQ of the Week:
Q: Where will the quick guides be located?
A: The quick guides will be located on the CWS-CARES Training Portal and when they are uploaded, their respective links will be sent out in a communication. The Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) are also located in the same location.
Q: When will the quick guides be available?
A: The first set of quick guides will be available with Production Simulation access. Quick Guides will continue to be added throughout Train-the-Trainer (TTT) and Instructor-Led Training (ILT) as they are approved.
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 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.
