CWDS Bulletins

CWS/CMS: CDT Service Desk Bulletin - SAFE Cloud Service Scheduled Critical Maintenance

ALL SPOCs, Technical Contacts and CAD Contacts:

The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled critical maintenance of the SAFE Cloud service. The maintenance is on Wednesday, May 6, 2026, beginning at 10:00 PM and concluding at 10:30 PM. The activity will cause interruptions in the SAFE Cloud service. Some Business Objects (BO) reports will fail to send, or automated scripts may fail to retrieve from SAFE during this scheduled maintenance.

Action Required

All users should logoff of the SAFE Cloud service prior to the start of the stated maintenance timeframe. Please check on your scheduled BO SAFE reports and automated FTP scripts. If needed, re-run the reports and scripts.

Contact the IBM Help Desk (800-428-8268) to report any issues with your Business Objects content in SAFE.

 

CWS/CMS: SBC Access to CWS/CMS Warning Message - RESOLVED

All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and SBC Administrators:

May 5, 2026 UPDATE: In addition to the warning message issue, a second issue within the Server Based Computing (SBC) / Citrix environment was discovered. This second issue was a “High Level Problem Occurred” message. Unlike the first issue, users who encountered the second issue were blocked from proceeding access to the CWS/CMS application.

IBM worked with the California Department of Technology (CDT) and implemented a fix to resolve the “High Level Problem Occurred” last night. Users should not be encountering this issue when accessing the CWS/CMS application via SBC.

In addition, a separate fix has been implemented this morning to resolve the issue that was causing the warning message. This message should no longer appear.

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The California Department of Technology (CDT) upgraded the SBCS servers to the Windows 2022 server. This activity has caused the following warning message to appear when accessing CWS/CMS via an SBC connection:

IBM and the CWDS Office are working with the CDT on a fix, to be implemented later this week, to prevent this warning message from appearing. No action will be needed from the user once this update is made. In the meantime, users are able to connect to CWS/CMS by simply clicking the ‘OK’ button to close out the warning message.

Action Required

If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.

CWS-CARES Scheduled Maintenance - May 8, 2026 | 6AM - 8AM

All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:

The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Friday, May 8, 2026, beginning at 6:00 AM and concluding at 8:00 AM. 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. However, document related functionality will not be accessible.

Action Required

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.  

CWS-CARES Weekly Digest - May 4, 2026

CARES SPOCs, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:
  • Reminder: Register for CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #7 
  • Court Reports Development: Templates and Resources Update 
  • The April 2026 Progress and Engagement Summary is Now Available 
  • CWS-CARES Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) of the Week 

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Reminder: Register for CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #7

We encourage you to attend the next CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing on May 27, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PMAll stakeholders impacted by the changes to CWS-CARES are welcome to attend, ask questions, and hear updates from Project leadership. 

Register now atCWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #7 | RegistrationNote: 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 May 2026 Stakeholder Briefing is available to view on the CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #7 Registration page. Updates will include: 

  • Implementation 
  • Extended User Scenario Testing 3 
  • Production Simulation 
  • Resource Family Approval (RFA) Portal Demonstration 

View the dates for all upcoming CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefings in 2026 on the Stakeholder Briefings and Webinars page on the CWDS website. 

Thank you for participating in our Stakeholder Briefing webinar series! We hope to see you on May 27, 2026 to continue the conversation on the upcoming transition to CWS-CARES. 

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Court Reports Development: Templates and Resources Update 

In February 2026, we shared that CWS-CARES introduces a new approach to court report development, providing base templates while giving counties flexibility to build and modify reports to meet local needs. See the communication here: CWS CARES: Changes to Court Reports Development

As of April 9, 2026, Court Report base templates are now available in the CWS-CARES application (CARES 102 environment) and can be used as a starting point for court report development if modification is needed. 

Forms Workgroup sessions have provided “how-to” demonstrations for county forms authors, with recordings available. 

The Court Reports Guide in the Forms Workgroup Teams channel provides a step-by-step guide for generating, updating, and validating court reports in CWS-CARES.  

For support, Form Authors can attend the Forms Authors Office Hours on Thursdays from 2–3 PM, or contact otsicwdscaresforms@otsi.ca.gov with any questions. 

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The April 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 | April 2026 features engagement analytics for the March 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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CWS-CARES Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) of the Week

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

May 4, 2026, FAQ of the Week: 

Q: If a client moves from one county to another, will imaged documents and associated data transfer automatically with the rest of the client’s data? 

A: Yes. In CWS-CARES, documents attached to a unit of work, such as a case, remain associated with that case. When the case is transferred from one county to another, the associated documents and relevant data remain linked to the case and are accessible to the receiving county. 

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’ll be happy to help.

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.

CWS/CMS: Remote County Testing of Release 9.8 Changes to Prepare CWS/CMS for ‘Read-Only’ Mode - REMINDER

ALL SPOCs and TRAINING CONTACTS:

May 1, 2026 update: This is a reminder that the deadline to register for the R9.8 County Test Workshop (CTW) is May 19, 2026.

Additionally, we want to ensure all potential testers are aware of the database cutoff date in advance. The last day to enter data into CWS/CMS and have it included in CTW is May 12, 2026, at 5:00 p.m. Any data entered after this date and time will not be available during CTW.

Please note: if new users are participating in CTW and they have no data entered before the cutoff, they will not have any data available to test during CTW.

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The Child Welfare Digital Services (CWDS) Office is requesting county staff to participate in the Release 9.8 County Test Workshop (CTW).  Release 9.8 is scheduled for delivery to the counties on July 11, 2026.

The CTW for Release 9.8 will be conducted in a remote setting, via Server Based Computing (SBC) soft tokens.  

The deadline to register is:  May 19, 2026

Registered testers will participate in the testing of Release 9.8, which is scheduled for delivery to the counties on July 11, 2026.  CWDS is seeking a total of 15 county staff members for each of the 16 sessions (2 sessions per day, 9AM - 12PM and 1PM - 4PM). There will be no testing from 12PM - 1PM each day of CTW.   

Remote CTW sessions will be on the following dates: 

Week 1 (Read/Write Environment)

Monday, June 12026 (AM or PM session)

Tuesday, June 22026 (AM or PM session)

Wednesday, June 32026 (AM or PM session)

Thursday, June 42026 (AM or PM session)

Week 2 (Read-Only Environment)

Monday, June 82026 (AM or PM session)

Tuesday, June 92026 (AM or PM session)

Wednesday, June 102026 (AM or PM session)

Thursday, June 112026 (AM or PM session)

Participants are welcome to register for any of the sessions listed above, in half or whole day increments. Participants are recommended to register for at least one session per week. This will allow the participant to compare activities in both the usual read/write environment and the read-only environment.

The sessions will be limited to a maximum of 15 people per session.  No exceptions. 

We encourage you to submit your request for a specific session as soon as possible, but no later than close of business on May 19, 2026.  If a daily count exceeds the maximum count, Customer Relations will work with that tester to be rescheduled to another session. 

Please note that all requests must be submitted by the deadline so that the CWDS Office can finalize the needed arrangements.  Late registrations cannot be accepted.

A  Release 9.8 County Test Workshop Online Registration Form (see link below) for each potential tester must be received as soon as possible, but no later than close of business on May 19, 2026.

 Link:   Release 9.8 County Test Workshop (CTW) Registration Form

If for any reason, you cannot access the Online Registration Form, please contact Customer Relations at CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov.

The CWDS Office will work with the registered participants on all the details of their CTW participation.  

SBC Soft Token Use:

Once registration has closed on May 19, 2026, Customer Relations will schedule a MS Teams meeting with testers and their County IT Contacts.  The purpose of this meeting will be to make sure that your County IT can configure your workstation with the needed software and any other required configurations.  If this cannot be accomplished, your registration in this CTW cannot be accommodated. 

System Change Requests (SCRs) included: 

  • SCR 9003 - Place CWS/CMS in a Read-Only State
  • SCR 8993 - Referral Completed Due Date
  • SCR 8973 - ICWA Eligible Data Entry (Part A)
  • SCR 9034 - R9.8 Training Tools Package

Counties are encouraged to register individuals with knowledge and experience working in the areas mentioned above.  A mix of end users with casework or supervisory experience will also be very helpful.  Participants will validate the changes in the release and will perform tests of problem fixes and enhancements. Participants will work with other County and State testers as well as vendor support staff.

If you have any questions regarding this recruitment, please contact: Customer Relations at CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov.

Your continued support of CWDS is greatly appreciated. 

Action Required

Submit a Release 9.8 County Test Workshop Online Registration Form no later than May 19, 2026.

Data Conversion Mock Cycle 2 Now in Production Simulation - UPDATE

CWS-CARES SPOCs:

May 1, 2026 UPDATE: This is an update to the February 19, 2026, communication requesting participants for Data Conversion

Mock Cycles 1 and 2.  Mock Cycle 2 is the next full load of organization data from CWS/CMS and select systems into CWS-CARES for review. This validation helps confirm that real-world records appear accurately and completely in the system. 

Mock Cycle 2 data will now be loaded into the Production Simulation environment. Beginning May 26, 2026, participants will be able to validate converted data as part of Production Simulation activities rather than through a separate Mock Cycle 2 process. 

Support for data validation will be provided through regular support channels, including Office Hours. 

Thank you for your continued partnership and flexibility as we align Production Simulation and data conversion readiness activities. 

If you have questions about data conversion, please contact CWDS Data Conversion.

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February 19, 2026

Participants Requested for Data Conversion Mock Cycles 1 and 2 – Survey Due March 2, 2026

All CWS-CARES SPOCs:

As CWS-CARES continues statewide readiness efforts, we appreciate your continued partnership in data validation activities.

The next phase is Data Conversion Mock Cycles 1 and 2. These are full test runs where organization data from CWS/CMS and select systems are converted into CWS-CARES to review real-world records and confirm the data appears accurately and completely in the system.

We are seeking one (1) to five (5) participants per organization who are familiar with their data to support this effort. All participants will receive calendar invitations and communications for both cycles, so you do not need to indicate which cycle(s) they plan to support.

Timeline

Mock Cycle 1: March 23, 2026 – April 10, 2026
Mock Cycle 2: April 21, 2026 – May 4, 2026

Participants may support one or both cycles. Mock Cycle 2 will include system improvements, sealed and sensitive records, and updated user access settings in preparation for Production Simulation.

Support

Participation includes a one-hour kickoff and a wrap-up session. Orientation sessions and semi-weekly office hours will be available to support questions and issue review. Time spent on validation is flexible and based on each organization’s level of review.

Action Required:

Please complete the brief survey by March 2, 2026, so we can set up user access:

CWS-CARES Data Conversion Mock Cycles 1 and 2 Survey

Only one survey response per organization is needed, so please coordinate internally before submitting.

If you have questions, please contact CWDS Data Conversion.

CWDS: Questionnaire for External Systems Tracking (QuEST)

All SPOCs and Advanced Planning Document (APD) contacts:

This is a questionnaire that guides APD Coordinators and program staff through providing a thorough use case for External Systems APDs. California Title IV-E Agencies requesting to implement or maintain an external system should be submitting an APD package, including a QuEST with all sections fully completed. The questionnaire is located on our CWDS Website at Advance Planning Document (APD) Information | Child Welfare Digital Services.

What is Impacted:

Child Welfare APD submissions from California Title IV-E Agencies

Who is Impacted:

California Title IV-E Agencies

Why:

This questionnaire will allow for more streamlined APD submissions and therefore more straightforward, informed, quality APD reviews by the Fiscal Monitoring Unit.


Action Required

Please review the questionnaire and disseminate to the appropriate people in your county.

CWS-CARES Production Simulation – Please Review & Refine User Permissions by 05/01/2026 

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

Following the CWS-CARES Production Simulation – Please Identify Initial Users communication sent last Monday, April 20, 2026, the new County User Permissions spreadsheets are now available in the CWS-CARES User Onboarding Preparation Microsoft Teams channel.  

These lists contain all active and inactive CWS/CMS users for both Child Welfare and Probation to facilitate conversion for Production Simulation roles and permissions. Please note that these updates apply only to Production Simulation; a future activity will be conducted to confirm all roles and permissions for the final CWS-CARES Production environment prior to Go-Live. 

Access to the CWS-CARES User Onboarding Preparation Microsoft Teams channel is currently limited to CWS-CARES SPOCs and those that requested access last week. If you need access, please contact the Identity Access Management (IAM) Team at otsicwdscaresorgiamteam@otsi.ca.gov .  

Here are the basic steps to validate legacy CWS/CMS permissions to the new CWS-CARES. 

  1. Validate Primary Office & Mapping: Review the matrix to ensure the assigned Primary Office is correct. Verify that the Permission Sets mapped from CWS/CMS to CWS-CARES accurately reflect the user's needs. 
  1. Assign Net-New Permissions: Review the list of permissions unique to CWS-CARES (those with no legacy equivalent). Determine which staff members require these new permission sets and update the roster accordingly. 

To accurately review the spreadsheets, please keep these system logic changes in mind: 

  1. Permissions Snapshot: All information reflects CWS/CMS production data as of March 11, 2026
  1. Permission Hierarchy 
  • Consolidated Permissions: Unlike CWS/CMS, CWS-CARES does not require multiple overlapping permissions. Higher-level access (e.g., County Read/Write) automatically overrides lower levels (Office or Unit). If a user has County, Office, and Unit access, CWS-CARES will only assign the highest level (County). 
  • Discontinued Roles: "Unit Read" and "Unit Read/Write" roles no longer exist in in CWS-CARES. 
  1. Role Determination 
  • Supervisor vs. Worker: If a user has an "S" (Supervisor) designation in any Staff Person Unit Authority record, they are automatically mapped to Supervisor permissions in CWS-CARES. Otherwise, they default to Worker
  • Functional Mapping: The CWS/CMS Case Management role to CWS-CARES Hotline, ER, and Case Management modules. 
  1. Active User Definition: A "null" end date in the Staff Person screen does not guarantee an active account. A user is only considered Active if they have a valid Log On ID and a record in the USER_ID table. Users end-dated during recent cleanup exercises (90+ days of inactivity) will be migrated to CWS-CARES as Inactive. (see below) 

  • In CWS/CMS, an active user has a blank End Date field (see below) 

Report Column References 

Use this guide to navigate the "County_User Permissions" spreadsheet: 

Column Name 

Description / Logic 

CWS-CMS Staff Person Id 

The unique ID migrated from the CWS legacy system 

First Name 

User's first name 

Last Name 

User's last name 

Email 

User's organization or county email address 

Start Date 

The date the user originally started in the system 

End Date 

If blank (null), the user is still technically active in the system 

User Status 

Active/Inactive. Requires a record in USER_ID and a USER_ID_LAST_ACCESS entry 

  • Logic: If Staff Person exist in USER_ID table, If no entry in USER_ID_LAST_ACCESS, then INACTIVE. if END_DATE is null then ACTIVE,  Else INACTIVE. If Staff Person does not exist in USER_ID table, then INACTIVE. 
  • An active Staff Person does not mean Active User, they need an active Log On ID. See screen captures below. 

County 

The user's assigned County 

Primary Office 

Action Required: Please verify this assignment, as CWS-CARES relies on the Primary Office concept. 

10 

CWS-CMS Privileges 

A comprehensive list of all existing user permissions in CWS/CMS 

11 

CWS-CARES Profile 

Base profile before permissions are assigned. (Currently being consolidated into "caresstaff") 

12 

CWS-CARES Role 

Worker or Supervisor. Logic: If any of the staff Person Unit Authority records for the user is "S" (Supervisor) then this user gets Supervisor level Permissions Else Worker Level Permissions. 

13 

CWS-CARES Permission 

Permissions successfully mapped directly from CWS/CMS privileges. 

14 

CWS-CARES Override Access 

Includes State, County, or Office Read/Write, and Sealed/Sensitive access. 

15 

CWS-CARES Other Override Access 

Includes Closed Edit access, Approval Authority, and Transfer Authority. 

16 

CWS-CARES Office Wide Read Override 

The specific office where the user has "Office-wide Read" access. 

17 

CWS-CARES Office Wide Read-Write Override 

The specific office where the user has "Office-wide Read/Write" access. 

18 

CWS-CARES Administrating Offices 

The office(s) assigned to a user acting as an Office Administrator. 

 Next Steps for Counties and Organizations 

  1. Access your specific county user roster from the Teams channel. 
  1. Review and confirm the accuracy of all mapped roles. 
  1. Make any necessary changes or corrections to existing mappings.  
  1. Add new users and their new CWS-CARES-specific permissions to the spreadsheet. 
  • Edit Options: You may make changes directly to the spreadsheet within Teams, or download a copy, rename it, and upload the updated version. 
  1. By May 1, 2026 (COB): Please submit your finalized list and any net-new permission requests.  
  • Note: If no changes are made by this date, we will automatically add your entire existing county list. By May 4, 2026, we will complete the user provisioning for the V1 Readiness environment, and these users will receive the elevated access levels used during EUST3. 
  1. May 8, 2026 (COB): Final deadline for updates. We will pull this final version to onboard users to production simulation over the May 22nd weekend for the May 26,2026, launch, which will include real data, offices, units, caseloads, and permissions. 

Action Required

Please complete the tasks above by the deadlines noted. Please contact the team at OTSICWDSDataConversion@otsi.ca.gov for any questions.

CWS-CARES Weekly Digest - April 27, 2026

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

In this Weekly Digest:

  • Reminder: Register for CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #7
  • Follow Our Progress: The CWS-CARES High Level Roadmap is Now Updated
  • CARES Explorer April 2026 Issue Now Available
  • Thank You for Ordering Items at the CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop!
  • CWS-CARES Core Constituent DemonstrationsConclude
  • CWS-CARES Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) of the Week

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Reminder: Register for CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #7

We encourage you to attend the next CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing on May 27, 2026 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PMAll stakeholders impacted by the changes to CWS-CARES are welcome to attend, ask questions, and hear updates from Project leadership. 

Register now atCWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #7 | RegistrationNote: 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 May 2026 Stakeholder Briefing is available to view on the CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #7 Registration page. Updates will include: 

  • Implementation 
  • Extended User Scenario Testing 3 
  • Production Simulation 
  • Resource Family Approval (RFA) Portal Demonstration 

View the dates for all upcoming CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefings in 2026 on the Stakeholder Briefings and Webinars page on the CWDS website. 

Thank you for participating in our Stakeholder Briefing webinar series! We hope to see you on May 27, 2026 to continue the conversation on the upcoming transition to CWS-CARES. 

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Follow Our Progress: The CWS-CARES High Level Roadmap is Now Updated

The CWS-CARES High Level Roadmap has been updated to include the 2026 timelines for Production Simulation and Training. The roadmap provides a broad view of the activities planned ahead of CWS-CARES Go-Live and information about the CWS-CARES Version 1 scope.  

View the updated roadmap on the CWDS Website: CWS-CARES High Level Roadmap - Updated April 2026

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CARES Explorer April 2026 Issue Now Available

We are pleased to present  Volume 3, Issue 2 of the CARES Explorer, the long‑form newsletter published every other month! For the best experience, please open the link using the Microsoft Edge browser. This issue includes the following topics: 

Project Updates:  

  • Upcoming Activities at CWS-CARES 
  • Production Simulation 
  • Stakeholder Briefing #6 Recap and Briefing #7 Registration Information 

Explore CWS-CARES:  

  • Extended User Scenario Testing (EUST) 3 Concludes 
  • Kin-GAP Demonstration Highlights 
  • Implementation Corner:  
  • Spotlight on Sonoma County 

Implementation Corner:  

  • Spotlight on Sonoma County 
  • Updated Implementation Approach Highlights 

We recommend that you share this newsletter with all staff impacted by the changes coming with CWS-CARES. All previous issues of the CARES Explorer and CARES Compass are available to view on the CWDS website: CARES Compass/Explorer | Child Welfare Digital Services. 

View the articles from all issues of the CARES Explorer in the CWS-CARES Public Library, a searchable, sharable repository of information related to CWS-CARES. The Public Library is available on the CWDS website on the Resources for CWS-CARES Users page. 

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Thank You for Ordering Items at the CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop! 

The CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop #2 closed on Friday, April 24, 2026 with 7,400+ items ordered. Thank you for showing your support for CWS-CARES! Review the FAQs below for what to expect: 

Item Status 

All items except the Econo Cap have met the minimum order totals for production. If you ordered the Econo Cap, it will be removed from your order and not charged

When to Expect Your Items 

There is a 3-week processing time for producing items. Shipping times are dependent on the shipping method selected at checkout. For more information on item processing and shipping, please review the CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop #2 FAQs

Will There be More Pop-Up Shops? 

Yes! The next Pop-Up Shop is scheduled for September 2026, featuring a new selection of CWS-CARES-branded items. Request merchandise for the next Pop-Up Shop by completing a 1-minute survey: CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop Merch Ideas

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CWS-CARES Core Constituent Demonstrations Conclude

As of mid-April, the CWS-CARES Core Constituent Demonstration series has concluded. Recordings previous demonstrations are available to view on the CWDS website at: CWS-CARES Product Demonstrations. Please note, a log in is required to view all recordings. 

Thank you to everyone who attended and provided feedback! 

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

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

April 27, 2026, FAQ of the Week: 

Q: Can you upload a document to the competency evaluation? (e.g., if someone is receiving methadone treatment and their provider writes a letter—currently these are saved elsewhere; can they be uploaded?). 

A: Yes. In the Adoption case for a relinquishment, users can document whether a competency evaluation is required and, if applicable, provide a narrative explanation. Users can also record details such as the provider name, date received, and decision. Supporting documentation (e.g., a provider letter) can be uploaded in the Documents section under the Adoptions category using the Relinquishment document type. 

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’ll 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.  

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.

CWS/CMS Interim Release 9.6.1 – May 13, 2026

All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:

An interim CWS/CMS release has been scheduled to allow counties an opportunity to receive new content prior to the next release. Release 9.6.1 (R9.6.1) is an optional release and will include the following content:

  • SCR 9049 – Forms Release Update #1 for 2026

The forms included in this release are:

  • ICWA-010(A) Indian Child Inquiry Attachment (January 2026)
  • ICWA-020        Parental Notification of Indian Status (January 2026)
  • JV-320               Orders Under Welfare and Institutions Code Sections 366.24, 366.26, 727.3, 727.31 (January 2026)
  • JV-410               Findings and Orders After Detention Hearing (Welf. & Inst. Code, § 319) (January 2026)
  • ADOPT-200     Adoption Request (July 2025)
  • ADOPT-210     Adoption Agreement (July 2025)
  • ADOPT-215     Adoption Order (July 2025)
  • ADOPT-230     Adoption Expenses (July 2025)

R9.6.1 will be implemented on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, beginning at 6:00 PM. This will be an optional release. Co-Existent Counties will not be required to implement this release. The content will be included in the ensuing required release, R9.8, which is planned to be implemented on July 11, 2026.

Important Dates

  • Monday, May 11, 2026 – IBM stages the MSI file
  • Wednesday, May 13, 2026 – Go-live at 6:00 PM

Action Required

Co-Existent Counties

Distribute the release through the normal county process. Since R9.6.1 is an optional release, Co-Existent Counties can plan to deploy the update when it is most convenient for them after the go-live, after 6:00 PM on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

Dedicated Counties

IBM will distribute the MSI file to the Dedicated Counties on Monday, May 11, 2026. Release 9.6.1 will be installed automatically via the normal release deployment process by IBM at 6:00 PM on Wednesday, May 13, 2026.

For best results the users should do the following on Tuesday, May 12, 2026:

  • Reboot the workstation and log into Windows at least once to receive the Release 9.6.1 installer.
  • When leaving the office at the end of that day, reboot the workstation again, but do not log into Windows.
  • Leave the workstation powered on so that automatic installation can occur overnight.

If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.