All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Thursday, October 17, 2024, 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 Contra Costa, Fresno, Placer, and Santa Clara.
There is no anticipated impact for CWS-CARES users. We are sharing this information in the unlikely circumstance that there is an actual impact during the scheduled maintenance window and the CWS-CARES application becomes inaccessible.
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.
CWDS Bulletins
CWS/CMS: CDT Service Desk Bulletin - SAFE Cloud Service Scheduled Maintenance
ALL SPOCs, Technical Contacts and CAD Contacts:
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled maintenance of the SAFE Cloud service. The maintenance begins on Saturday, October 19, 2024, at 8:00 PM and concludes on Sunday, October 20, 2024, at 2:00 AM. 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.
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled maintenance of the SAFE Cloud service. The maintenance begins on Saturday, October 19, 2024, at 8:00 PM and concludes on Sunday, October 20, 2024, at 2:00 AM. 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: Release 9.5 CTW Final Status Incident Report (VB6) Posted
All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and Training Contacts:
The Release 9.5 (R9.5) CTW Final Status Incident Report (VB6) has been posted to the CWDS website. You can locate the document here: Release 9.5 | Child Welfare Digital Services (ca.gov).
For questions regarding this document please contact Customer Relations.
Action Required
None at this time.
The Release 9.5 (R9.5) CTW Final Status Incident Report (VB6) has been posted to the CWDS website. You can locate the document here: Release 9.5 | Child Welfare Digital Services (ca.gov).
For questions regarding this document please contact Customer Relations.
Action Required
None at this time.
CWS/CMS Training Portal Migration - UPDATE
All SPOCs and Training Coordinators:
September 26, 2024 UPDATE: Prior to November 2023, a CWS/CMS user was able to automatically access the Training Portal through the CWS/CMS application via the help dropdown menu and the auto-login feature. When the Training Portal was migrated to the new CWDS website on November 3, 2023, this feature was removed. Following the migration, using this dropdown menu link, users were routed to the Training Portal login page on the CWDS website, where users had to input their login credentials or register as a new user to obtain access to the Training Portal. The CWDS Project office reviewed options to bring back the auto-login capability that allows CWS/CMS users to access the Training Portal without entering extra login information. However, to comply with CWDS Security requirements, the Project is unable to provide the auto-login feature to access the Training Portal from the CWS/CMS application. As a result, CWS/CMS users will continue to be routed to the Training Portal login page on the CWDS website when they click the link in the CWS/CMS application help dropdown menu. To access the Training Portal, users must enter their login credentials or register a new account on the login page.
On December 14, 2024, System Change Request (SCR) 8959 is scheduled to go live and will impact the browser the CWS/CMS user is routed to when accessing the Training Portal from the CWS/CMS dropdown menu. With the implementation of SCR 8959, the Microsoft Edge browser will launch by default rather than Internet Explorer (IE) for CWS/CMS users to enter their Training Portal login credentials on the CWDS Website.
Screenshot of the Training Portal page:
Screenshot of the Login page:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
November 20, 2023 UPDATE: Previously, a CWS/CMS user was able to access the Training Portal through the CWS/CMS application. After migrating to the new CWDS website, that functionality is no longer functional. On November 3, 2023, System Change Request (SCR) 8980 was successfully implemented in the CWS/CMS application to now direct the user to the new Training Portal location. The user will now need to enter their login credentials.
The CWDS Office is researching options to return the previous functionality to allow access from the CWS/CMS application to the CWDS Training Portal without the need to enter additional login credentials. There is no current ETA when this functionality could return. Additional communications will be shared when the situation has changed.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
We want to inform you that the Training Portal is being migrated to the CWDS Web Site on November 3, 2023.
The Training Portal will be migrated to a new web page on the CWDS Web Site. The Training Portal will go live on November 3, 2023, under the Stakeholder Resources tab on the CWDS website. See below for screenshot of new location.
Also, effective November 1st, the CWS/CMS Portals link on the CWDS Web Site will be renamed to “CWDS Portals.” All portal links on the current CWS/CMS Portals Site will redirect users to the new CWDS Web Site portal location from November 3 – December 31. The current CWS/CMS Portals page will be completely decommissioned on January 1, 2024.
Please remember to update your favorite bookmarks to the new URL.
Currently, a CWS/CMS application user can access the existing Training Portal through the CWS/CMS application, via the Help drop-down menu. This takes the user to the Training Portal and does not require the user to enter a username and password. However, upon migration of the Training Portal on November 3, 2023 to the new site, this capability will no longer be functional. Due to technical and security constraints, CWDS is exploring all options to restore this capability in the CWS/CMS Application.
The existing Navigating the Training Portal document will be updated and made available soon.
The new Training Portal site will include:
Screenshot of the new Training Portal home page:
CWS/CMS Website Portal Registration and Password Reset
Between 11/1/23 – 11/3/23, the registration process/alerts as well as the reset password capability will not be operational. Please contact CWS_AppSupport@osi.ca.gov for any issues in registering for the site.
Action Required
Please review the new Training Portal information with personnel. If you have any questions or concerns with the migration, please contact Application Support at CWS_AppSupport@osi.ca.gov.
September 26, 2024 UPDATE: Prior to November 2023, a CWS/CMS user was able to automatically access the Training Portal through the CWS/CMS application via the help dropdown menu and the auto-login feature. When the Training Portal was migrated to the new CWDS website on November 3, 2023, this feature was removed. Following the migration, using this dropdown menu link, users were routed to the Training Portal login page on the CWDS website, where users had to input their login credentials or register as a new user to obtain access to the Training Portal. The CWDS Project office reviewed options to bring back the auto-login capability that allows CWS/CMS users to access the Training Portal without entering extra login information. However, to comply with CWDS Security requirements, the Project is unable to provide the auto-login feature to access the Training Portal from the CWS/CMS application. As a result, CWS/CMS users will continue to be routed to the Training Portal login page on the CWDS website when they click the link in the CWS/CMS application help dropdown menu. To access the Training Portal, users must enter their login credentials or register a new account on the login page.
On December 14, 2024, System Change Request (SCR) 8959 is scheduled to go live and will impact the browser the CWS/CMS user is routed to when accessing the Training Portal from the CWS/CMS dropdown menu. With the implementation of SCR 8959, the Microsoft Edge browser will launch by default rather than Internet Explorer (IE) for CWS/CMS users to enter their Training Portal login credentials on the CWDS Website.
Screenshot of the Training Portal page:
Screenshot of the Login page:
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
November 20, 2023 UPDATE: Previously, a CWS/CMS user was able to access the Training Portal through the CWS/CMS application. After migrating to the new CWDS website, that functionality is no longer functional. On November 3, 2023, System Change Request (SCR) 8980 was successfully implemented in the CWS/CMS application to now direct the user to the new Training Portal location. The user will now need to enter their login credentials.
The CWDS Office is researching options to return the previous functionality to allow access from the CWS/CMS application to the CWDS Training Portal without the need to enter additional login credentials. There is no current ETA when this functionality could return. Additional communications will be shared when the situation has changed.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
We want to inform you that the Training Portal is being migrated to the CWDS Web Site on November 3, 2023.
The Training Portal will be migrated to a new web page on the CWDS Web Site. The Training Portal will go live on November 3, 2023, under the Stakeholder Resources tab on the CWDS website. See below for screenshot of new location.
Also, effective November 1st, the CWS/CMS Portals link on the CWDS Web Site will be renamed to “CWDS Portals.” All portal links on the current CWS/CMS Portals Site will redirect users to the new CWDS Web Site portal location from November 3 – December 31. The current CWS/CMS Portals page will be completely decommissioned on January 1, 2024.
Please remember to update your favorite bookmarks to the new URL.
Currently, a CWS/CMS application user can access the existing Training Portal through the CWS/CMS application, via the Help drop-down menu. This takes the user to the Training Portal and does not require the user to enter a username and password. However, upon migration of the Training Portal on November 3, 2023 to the new site, this capability will no longer be functional. Due to technical and security constraints, CWDS is exploring all options to restore this capability in the CWS/CMS Application.
The existing Navigating the Training Portal document will be updated and made available soon.
The new Training Portal site will include:
- Training Materials
- Guides
- STAR
- CWS/CMS Releases
- New User Curriculum
- Process Maps
- Mapped Documents
- FAQs
- Documents and other Training materials
Screenshot of the new Training Portal home page:
CWS/CMS Website Portal Registration and Password Reset
Between 11/1/23 – 11/3/23, the registration process/alerts as well as the reset password capability will not be operational. Please contact CWS_AppSupport@osi.ca.gov for any issues in registering for the site.
Action Required
Please review the new Training Portal information with personnel. If you have any questions or concerns with the migration, please contact Application Support at CWS_AppSupport@osi.ca.gov.
Release 9.5 CTW Final Status Incident Report (VB6) Posted
All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and Training Contacts:
The Release 9.5 (R9.5) CTW Final Status Incident Report (VB6) has been posted to the CWDS website. You can locate the document here: Release 9.5 | Child Welfare Digital Services (ca.gov).
For questions regarding this document please contact Customer Relations..
Action Required
None at this time.
The Release 9.5 (R9.5) CTW Final Status Incident Report (VB6) has been posted to the CWDS website. You can locate the document here: Release 9.5 | Child Welfare Digital Services (ca.gov).
For questions regarding this document please contact Customer Relations..
Action Required
None at this time.
CWS/CMS: CDT Service Desk Bulletin – Citrix Workspace Upgrade Recommended
All Co-Existent County CWS SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and SBC Administrators; All Probation SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and SBC Administrators:
Citrix has identified vulnerabilities in older versions of the Citrix Workspace App for Windows. Citrix strongly recommends that customers upgrade the workspace to the supported versions listed in the bulletin below, which contain fixes to abate the discovered vulnerabilities.
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has performed the recommended upgrade to the Citrix environments that they manage. This communication is being shared to inform counties that manage their own Citrix environments that they should make the same upgrades to mitigate exposure to this potential threat. This includes all Child Welfare Services (CWS) Co-Existent Counties and for all (both Co-Existent and Dedicated) Probation Counties using Citrix.
Action Required
Counties who manage their own Citrix environments are strongly recommended to confirm that their Citrix Workspace App for Windows is at or above the version identified as including fixes for the identified vulnerabilities.
If users experience any issues with Citrix Server Base Computing (SBC), please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.
Citrix has identified vulnerabilities in older versions of the Citrix Workspace App for Windows. Citrix strongly recommends that customers upgrade the workspace to the supported versions listed in the bulletin below, which contain fixes to abate the discovered vulnerabilities.
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has performed the recommended upgrade to the Citrix environments that they manage. This communication is being shared to inform counties that manage their own Citrix environments that they should make the same upgrades to mitigate exposure to this potential threat. This includes all Child Welfare Services (CWS) Co-Existent Counties and for all (both Co-Existent and Dedicated) Probation Counties using Citrix.
Action Required
Counties who manage their own Citrix environments are strongly recommended to confirm that their Citrix Workspace App for Windows is at or above the version identified as including fixes for the identified vulnerabilities.
If users experience any issues with Citrix Server Base Computing (SBC), please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.
CWDS Migrating to Microsoft Teams for Virtual Meetings
All SPOCs:
The Office of Technology and Solutions Integration (OTSI) has decided to phase out the use of WebEx and will use, instead, Microsoft Teams exclusively for all virtual meetings. Child Welfare Digital Services (CWDS) plans to make the move to Microsoft Teams by Monday, September 30, 2024.
Organizations will see many CWDS project meetings either updated or cancelled and rescheduled to make the change to Microsoft Teams instead of WebEx. This communication is being sent out to explain the reasoning of the updates to the existing meeting invites.
Recipients of “forwarded” meeting invites will not receive the updates to the meetings and will have the previous WebEx link on their calendar if they were not included in the invite distribution. If you have previously forwarded an invite to a meeting that has since been updated, please be sure to forward the updated invite to those parties, or work with the meeting organizer to add them to the invite’s distribution list, if appropriate.
Action Required
Please accept the updated meeting invites and remove the canceled meetings, due to the change from WebEx to Teams, as they are received.
Forward any updated meeting invites that you have previously forwarded, if the new recipients are not included in the meeting’s distribution. The other option is to work with the meeting organizers to add the appropriate people to the invite.
The Office of Technology and Solutions Integration (OTSI) has decided to phase out the use of WebEx and will use, instead, Microsoft Teams exclusively for all virtual meetings. Child Welfare Digital Services (CWDS) plans to make the move to Microsoft Teams by Monday, September 30, 2024.
Organizations will see many CWDS project meetings either updated or cancelled and rescheduled to make the change to Microsoft Teams instead of WebEx. This communication is being sent out to explain the reasoning of the updates to the existing meeting invites.
Recipients of “forwarded” meeting invites will not receive the updates to the meetings and will have the previous WebEx link on their calendar if they were not included in the invite distribution. If you have previously forwarded an invite to a meeting that has since been updated, please be sure to forward the updated invite to those parties, or work with the meeting organizer to add them to the invite’s distribution list, if appropriate.
Action Required
Please accept the updated meeting invites and remove the canceled meetings, due to the change from WebEx to Teams, as they are received.
Forward any updated meeting invites that you have previously forwarded, if the new recipients are not included in the meeting’s distribution. The other option is to work with the meeting organizers to add the appropriate people to the invite.
The CARES Explorer Newsletter – September 2024 Issue
To: CARES SPOCs and Implementation Coordinators
CC: County, Tribe, Probation, and State Leadership, OCM Coordinators, Specific CWDA Staff Related to Child Welfare
We are pleased to share the CARES Explorer - September 2024 issue, the newsletter for staying up to date on the CWS-CARES project.
This is sent directly to our key stakeholders for project communications: County, Tribe, Probation, and State leadership, CARES Single Point of Contacts (SPOCs), Organization Implementation Coordinators, and specific CWDA staff related to child welfare.
This issue contains information on:
The CARES Explorer – September 2024 issue is now available here: The CARES Explorer - September 2024
You may also obtain all CARES Explorer issues on the CWDS website: CARES Compass/Explorer | Child Welfare Digital Services
If you have any questions, need clarification, or have any accessibility issues, please do not hesitate to contact Customer Relations.
Action Required:
We request that all CARES Single Point of Contacts (SPOCs) and Implementation Coordinators coordinate and distribute the CARES Explorer Newsletter to all staff impacted by CWS-CARES.
CC: County, Tribe, Probation, and State Leadership, OCM Coordinators, Specific CWDA Staff Related to Child Welfare
We are pleased to share the CARES Explorer - September 2024 issue, the newsletter for staying up to date on the CWS-CARES project.
This is sent directly to our key stakeholders for project communications: County, Tribe, Probation, and State leadership, CARES Single Point of Contacts (SPOCs), Organization Implementation Coordinators, and specific CWDA staff related to child welfare.
This issue contains information on:
- Stakeholders: Discover the ways that the County Welfare Directors Association (CWDA) is working on the project and understand the role of the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) as the CWS-CARES project sponsor. Read about El Dorado County’s contributions to CWS-CARES and how the Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) serves as a voice for tribal governments and native children.
- CWS-CARES: This issue highlights the Case Management Service Area and seven related functions including Prevention Services, Case Plan, and Placement. There is a spotlight on the Smarty Streets address validation feature, an update on connectivity between CWS-CARES and CalSAWS, and ways that counties participate in data conversion.
- Hidden Gems: Learn more about our progress with holistic design, participation in conferences, and take the survey to vote on what merchandise to feature in our new CWS-CARES branded store.
The CARES Explorer – September 2024 issue is now available here: The CARES Explorer - September 2024
You may also obtain all CARES Explorer issues on the CWDS website: CARES Compass/Explorer | Child Welfare Digital Services
If you have any questions, need clarification, or have any accessibility issues, please do not hesitate to contact Customer Relations.
Action Required:
We request that all CARES Single Point of Contacts (SPOCs) and Implementation Coordinators coordinate and distribute the CARES Explorer Newsletter to all staff impacted by CWS-CARES.
CWS/CMS - ICPC State Contact Information Update - SCR 8992 | Oct. 15, 2024
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) requires certain forms to be completed to act as a contract and placement documentation for children being placed out of state into a relative, foster, parent, adoptive, or residential placement. ICPC forms must be created in CWS/CMS within a child’s case. These forms pre-populate with incorrect and outdated names and contact information for the Receiving State ICPC Compact Administrators. This issue affects the following forms: ICPC 100A, ICPC 100B, and the Financial Medical Plan.
SCR 8992 will update the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) Administrator’s information for each state to “[Receiving State] ICPC Compact Administrator”. For example, an ICPC referral being sent to Nevada would pre-populate with the following: “Nevada ICPC Compact Administrator.” The address of the receiving state ICPC Office will be removed, as all ICPC referrals are now sent electronically to all 50 states, and most states no longer accept ICPC referrals by mail. This SCR will go live by Tuesday, October 15, 2024.
Action Required
No action is required. Informational only.
The Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) requires certain forms to be completed to act as a contract and placement documentation for children being placed out of state into a relative, foster, parent, adoptive, or residential placement. ICPC forms must be created in CWS/CMS within a child’s case. These forms pre-populate with incorrect and outdated names and contact information for the Receiving State ICPC Compact Administrators. This issue affects the following forms: ICPC 100A, ICPC 100B, and the Financial Medical Plan.
SCR 8992 will update the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children (ICPC) Administrator’s information for each state to “[Receiving State] ICPC Compact Administrator”. For example, an ICPC referral being sent to Nevada would pre-populate with the following: “Nevada ICPC Compact Administrator.” The address of the receiving state ICPC Office will be removed, as all ICPC referrals are now sent electronically to all 50 states, and most states no longer accept ICPC referrals by mail. This SCR will go live by Tuesday, October 15, 2024.
Action Required
No action is required. Informational only.
CWS-CARES Scheduled Maintenance - Oct. 2, 2024 | 5 PM - 8 PM
All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Wednesday, October 2, 2024, beginning at 5:00 PM and concluding at 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 Contra Costa, Fresno, Placer, and Santa Clara.
During the maintenance window, CWS-CARES production environment remains accessible to users however users may experience Mule APIs interruptions.
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.
The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Wednesday, October 2, 2024, beginning at 5:00 PM and concluding at 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 Contra Costa, Fresno, Placer, and Santa Clara.
During the maintenance window, CWS-CARES production environment remains accessible to users however users may experience Mule APIs interruptions.
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.
If unable to find a specific Bulletin, please contact Communications.