CWDS Bulletins

All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:

May 20, 2026 UPDATE: IBM has developed and successfully tested a fix to resolve the issue introduced with Release R9.6.1. IBM will implement CWS/CMS R9.6.2 on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at 6:00 PM. There is no outage associated with this release. IBM expects the R9.6.2 MSI file to be available in the afternoon on Thursday, May 21, 2026.

R9.6.2 is an optional release for Co-Existent Counties; however, IBM strongly recommends pushing out the R9.6.2 code as soon as possible to the workstations that are currently running R9.6.1.

IBM will push out R9.6.2 to the Dedicated Counties on the evening of Thursday, May 21, 2026.

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This message is to inform you that an issue introduced in CWS/CMS Release R9.6.1, implemented on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, is causing an APP29956 error message impacting the JV‑101 and JV‑110 forms. The issue occurred due to updates made to another form in R9.6.1, which unintentionally affected JV‑101 and JV‑110.

There is currently no workaround for this issue. IBM is actively analyzing the issue and working to identify a fix. We will provide an update as soon as more information is available.

At this time, we recommend that any counties that have not yet installed R9.6.1 pause deployment until further notice.

Action Required

No action needed.
 

We do recommend postponing the installation of R9.6.1 if you have not yet installed it.

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

We recognize that forms development has been a significant concern for counties, so we are excited to share a major update that will drastically reduce county time building forms and ease the pressure on county teams.  

The CWS-CARES project is currently finalizing a work order with one of our vendors to provide dedicated resources to build the top-prioritized 2,400 county CWS/CMS forms. This ensures that county forms in CWS/CMS are developed for testing in CWS-CARES Production Simulation prior to Code Freeze on July 31, 2026. 

Below are the details on how the two types of county forms will be handled: 

• County Forms Maintained in CWS/CMS: Our project vendor will begin developing the top-prioritized 2,400 county forms that are currently stored within the legacy CWS/CMS system. The project is providing resources to develop these specific forms.  

• County Forms Maintained Outside of CWS/CMS: Please note that the vendor-led development applies only to county forms stored in CWS/CMS. It does not include county forms stored in external or local systems. Counties will remain responsible for developing and updating any forms housed in their own external systems. Forms may be built within the CARES 102 environment. Once built, forms may be published to the Production Simulation environment to test and validate. 

Additional guidance, timelines, and instructions will be shared with county form authors soon. 

We know how much of a priority — and a concern — forms have been for county teams, which is why we are incredibly pleased to share this news. Thank you for your continued partnership, dedication, and invaluable feedback as we work together to build CWS-CARES . 

Action Required

No action required.

All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:

The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Tuesday, May 26, 2026, 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 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.

All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and SBC Administrators:

The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled maintenance on Saturday, May 30, 2026, beginning at 6:00 AM and concluding at 10:00 AM. During the maintenance window, CDT will apply Standard Monthly OS Security Patches to SBCS Infrastructure Servers. There is no anticipated outage for this maintenance; however, CDT is asking that everyone log off from the Citrix SBC system, if not actively using it during the maintenance window.

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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.

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

In this Weekly Digest:

• CWS-CARES and Data Exchange Fact Sheet is Now Available
• Update: CWS-CARES Implementation Timeline
• Final Reminder: Nine (9) Days Left to Register for CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #7
• CWS-CARES is Observing Memorial Day on May 25, 2026
• CWS-CARES Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) of the Week

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CWS-CARES and Data Exchange Fact Sheet is Now Available

The CWS-CARES and Data Exchange Fact Sheet is now available on the CWS-CARES Infographics, Flyers, and Slogans page on the CWDS website. This resource provides an overview of how interfaces and state reporting systems connect to CWS-CARES, what historical data is included, and what data is available in CWS-CARES after Go-Live. It also covers historical data from external systems selected for CWS-CARES V1 data conversion. Topics include:

• Interfaces connecting to CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1)
• State Reporting Systems
• External Systems selected for CARES V1 Data Conversion

Please contact Customer Relations at CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov with any questions.

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Update: CWS-CARES Implementation Timeline

The CWS-CARES Project has developed a high-level Implementation Timeline to outline key activities for Implementation, Training, and Organizational Change Management (OCM) from May 2026 through January 2027. This timeline is intended to support counties and organizations in their internal planning. Please note this is a draft undergoing final validation, and a visual summarizing these activities will be posted to the CWDS website soon.

Key activity areas include:

• Implementation: May 2026 – January 2027
• Training: June – October 2026
• Organizational Change Management (OCM): May – November 2026

For a full breakdown of activities and dates, see the CWDS Bulletins | Child Welfare Digital Services. Please contact Customer Relations at CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov with any questions.

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Final Reminder: Nine (9) Days Left to Register for CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #7

Thank you to the 530+ stakeholders who have already registered for the next Stakeholder Briefing on May 27, 2026! If you’ve not yet registered, we encourage you to attend the live webinar on May 27, 2026, from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM. All stakeholders impacted by the changes to CWS-CARES are welcome to attend, ask questions, and hear updates from Project leadership.

Register now at: CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #7 | 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 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 (EUST) 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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CWS-CARES is Observing Memorial Day on May 25, 2026

The CWS-CARES Project will observe the Memorial Day holiday on May 25, 2026. Please anticipate a delay in communications on this day. Due to the holiday, no Weekly Digest email will be distributed on Monday, May 25, 2026. Weekly Digest emails will resume on Monday, June 1, 2026.

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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 18, 2026 FAQ of the Week: 

Q Which interfaces will be available in CWS-CARES Production Simulation? 

A: All interfaces will be available in Production Simulation. This includes Case Management Assessment (CMA) - P-CIS, Foster Care Eligibility Determination (FCED) – CalSAWS, County Expense Claim Reporting Information System (CECRIS), Data Extract from California Department of Education (CDE), Regional Center Services for Department of Developmental Services ( DDS), Juvenile Network (JNET), Facility Management System (LIS/FAS), and Structured Decision Making (SDM).

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 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.

ALL SPOCs and TRAINING CONTACTS:

May 15, 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 1, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Tuesday, June 2, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Wednesday, June 3, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Thursday, June 4, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Week 2 (Read-Only Environment)

Monday, June 8, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Tuesday, June 9, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Wednesday, June 10, 2026 (AM or PM session)

Thursday, June 11, 2026 (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:  Andrea Johnson-Kumar at 916-891-3143 or via email at Andrea.Johnson-Kumar@otsi.ca.gov or 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.

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, May 23, 2026, at 8:00 PM and concludes on Sunday, May 24, 2026, 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.

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

We are sharing a high-level CWS-CARES Implementation Timeline from May 2026 to January 2027. This timeline includes the key activities for Implementation, Training, and Organizational Change Management (OCM) and is provided to support counties and organizations in their internal planning and awareness efforts.

Please note that this is a draft currently undergoing final validation for the project’s master schedule. Dates may be slightly adjusted following these final reviews.  Following the commitment to distribute this initial information by May 15th, a finalized version will be published soon.

Key County Activities and Dates: May 2026 to January 2027

Implementation

• Monthly Readiness Checkpoints to mid-October
• Develop Project Go-Live Support Plan: 5/11– 6/30
• Org Support Plan Template: 7/1–7/31
• Go-Live Support starting on 10/26 (Over-the-Shoulder Support to 11/25; Virtual Command Center to 1/24/2027)

1. In-App Learning: Self-Paced Online Training (Enablement): 5/26–10/23Enablement Programs are step-by-step instructions viewable in CWS-CARES and will be available in the production simulation environment beginning 5/26, with additional modules added on a rolling basis through 7/17. Post-launch, the Enablement suite will undergo iterative updates to stay aligned with the system.

2. Train-the-Trainer: 6/15–10/23

• Self-Paced Online Training (Enablement): 6/1– 8/1
• Participate in TTT Sessions: 6/15 - 8/14
• Ongoing TTT Office Hours & Support Channel 6/15-10/23

3. End Users Training: 6/15–10/23

• Self-Paced Online Training (Enablement): 6/15–10/9
• Instructor-Led Training (ILT): 8/3–10/23
• Refresher Training: 10/8–10/23

Organizational Change Management (OCM)

1. Change Champion/Super User Network: 5/11–11/1

• Establish Network and Planning: 5/11 to 6/15
• Execute Network Plan: 6/15 to 11/1

2. Business Process Redesign (BPR): 6/15–11/1

• OAS, Deep Dives, Delta Workshops 6/15 - 9/15
• Organization Support Materials to Document Deltas: 7/15 – 9/15
• Statewide Impact Register 9/15 - 10/15
• Key Findings: 10/15 -11/1

Training Structure and Durations
The training strategy utilizes a blended approach of on-demand and live sessions, with specific prerequisites for each phase:

1. On-Demand Training (Prerequisite):

• Up to 40 hours of on-demand material will be available.
• This is a mandatory prerequisite for both Train-the-Trainer (TTT) and End-User Training (EUT).
• The actual number of hours required will vary depending on a user's specific role.

2. Train-the-Trainer (TTT):

• The estimated duration is up to 2 weeks.
• Timing is adjustable based on a trainer's prior experience with CWS/CMS and CWS-CARES; those new to both systems will have more prep time.
• Exact schedules will be finalized once all trainers are identified.

3. End-User Training (EUT):

• Most staff will require 1 to 3 days of training.
• A small subset of users needing comprehensive training across all modules may require additional time.

We will provide further details as they become available, with a target update scheduled for the end of this month. We look forward to partnering with the counties and organizations to ensure a smooth transition and will continue to provide regular updates as we approach the October 2026 Go-Live.

Action Required
No action needed.

All SPOCs, Technical Contacts and CAD Contacts:

The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled monthly Microsoft security patching. The patching begins on Friday, June 12, 2026, at 6:00 PM and concludes on Saturday, June 13, 2026, at 1:00 AM. The activity may cause interruptions to the Business Objects (BO) servers within the patching window. The expected impact to users is low; however, there is a potential to cause some BO reports to fail to send, or automated scripts may fail to retrieve.

Action Required

Review scheduled BO reports and reschedule report jobs to avoid the scheduled maintenance window. Rerun the missed report jobs, if necessary.

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

• CWS-CARES Production Simulation Opens to First Group of Users 
• CalSAWS and CWS-CARES Staff to Collaborate in Production Simulation
• Updated Recommendation for Forms in CWS-CARES 
• Reminder: Register for CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #7 
• CWS-CARES Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) of the Week 

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CWS-CARES Production Simulation Opens to First Group of Users 

CWS-CARES Production Simulation launched for the first group of users on Monday, May 4, 2026, marking a key milestone on the path to CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1) Go-Live. Production Simulation is a production-like environment where users can test system operations, practice workflows, and build confidence ahead of Go-Live.  

Onboarding for the first group of users began with Production Simulation Kickoff Meetings on May 4 and 5. More than 1,700 participants joined live.  A recording of the session, along with the presentation slides, is now available on the Production Simulation Hub on the CWDS website. The remaining users will be onboarded in July 2026.

New Resource Available: The Production Simulation Hub 

The CWS-CARES Production Simulation Hub launched on May 4, 2026. The Hub serves as a centralized resource for Production Simulation materials, including meeting links, recordings, support information, announcements, and Extended User Scenario Testing (EUST) 3 scenarios. The Hub is accessible via the CWDS Portals page on the CWDS website to anyone with a county or organization email address. 

Please contact CWDS Customer Relations at CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov with any questions. 

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CalSAWS and CWS-CARES Staff to Collaborate in Production Simulation

On April 21, 2026, CalSAWS issued a Request for Information (RFI) to recruit CalSAWS staff for Foster Care Eligibility and Determination (FCED) testing in CWS-CARES Production Simulation.  

Recruited CalSAWS participants will partner with their respective CWS-CARES counterparts to validate that business processes function as expected and that staff can work effectively in the system. Recommendations on how Eligibility staff collaborate was shared at the Production Simulation Kickoff meetings on May 4 and 5, 2026.  

Recruitment for CalSAWS staff concluded on May 8, 2026. Onboarding for Eligibility staff will begin in the final week of May, and CalSAWS participation in Production Simulation will begin in early June 2026. 

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Updated Recommendation for Forms in CWS-CARES 

An update to guidance shared via email on September 15, 2025:   

Due to compatibility constraints, Microsoft Word (Word) is no longer the recommended format for forms in CWS-CARES Version 1. Adobe Experience Manager (AEM) is now the primary recommendation, though Word remains available for forms requiring only basic text editing.   

Note that certain Word features are not available in CWS-CARES, including:  

• Document protection
• ActiveX controls (checkboxes, radio buttons, and command buttons) 
• Macros and AutoText (e.g., F3 to insert a table)  

See the Forms in CWS-CARES: Guidance and Recommendations fact sheet on the Infographics, Fliers, and Slogans page on the CWDS website for complete guidance and workarounds for using Word.   

Questions? Email CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov.   

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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 PM! All stakeholders impacted by the changes to CWS-CARES are welcome to attend, ask questions, and hear updates from Project leadership. 

Register now at: CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #7 | 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. 

Registration page. Updates will include: 

• Implementation 
• Extended User Scenario Testing (EUST) 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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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 11, 2026, FAQ of the Week: 

Q: Will we be able to see all the information when a case is transferred from Child Welfare to Probation? 

A: Yes, all previous child welfare case information and history will be available for the probation worker to access and view. 

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.  

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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.