CWDS Bulletins

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

In this Weekly Digest:

• The CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop is Now Open!
• Deadline Extended: Share Your Feedback in the Communications Effectiveness Survey #3 by April 3, 2026
• CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #6 Recap and Recording Available
• The March 2026 Progress and Engagement Summary is Now Available
• CWS-CARES Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) of the Week

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The CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop is Now Open! 

We are excited to announce the opening of the CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop #2! You may shop now at: CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop #2 | Order Now . The shop will be open until end of day on Friday, April 17, 2026. 

All 58 California counties, Tribes, and partner organizations have the opportunity to purchase CWS-CARES branded items using their own funds at this limited-time online store. For more information on ordering and shipping, please review the CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop #2 FAQs and Item Preview document.  

Please contact CWDS Customer Relations with any questions. Happy shopping! 

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Deadline Extended: Share Your Feedback in the Communications Effectiveness Survey #3 by April 3, 2026 

Share your experience in the third annual CWS-CARES Communication Effectiveness Survey, which has now been extended through Friday, April 3, 2026. We are extending the deadline to ensure the survey results accurately reflect the overall sentiment of our stakeholders. If additional submissions are not received, the survey results will be voided. 

Take the survey here to share your feedback: CWS-CARES Communication Effectiveness Survey #3. The survey is confidential, anonymous, and takes approximately 3-5 minutes to complete. 

Please forward the survey link to other CWS-CARES users who may wish to provide feedback on CWS-CARES communications. 

The annual Communication Effectiveness Survey helps us understand what’s working and what could be improved with Project communications. Your honest feedback is greatly valued. 

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CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #6 Recap and Recording Available 

Thank you to everyone who attended CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #6 on Wednesday, March 25, 2026! We were pleased to have 457 participants across 48 counties and over 6 partner organizations join the session live – our highest participation rate to date! We received 78 questions during the session, which we are working to answer and share with you as soon as possible. 

The full recording of the session is now available on the Stakeholder Briefings and Webinar Materials page on the CWDS website. Please login with your county or organization email address to view the recording. An accessible PDF of the presentation slides along with a summary of the session Q&A will be available in the coming weeks in the same location.  

The next CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing is scheduled for Wednesday, May 27, 2026. The registration link and session agenda will be shared through the CWS-CARES Weekly Digest in April 2026. We hope to see you there! 

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The March 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 | March 2026 features engagement analytics for the February 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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March 30, 2026 FAQ of the Week:

Q: What is the current plan for Non-Federally Recognized Tribes and CWS-CARES, and who is the key contact within the project for this? 
 
A: Non-Federally recognized Tribes are included in the Tribal Directory built by Resource Management. CWS-CARES will allow a user to capture all Tribal ancestry information for a child and family regardless of whether the Tribe is Federally Recognized. CWS-CARES functionality supports lineal descendancy and the Spirit of ICWA for Non-Federally Recognized Tribes. For any additional project questions, please send to the Customer Relations Mailbox. 

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

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

March 30, 2026 FAQ of the Week:

Q: What is the current plan for Non-Federally Recognized Tribes and CWS-CARES, and who is the key contact within the project for this? 
 
A: Non-Federally recognized Tribes are included in the Tribal Directory built by Resource Management. CWS-CARES will allow a user to capture all Tribal ancestry information for a child and family regardless of whether the Tribe is Federally Recognized. CWS-CARES functionality supports lineal descendancy and the Spirit of ICWA for Non-Federally Recognized Tribes. For any additional project questions, please send to the Customer Relations Mailbox. 

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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.

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

As noted in our recent update regarding Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) Portal testing as part of CWS-CARES Extended User Scenario Testing (EUST) 3, we are shifting to a more focused testing approach utilizing a smaller group of subject matter experts (SMEs). We are now requesting your assistance in recruiting specific testers from your organization to participate in this effort.

Tester Pairing and Roles

To ensure the FFPSA Portal is tested comprehensively from front to back, testers must be paired across two distinct roles. Each tester can only fill one of the following roles:

1. CBO (Community-Based Organization) Tester
2. CWS-CARES User

Staffing Requirements per Participating County

1. At least one person for each role (CBO and CWS-CARES User).
2. A total of two staff members for each set of testers (one per role) in each participating organization.

Recommended Background for Tester Roles

• CBO Tester Role: SMEs with a background in Prevention Services, and individuals with previous EUST experience are preferred. Note: County staff may act as CBO testers; however, this requires a separate external email address (non-county email) for portal access.
• CWS-CARES Users Role: Individuals with familiarity in FFPSA, case management, and financial management, previous EUST experience is preferred.

We anticipate a commitment of five (5) to ten (10) hours per week over the planned two-week testing timeframe of April 6 – 17, 2026. We will provide a finalized schedule and specific dates as soon as they are confirmed.

Please respond using this form: EUST 3 FFPSA Portal Tester Registration and provide your designated testers' names and contact information by end of day Monday, March 30, 2026. Once your testers have been identified and submitted, the designated staff will receive training invitations directly from the CWS-CARES Training team. These invitations will include the specific dates, times, and logistical details for the upcoming sessions.

Thank you for your partnership in ensuring the CWS-CARES FFPSA Portal meets the needs of our statewide users.

Action Required

Please respond using this form: EUST 3 FFPSA Portal Tester Registration and provide your designated testers' names and contact information by end of day Monday, March 30, 2026.

All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:

The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Tuesday, March 31, 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.

During the maintenance window, document related functionality in the CARES application 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.

Child Welfare Leadership, CARES SPOCs, CARES Implementation Coordinators, CARES OCM Coordinators

CWS-CARES is pleased to announce that KPMG has been awarded the contract for Implementation Services for CWS-CARES Version 1 (CARES V1). We are moving rapidly with the immediate onboarding of KPMG to ensure a seamless integration into our current operations. 

We are confident that this partnership offers enhanced implementation services. KPMG is committed to providing as much continuity as possible for counties, with some strategic adjustments aimed at improving processes and increasing overall efficiency starting with training, Business Process Reengineering (BPR), and the Production Simulation (Prod Sim) environment. 

Key Updates and Next Steps: 

1. Project Timeline: CWS-CARES Version 1 remains on track for the October 2026 Go-Live. 

2. Engagement: Organizational meetings are anticipated to resume in April 2026. You can also expect additional communication and updates in the forthcoming weeks. 

3. Implementation Leads: More direct communication regarding Implementation Lead assignments will be shared soon. 

4. Upcoming Information: We will provide a high-level summary of implementation services that includes a training calendar and delivery schedule. 

We understand there are many questions regarding this transition, and we are committed to sharing information as soon as it becomes available. The next opportunity for county updates will be during CWDA week, where we look forward to sharing these developments further. 

Thank you for your continued partnership as we work toward a successful statewide launch of CWS-CARES Version 1. 

All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:

The CARES-Live team has scheduled maintenance for the CARES-Live application. The maintenance is scheduled for Thursday, March 26, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. During this scheduled maintenance the CARES-Live team will focus on application maintenance changes that are not visible to CARES-Live users.

NOTE: Users will not be able to access the CARES-Live application during the scheduled outage.

Action Required

If users experience any issues with CARES-Live, please follow your county process for reporting issues. CARES-Live 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 CAD Contacts:

A service on the CWS/CMS CAD BusinessObjects (BO) server did not start correctly last night, March 24, 2026. The service was restarted this morning; however, the maximum number of connections to the database exceeded the allowed limit. This has caused the failure of some reports to complete processing this morning and will need to be run again.

Action Required

Check your scheduled Business Objects reports this morning and verify your results. If needed, manually invoke the scheduled BO reports from last night.

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

In this Weekly Digest:

• Deadline Extended: Complete the CWS-CARES Communication Effectiveness Survey #3 by March 27, 2026

• Final Reminder: Register for Stakeholder Briefing #6 on March 25, 2026, from 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon

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

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Deadline Extended: Complete the CWS-CARES Communication Effectiveness Survey #3 by March 27, 2026

Share your experience in the third annual CWS-CARES Communication Effectiveness Survey, which has now been extended through Friday, March 27, 2026. The annual Communication Effectiveness Survey helps us understand what is working and what could be improved with project communications. Your honest feedback is greatly valued. 

 Take the survey here to share your feedback: CWS-CARES Communication Effectiveness Survey #3. The survey is confidential, anonymous, and takes approximately three (3) to five (5) minutes to complete. 

 Please forward the survey link to other CWS-CARES users who may wish to provide feedback on CWS-CARES communications.  

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Final Reminder: Register for Stakeholder Briefing #6 on March 25, 2026, from 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon

You are invited to register for the next CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing, now scheduled for March 25, 2026, from 10:00 AM – 12:00 Noon. Please share the registration link and instructions in this email to any staff that might be interested in attending. 

Register here to reserve your spot: Stakeholder Briefing #6 - March 25, 2026 | Registration. Registration is required to attend. Please note: a calendar invitation for Stakeholder Briefing #6 will not be sent from the CWS-CARES Project. After registering, you must manually add the .ics file included in the registration confirmation email to your calendar.  

Session Agenda:

All stakeholders are welcome to attend the CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing series and engage directly with our project team. At Stakeholder Briefing #6, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions and hear updates on: 

• CWS-CARES Readiness from our Executive Leadership Team 
• CWS-CARES Production Simulation 
• Forms and Reports 
• A pre-recorded demonstration of the Health and Education Passport (HEP) 

View the full agenda and register for the session on the Stakeholder Briefing #6 - March 25, 2026 | Registration page. 

If you require any accommodations to attend this webinar, such as an ASL interpreter, please notify CWDS Customer Relations at: CWS_CustRel@otsi.ca.gov at least one week in advance, or as soon as possible. 

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

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

March 23, 2026 FAQ of the Week:

Q: It is noted that there is the ability in CWS-CARES to e-sign a lot of documents (i.e., courts, state forms, etc.). Has the State already approved e-signatures? We have been previously instructed that they need wet signatures for many different documents.

A: While CWS-CARES has the functionality to e-sign documents such as court reports and state forms, e‑signatures are not required. Counties will have the flexibility to follow their own county and court policies around e‑signing documents. Please view Rule 2.257 for further details on the use of e‑signatures.

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, Technical Contacts, and SBC Administrators:

The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled maintenance on Saturday, March 28, 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.

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:

As we prepare for the CWS-CARES Version 1 (V1) launch in October 2026, we are sharing an important update regarding the collection and management of Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity and Expression (SOGIE) data within the system. 

In direct response to updated federal guidance and a recent Executive Order (EO), the State has decided to transition specific SOGIE data fields to "Read-Only" status within the CARES V1 User Interface. 

This approach ensures immediate federal compliance while preserving the significant development work already completed. By locking these fields rather than removing them, CWS-CARES remains stable for go-live while protecting existing data. 

The following fields in CWS-CARES will be visible but not editable for the V1 launch: 

1. Sexual Orientation: Includes Asexual, Bisexual, Gay, Lesbian, Pansexual, Queer, Straight/Heterosexual, Declines to State, Not Listed, Client does not know (including description text box), and Did not ask (including description text box). 
2. Gender Identity: Includes Female, Male, Non-Binary, Gender Queer, Transgender Female, Transgender Male, Two-Spirit, Gender Fluid, Intersex, Decline to State, Did Not Ask, Client does not know, and Not Listed (including associated description boxes). 
3. Pronouns: He/Him, She/Her, and They/Them. 

The California Department of Social Services (CDSS) is committed to working closely with counties and local jurisdictions to determine how to best address ongoing programmatic needs for this information. 

We appreciate your flexibility as we navigate these evolving federal requirements to ensure a compliant and successful launch of CWS-CARES. 

Action Required

For your information only.

ll SPOCs and Technical Contacts in Alpine County:

The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled maintenance on Friday, March 20, 2026, beginning at 2:00 AM and concluding at 8:00 AM. Users at the listed site will experience interruptions in connectivity to CWS/CMS and CARES-Live within the scheduled Verizon maintenance window.

Remote access (e.g., Server Based Computing [SBC]) to the CWS/CMS application will not be impacted by this scheduled maintenance.
 

Action Required

CWS/CMS Users

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-Live Users

Please follow your county process for reporting issues. CARES-Live 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.