CWDS Bulletins

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

Dear County Partners, 

Following our communication on CWS-CARES County Specific Forms – Conversion Validation Due August 7, 2026 | Child Welfare Digital Services, we are writing to share an important update on IBM support for form development and modifications.  

To allow additional time, we are extending the county form validation period for IBM-converted forms by two weeks to Friday, August 21, 2026. Vendor support has been extended accordingly, and IBM will have a three‑week remediation window following the updated validation deadline to process final edits, corrections, and adjustments. 

To ensure all requested updates can be completed before contract closeout, all county form validations must be completed no later than August 21, 2026. Any forms not validated after this date will be deemed accepted as-is due to the conclusion of vendor support.  

IBM will address final edits and corrections from August 24 to September 11, 2026. Please note that no further adjustments can be made once this window closes. 

We appreciate your continued partnership and dedication as we work together to finalize these forms.  

For questions, please contact the County Forms Conversion mailbox.  

Thank you for your ongoing partnership and dedication to ensuring these forms are ready and effective for your county.

Action Required

Please share this information with your staff that may be impacted. Counties are requested to complete all county form validations no later than August 21, 2026. 

All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:

IBM has completed testing of Windows 11 25H2 with the CWS/CMS application. They discovered no issues and are now supporting this version of Windows. The officially supported versions of Windows are now:

• Windows 11 25H2 (supported through October 10, 2028)
• Windows 11 24H2 (supported through October 12, 2027)
• Windows 11 23H2 (supported through November 10, 2026)

IBM is updating the CWS/CMS image with the latest patches which will be distributed soon for Dedicated Counties that request it. Dedicated Counties may request the image by submitting an IBM Help Desk ticket at 800-428-8268.

Action Required

Counties need to update all of their CWS/CMS workstations to a supported version.

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

• General
  • Now Available: 75+ Frequently Asked Questions on the CWDS FAQ Page
  • Coming Soon: CWS-CARES Help Desk
  • Registration Now Open for Stakeholder Briefing #10
  • Coming August 24, 2026: The CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop #3
• Implementation
  • See What’s Newly Rolled Out on the CWS-CARES Implementation Portal
• Training
  • New Location for Training Materials and Updated Facilitator Guides
  • CWS-CARES Training Environment (CARES 104) Housekeeping Rule
• Technical Updates
  • CWS-CARES Data Dictionary Version 0.12 Now Available
• Production Simulation
  • System Updates & Release Notes on the Production Simulation Hub
• CWS-CARES Functionality
  • CWS-CARES Functionality Spotlight: August 10, 2026

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General

Now Available: 75+ Frequently Asked Questions on the CWDS FAQ Page

The CWS-CARES Project recently uploaded 75+ new FAQs to the CWDS Frequently Asked Questions page on August 4, 2026. These FAQs are drawn from questions recently responded to (within the last year) and cover a range of CWS-CARES topics. The new FAQs are organized into updated categories and tagged by meetings or forums for easier searching.

Coming Soon: CWS-CARES Help Desk 

The current support model is changing. Counties currently use multiple support channels depending on the system or type of issue, including the CWS/CMS Help Desk, CARES-Live RFA Help Desk, Production Simulation Support and Office Hours, and individual project teams. As we approach Go-Live, these channels will be brought together under a centralized CWS-CARES Help Desk, providing a single point of entry for questions and issues, faster response times, and a consistent process for tracking issues through resolution.

Please note that county support routing will vary by implementation model. Coexistent counties will continue to have Single Point of Contacts (SPOCs) coordinate initial support and routing, while non-coexistent counties will receive support directly through the CWS-CARES Support Model.

Registration Now Open for Stakeholder Briefing #10  

We encourage you to attend the next CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing on Wednesday, August 26, 2026! Register now at: CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #10 | 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.

All stakeholders are welcome to attend, ask questions, and hear updates from Project leadership. The full agenda for the August 2026 Stakeholder Briefing is available to view on the CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #10 | Registration page. Updates will include:

• Preparing for Go-Live
  • Project Status Update
  • Go-Live Readiness
  • What to expect
  • Q&A
• Implementation and Training
  • Q&A
• Production Simulation
  • Q&A

Thank you for participating in our Stakeholder Briefing webinar series!  We hope to see you on August 26, 2026 to continue the conversation on the upcoming transition to CWS-CARES.

Please contact Customer Relations with any questions.

Coming August 24, 2026: The CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop #3 

The CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop is returning with a brand-new selection of items! All 58 California counties, Tribes, State partners, and public agencies will be able to purchase CWS-CARES branded merchandise online at the CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop #3 between Monday, August 24 and Friday, September 11.

During this limited-time window, stakeholders will have the opportunity to purchase CWS-CARES–branded items using their own funds. The shop will feature a variety of new items, including apparel, stationery, mugs, accessories, and more. Additional details, ordering information, and a preview of the items offered will be shared in the CWS-CARES Weekly Digest, ahead of the Pop-Up Shop grand opening on August 24.

View a preview of the items offered on the 081026_Pop-up Shop 3 Flyer

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Implementation

See What’s Newly Rolled Out on the CWS-CARES Implementation Portal 

The CWS-CARES Implementation Portal will continue to evolve with new resources, tools, and information to support Organizations throughout implementation. We’ve added two important updates under the CWS-CARES Organizational Change Management Team Links section:

1. Super User Readiness Page Launched 
A dedicated Super User Readiness page has been created to serves as the hub for all meeting materials related to the Super User program. This includes session minutes, slide decks, and recordings, each of which will be posted within a day after every session. 
The first session took place on 8/4, and materials from the kickoff meeting are now available on the new page.

2. New Process Maps Added 
Several new process maps have been uploaded to the Business Process Re-engineering page to support teams in understanding workflows and key transitions on the following service areas:

• Adoptions
• Financial Management
• Intake
• Case Management - Engagement
• Courts - Court Hearings
• Courts - Warrants and Jurisdiction and Disposition Hearings
• Courts - Status Review
• Courts - Other Hearings
• Resource Management

Process maps will continue to be added over the coming weeks as they are finalized.

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Training 

New Location for Training Materials and Updated Facilitator Guides 

Training materials for CWS-CARES have moved to a new, more accessible location. All resources, including Instructor-Led Training (ILT) materials, Train the Trainer (TTT) resources, and training videos are now posted on the CWS-CARES Implementation Portal. These materials are publicly accessible and no longer require signing in to a CWDS account. This change was made to increase ease of access, improve consistency, and support for trainers and users statewide.

As part of this transition, updated versions of several Facilitator Guides were posted to ensure all training materials remain current, consistent, and aligned with the latest information. These updates reflect recent enhancements, incorporate trainer feedback, clarify instructions where needed, and strengthen support for delivering training effectively. Updates to Facilitator Guides will continue regularly as system update(s) are made and feedback from training sessions is incorporated.

The following Facilitator Guides have been updated and are now available on the CWS-CARES Implementation Portal:

• Admin Console
• Screenings & Referrals
• Courts
• Resource Family Approval
• Placement
• Case Management Services
• Eligibility
• Adoptions
• Prevention Services (Family First Prevention Services Act)

Trainers who use these guides in upcoming TTT sessions should download the latest versions to ensure they are using the most current and accurate content.

ILT materials are also currently available on the CWS-CARES Implementation Portal, and the training team is actively uploading additional resources. Please note that when updates are made to Facilitator Guides for TTT, those updates will also be incorporated into the corresponding ILT Training Guides.

CWS-CARES Training Environment (CARES 104) Housekeeping Rule 

As part of Instructor Led Training (ILT), users will have access to a dedicated CWS-CARES training environment (CARES 104) that mirrors key system functionality.  Users will receive access through two system-generated onboarding emails. This space is designed for hands on practice during scheduled sessions so everyone can learn without affecting real data.

A quick reminder: please use the training environment (CARES 104) only during your scheduled ILT sessions. Accessing it outside these timeframes can unintentionally create data issues or interfere with other users’ learning activities. If you’d like to practice and prepare for ILTs please use the Production Simulation environment (CARES 100) to complete On-Demand Enablement modules.

The one exception is for individuals participating in Train-the-Trainer (TTT) activities, who may need additional time in the environment to prepare materials and become fully comfortable with the system or if they don’t have access to CARES 104 and need to complete enablement modules.

If you have questions reach out to your CWS-CARES training coordinator. If you have any issues accessing the training environments, contact the Production Simulation mailbox for your region.

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Technical Updates 

CWS-CARES Data Dictionary Version 0.12 Now Available 

CWS-CARES Data Dictionary V0.12 is now available on the Microsoft Teams Channel: CARES Data Dictionary under Shared as of Monday, August 10th. Check the Intro tab of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary for the detailed list of updates included in the new version.

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Production Simulation 

System Updates & Release Notes on the Production Simulation Hub 

Every Monday, the CWS-CARES Project releases new System Updates and Release Notes. Users can find the latest System Updates and Release Notes by visiting the CWS-CARES Production Simulation Hub on the CWDS website. All published updates are located on the System Updates & Release Notes tab in the left navigation bar.

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CWS-CARES Functionality 

CWS-CARES Functionality Spotlight: August 10, 2026

This week, the CWS-CARES Functionality Spotlight features the CWS-CARES Frequently Asked Question (FAQ) of the Week.

August 10, 2026, FAQ of the Week: 

Q: I was wondering if Snapshot, Facilities, and Child and Adolescent Needs Strengths (CANS) Assessments will be unavailable once CWS-CARES goes live? If so, will that website be deactivated? Any information would be helpful.

A: Upon the launch of CWS-CARES, the following details will be converted and available in CWS-CARES:

• CARES-Live Snapshot data: Migrated from CWS/CMS.

To view all of the CWS-CARES FAQs, please visit the CWDS website: CWS-CARES FAQs | CWDS Website.

Have a question? Send it to Customer Relations and we will be happy to help.

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Share Your Feedback and Subscribe

Thank you for following our progress! Share your feedback on this CWS-CARES Weekly Digest here: CWS-CARES Weekly Digest Feedback Form. Subscribe to future issues here: CWS-CARES Weekly Digest Subscription Form.

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Action Required: We request that all CWS-CARES Single Point of Contacts (SPOCs) and Implementation Coordinators distribute the CWS-CARES Weekly Digest to all staff impacted by CWS-CARES, at their discretion.

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Security Protocols for Prod Sim Case Data

The Prod Sim environment contains converted CWS/CMS cases reflecting actual system data as of April 17, 2026. Because this includes real, sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII), all case information must be strictly protected or redacted.

To protect CWS-CARES case data, please follow these important security guidelines when working with our support teams:

• Redact Ticket Info: Do not send Protected Health Information (PHI), PII, or confidential case details to the Service Desk via email or ticket. Sensitive and confidential data cannot be stored in the ticketing system.
• Secure Screen Shares: During support-requested screen shares, limit attendees to essential personnel only. Recording of sensitive information is strictly prohibited.
• Consult for Tier 3 Transfers: If Tier 3 support needs sensitive data, use secure transmission methods. Contact your county Privacy Officer or the CWDS ISO if you need assistance with secure routing.

We appreciate your dedication to protecting the safety and privacy of vulnerable children and families while we work together to support your needs.

All CARES-Live and CARES-RFA County Administrators:

The ServiceNow (SNOW) Customer Service Management (CSM) Portal User Interface for CARES County Admins will be updated to include added columns when viewing all open tickets. Please see the screenshot of the ‘Before’ and ‘After’ required ticket information.

Before

After

Today, Friday, August 7, 2026, beginning at 5:00 PM and concluding at 6:00 PM, the CWDS ServiceNow CSM portal will not be available while the portal update occurs. Please complete your work and log off the CWDS ServiceNow portal today by 5:00 PM.

Action Required

If users experience any issues with the CWDS CSM Portal URL, please contact the CARES Service Desk through the CWDS ServiceNow Customer Support Management (CSM) Portal (if able to log in). Alternate methods are phoning 1-855-292-3444 or via email at CWDS Service Desk during normal business hours. You may also email after hours, and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.

All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:

August 6, 2026 UPDATE: An additional issue has been identified as a result of Release R9.8 that required corrective action. The CWDS Office and IBM have created release R9.8.2 to provide fixes and / or updates for these items. There is no outage associated with this release.

The R9.8.2 MSI file will be available in the “R982” staging folder later this evening. Counties may deploy the release as soon as they have received the MSI file.

R9.8.2 is an optional release for Co-Existent Counties; however, deployment of the R9.8.2 code is strongly recommended.

R9.8.2 Release Highlights

IN10026262 – Referral Completion Due Date Issue

• Some scenarios are affecting the Completion Due Date displayed on the Referral Summary page in CWS/CMS.
• Expected Behavior is the due date should be calculated as the earlier of:
  • 30 days from the first completed, in-person investigation contact that includes the Referral Victim with the Start Date counted as Day 1; or
  • 40 days from the Referral Received Date, with the Referral Received Date counted as Day 1.
• However, the system is currently calculating the due date as 30 days from the first contact entered that includes the referral victim, regardless of Contact Purpose (Investigate Referral, Conduct Client Evaluation, etc.) or Contact Status (Attempted, Completed, etc.) or Contact Method (In person, Telephone, etc.).
• This issue does not prevent workers from completing their work. However, the due date displayed on the Referral Summary page may be inaccurate. The system continues to calculate the 40-day maximum timeframe as expected.

Action Required

Co-Existent Counties

Distribute the release through the normal county process. Since R9.8.2 is an optional release, Co-Existent Counties can plan to deploy the update when it is most convenient for them once they have received the MSI file.

Dedicated Counties

IBM will distribute the MSI file to the Dedicated Counties on Thursday, August 6, 2026. Release 9.8.2 will be installed automatically via the normal release deployment process.

For best results the users should do the following on Friday, August 7, 2026:

• Reboot the workstation and log into Windows at least once to receive the Release 9.8.2 installer.
• If prompted, select “Take All Actions” (the prompt will not occur while CWS/CMS is running);
  or
• 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.

__________________________________________________________________________

Following the deployment of Release R9.8, two issues were identified that required corrective action. In addition, an update to the JV-415 form has been included to incorporate the latest version released by the Judicial Council. The CWDS Office and IBM has created a hot-fix release, R9.8.1, to provide fixes and / or updates for these items. There is no outage associated with this release.

The R9.8.1 MSI file is now available in the “R981” staging folder. Counties may deploy the release as soon as they have received the MSI file.

R9.8.1 is an optional release for Co-Existent Counties; however, deployment of the R9.8.1 code is strongly recommended.

R9.8.1 Release Highlights

IN10025562 - Case Closure Approval Issue

• R9.8 introduced a new requirement that the focus child's ICWA Eligibility value cannot be "Not Asked" when ending a Case. As an unintended consequence, 235 Cases that were already in Pending Approval status when R9.8 was deployed could no longer be approved.
• Resolution: R9.8.1 restores the ability to approve the affected Case Closure requests while maintaining the new requirement for Cases submitted after the R9.8 release.

IN10025575 - Process Placement Home Move (PPHM) Issue

• An issue introduced with R9.8 prevented users from running the Process Placement Home Move (PPHM) function.
• Resolution: R9.8.1 resolves the issue and restores normal PPHM processing functionality.

IN10025759 – JV-415 Form Update

• The recent forms release included the January 1, 2026 version of form JV-415. The July 1, 2026 version became available after release development activities were completed.
• Resolution: R9.8.1 updates JV-415 to the July 1, 2026 version.

Action Required

Co-Existent Counties

Distribute the release through the normal county process. Since R9.8.1 is an optional release, Co-Existent Counties can plan to deploy the update when it is most convenient for them once they have received the MSI file.

Dedicated Counties

IBM distributed the MSI file to the Dedicated Counties on Monday, July 20, 2026. Release 9.8.1 will be installed automatically via the normal release deployment process.

For best results the users should do the following on Tuesday, July 21, 2026:

• Reboot the workstation and log into Windows at least once to receive the Release 9.8.1 installer.
• If prompted, select “Take All Actions” (the prompt will not occur while CWS/CMS is running);
  or
• 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.

ALL SPOCs and Technical Contacts:

August 6, 2026 UPDATE: The California Department of Technology (CDT) has reported that Verizon has confirmed that all circuits are back up and that service has been restored.

_______________________________________________________

The California Department of Technology (CDT) has reported a higher level Verizon network outage impacting network access to several counties. The CWDS office has received reports of routers being either down or having slower processing times.

There is currently no estimated time of resolution. Additional updates will be provided as new information is received.

Action Required

CWS/CMS: 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: 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 CWDS Service Desk during normal business hours. You may also email after hours and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.

Binti Counties, CARES 105 Testers, SPOCs, and Implementation Coordinators:

Following our July 28^th communication, we are providing key updates regarding the Resource Family Application (RFA) and Placement & Family Finding data mapping validation windows in the CWS-CARES environments.

CARES 105 (DCVal) Binti Data Validation Window Closed

Please be aware that the Binti data validation window in CARES 105 (DCVal) officially closed on August 4, 2026.

• Testers will no longer have access to CARES 105 (DCVal) as this environment is currently being repurposed for Sealed and Sensitive data validation.
• We recognize that counties need additional time for mapping validation and that Family Finding data could not be validated in CARES 105. Our project team is actively exploring options to support ongoing validation. We will present these options at the Binti County Coordination Meeting on August 6, 2026, to gather your input and feedback before leadership makes a decision next week.

Upcoming Key Validation Dates

Please keep the following deadlines in mind as you plan your ongoing testing:

• Binti RFA Data (CARES 105 – DCVal): July 31, 2026 (Closed)
• Placement and Family Finding Data: August 4, 2026

Please contact the External Systems mailbox for questions.

Action Required: 

Please share this information with staff at your discretion and complete your county's validation activities by the dates above.

____________________________________________________________

Security Protocols for Prod Sim Case Data

The Prod Sim environment contains converted CWS/CMS cases reflecting actual system data as of April 17, 2026. Because this includes real, sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII), all case information must be strictly protected or redacted.

To protect CWS-CARES case data, please follow these important security guidelines when working with our support teams:

• Redact Ticket Info: Do not send Protected Health Information (PHI), PII, or confidential case details to the Service Desk via email or ticket. Sensitive and confidential data cannot be stored in the ticketing system.
• Secure Screen Shares: During support-requested screen shares, limit attendees to essential personnel only. Recording of sensitive information is strictly prohibited.
• Consult for Tier 3 Transfers: If Tier 3 support needs sensitive data, use secure transmission methods. Contact your county Privacy Officer or the CWDS ISO if you need assistance with secure routing.

We appreciate your dedication to protecting the safety and privacy of vulnerable children and families while we work together to support your needs.

ALL SPOCs and Technical Contacts:

The California Department of Technology (CDT) has reported a higher level Verizon network outage impacting network access to several counties. The CWDS office has received reports of routers being either down or having slower processing times.

There is currently no estimated time of resolution. Additional updates will be provided as new information is received.

Action Required

CWS/CMS

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

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 CWDS Service Desk during normal business hours. You may also email after hours and a Service Desk representative will contact you the next business day.

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

This is the August 3rd update regarding CWS-CARES Technical Environments and additional updates as we track toward our CWS-CARES Version 1 Go-Live on October 26, 2026.

We are providing these two documents:

1. CWS-CARES Support Model: CWS-CARES_Support_Model_Fact_Sheet_-_ACC.pdf
2. CWS-CARES Release Notes – August 3, 2026: 080326_CWS-CARES Release Notes - ACC.pdf

The CWS-CARES Support Model outlines available support channels, contacts, and resources for staff. To ensure comprehensive assistance, multiple support channels are available depending on which area of the system you are using.

CWS-CARES Release Notes - August 3, 2026 details the current system status, features, and known limitations across technical environments. This guide highlights recent updates and outlines what to expect from overall system performance. Please note that this attachment is a living document.

We acknowledge how critical this information is to your planning, and we remain fully committed to partnering with you to ensure a smooth transition. Thank you for your ongoing commitment to preparing your teams for the V1 Go-Live.

Action Required:  Please contact Customer Relations for questions.

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Security Protocols for Prod Sim Case Data

The Prod Sim environment contains converted CWS/CMS cases reflecting actual system data as of April 17, 2026. Because this includes real, sensitive Personally Identifiable Information (PII), all case information must be strictly protected or redacted.

To protect CWS-CARES case data, please follow these important security guidelines when working with our support teams:

• Redact Ticket Info: Do not send Protected Health Information (PHI), PII, or confidential case details to the Service Desk via email or ticket. Sensitive and confidential data cannot be stored in the ticketing system.
• Secure Screen Shares: During support-requested screen shares, limit attendees to essential personnel only. Recording of sensitive information is strictly prohibited.
• Consult for Tier 3 Transfers: If Tier 3 support needs sensitive data, use secure transmission methods. Contact your county Privacy Officer or the CWDS ISO if you need assistance with secure routing.

We appreciate your dedication to protecting the safety and privacy of vulnerable children and families while we work together to support your needs.

All SPOCs, Technical Contacts and CAD/Business Objects contacts

The CWDS Infrastructure team have scheduled the SSL Certificate update on the CAD/Business Objects (BO) servers. https://cwscadweb.int.osi.ca.gov  The upgrade window is scheduled for Wednesday, 08/05/2026 beginning at 07:00 PM and concluding at 8:00 PM.

CAD Business Objects (BO) / Business Intelligence (BI) will not be accessible during the scheduled upgrade window. Any BO reports scheduled to run during this timeframe will be affected.

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.