CWDS Bulletins

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

The CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop - Reminder

The online CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop is now open and ready for business until Friday, September 26, 2025. You can shop our exclusive collection of CWS-CARES branded items online. This limited-time shop is open to everyone, including 58 California county child welfare and probation departments and CWDS Project staff. 

For more details regarding shipping fees, invoice requests, and future Pop-Up Shops, please reference the following link: Featured Items and FAQs. Happy Shopping! 

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CWS-CARES Process Information Sessions

The CWS-CARES Team is delivering a series of virtual Process Information Sessions to walk through new processes in CWS-CARES to explain how they will impact the way staff complete their work. These sessions are designed to ensure participants understand new and revised business processes so they can update their policies, processes, and workflows as needed. 

To date,18 process information sessions have been completed – 7 sessions for Intake (Screening and Investigations) and 11 for Placement/Eligibility. The next set of sessions will be held in September and October and will focus on Assessments, Supervised Visitation, and Case Closure; Aftercare and Re-Entry; Services and Plans; Prevention Services; and Adoptions.  

To view the session recordings, slides, and Q&A documents, visit CWS-CARES Process Information Sessions Session Materials.

For questions, please contact the CWDS Implementation Team.

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External Systems Monthly Meetings

The CWS-CARES Project launched a new External Systems Monthly Meeting Series to create a consistent space for organizations to connect with the Project team, share updates, ask questions, and stay aligned on upcoming activities. Meetings are held on the second Thursday of each month from 10–11 AM.  

Topics covered so far: 

• July 10: Kickoff and External Systems Overview 
• August 14: Resource Family Approval (RFA) Overview 
• September 11: Data Conversion and County Engagement Milestones 

Upcoming Session Topics:

• October 9: Continued Operations – Validating and Preparing External Systems for CWS-CARES V1 Go-Live 
• November 13: Exploring Validation Tools and Activities Available 

If you would like to receive a meeting invite, please contact the External Systems Coordination Unit (ESCU) Team. To access session records, slides, and Q&A documents, visit the External Systems Portal: Meeting Materials.  

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New CWS-CARES Slogan

We have developed a brand statement / slogan for CWS-CARES that articulates the product vision & values. The new CWS-CARES slogan is:  
 
“Advancing child welfare, together. CWS-CARES supports the safety, permanency, and well-being of children and families across California through enhanced data collection and informed decision-making.” 

Organizations are encouraged to use this slogan in materials, presentations, and communications to reinforce the shared vision of collaboration and commitment to improving outcomes for children and families across California. 

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Guidelines for Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bots/Assistants in Meetings

This is a reminder that the CWDS Office has provided guidance on the appropriate use of artificial intelligence (AI) bots/assistants in meetings.  

The attached document titled Guidelines for Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) Bots/Assistants in Meetings describes the guidelines.  

These guidelines went into effect on September 2, 2025. 

While the context of the guidelines pertains to CWDS organized meetings, it is recommended that they be followed whenever CWDS managed systems are in discussion. These guidelines should be communicated at the start of any meetings that you host. 

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Share Your Feedback and Subscribe

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

Action Required

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

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

An important goal for CWS-CARES is to improve the efficiency of forms and document management for workers. CWS-CARES supports each organization's unique forms and document needs by accommodating county-specific templates created in both Microsoft Word and Adobe Experience Manager (AEM). 

Because AEM is a new tool for many organizations, the project team recommends using Microsoft Word for creating county-specific templates. Using it will save time and make the transition easier since most counties are already familiar with Word and have existing templates in that format.

While creating forms in AEM will still be an option, using Microsoft Word may be a more efficient way for counties and organizations to prepare their priority forms for CARES V1.

Important Forms Updates and Resources

• All counties have been given an inventory of their county‑specific forms which are available in CWS/CMS. ​
• The ‘CARES Forms Tracker’ is available in the CARES Forms Workgroup Microsoft Teams channel. The tracker contains all state forms for CARES V1 development. ​If you do not already have access, please contact the CARES Forms Workgroup at otsicwdscaresforms@otsi.ca.gov.
• A new environment, CARES102 (County Development), is available to specifically support county forms development activities. User onboarding is underway and will continue as additional users are trained and provisioned.
• Do you need help with forms management? The CARES Forms Workgroup can assist. Contact them at otsicwdscaresforms@otsi.ca.gov if you have any questions.

We appreciate your continued commitment to staying informed. 
 

Action Required

No action required.

All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and SBC Administrators:

The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled maintenance on Saturday, September 27, 2025, 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.

• October Stakeholder Briefing Registration
• Announcing the CWS-CARES Weekly Digest
• The CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop
• The New External Systems Portal
• Upcoming Communications

All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and SBC Administrators:

The Server Based Computing Services (SBCS) team of the California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled an upgrade to the Citrix NetScaler firmware. This upgrade will occur on Wednesday, September 10, 2025, beginning at 6:00 PM and concluding at 11:59 PM. During the upgrade window, users may be kicked out of, or unable to log in to, Citrix SBC.

This activity will not impact those connecting to the CWS/CMS application via direct access or through other remote access, such as Virtual Privat Network (VPN).

Action Required

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

• CWS-CARES Data Dictionary V0.05 will be available on the Microsoft Teams Channel: CWS-CARES Data Dictionary under Files on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
• The Intro tab of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary highlights all updates in the new version, making it easy to see what is new or changed.

• Wednesday, September 10, 2025
• Thursday, September 11, 2025