August 26, 2025
Communications
Data Quality Analysts and CWS SPOCs:
August 26, 2025 UPDATE: The Data Quality Workshop registration link has been amended to allow responses. It should now work for everyone. Please try registering for the workshop now: September 2025 DQ Workshop Registration Form
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August 26, 2025 UPDATE: The CWDS Office is aware of an issue with County users not being able to access the Data Quality Workshop registration link. We are trying to resolve this issue as quickly as possible. We will send out a new communication with a corrected registration link as soon as it has been developed. We apologize for the confusion and delay in being able to register in the workshop.
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CWDS is inviting county staff to the 2025 Data Quality Virtual (DQ) Workshop. This workshop will be held remotely only, using the MS Teams online meeting portal. The workshop will be held on two dates:
- Wednesday, September 10, 2025
- Thursday, September 11, 2025
This workshop will focus on reviewing new cleansing processes introduced in CWS/CMS R9.6 (SCR8982, SCR8983, SCR8989, SCR8843) covering what these processes are meant to do, what type of reports you will be receiving and the tasks needed for you to complete them in preparation for the first run in October. In addition, we shall be reviewing existing cleansing processes, especially helpful if you are new to the CWS/CMS data quality cleansing process. You will also have full access to the CTW environment to practice merges (e.g. client) or other data cleansing improvement activities during the workshops. Because the CWDS Office needs to technically validate each user's configuration, all registrations must be submitted by Friday, August 29, 2025.
SBC Soft Token Use
Once registration has closed on Friday, August 29, 2025, Customer Relations will schedule a MS Teams meeting with the tester and their County IT Contact. 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 DQ workshop cannot be accommodated.
Action Required
Complete the registration process by submitting the online form by August 29, 2025. It is found on the DQ Portal. Here is a direct link to the online registration form: September 2025 DQ Workshop Registration Form
August 26, 2025
Communications
All CWDS ServiceNow CSM Portal County Admins and SPOCs:
August 26, 2025 UPDATE: Please disregard the information conveyed in the communication below. The communication was sent out prematurely. At this time the CWDS project is not taking steps to make Sandbox ServiceNow tickets available to County Admins in the CWDS ServiceNow CSM Portal. In the future, should this change be implemented, the project will send a communication to all impacted parties.
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Starting on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, the CWDS Sandbox Support Team that supports the CWS-CARES Sandbox environment will begin using the “Organization” Field in ServiceNow tickets. This additional field will link the ticket to one of the Organizations (Counties, Tribes, and CDSS) in California.
As a result, these tickets will become visible to County Admins according to their respective Organization’s view in the CWDS ServiceNow CSM Portal. The County Admin will not be able to view the CWS-CARES Sandbox environment tickets from other Organizations.
The CWDS Sandbox Support Team is working directly with Sandbox Super Users in the Organizations, so the County Admins should not interact or make changes to the tickets with the Application field category ‘CARES V1’ and Environment field selection ‘Sandbox’.
Action Required
This announcement is for your awareness and there is no action needed at this time.
If you need more information, please contact the CARES Service Desk via the CWDS ServiceNow CSM Portal. If this is unavailable, please use the alternate contact information at 855-292-3444 or email CWDS Service Desk.
August 25, 2025
Communications
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
The CARES-Live team has scheduled maintenance for the CARES-Live application. The maintenance is scheduled for Thursday, August 28, 2025, from 6:00 PM to 8:00 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.
August 25, 2025
Communications
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
The California Department of Technology (CDT) will perform an upgrade to the CWS/CMS and CARES-Live production databases during the Preventative Maintenance (PM) window on Saturday, September 6, 2025. The PM window begins at 6:00 AM and ends at 9:00 AM. Both the CWS/CMS production application and the CARES-Live production application will be unavailable to all (direct access or remote access) during this maintenance window.
CWS-CARES RFA will not be impacted by this upgrade.
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
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.
August 19, 2025
Communications
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, August 23, 2025, at 10:00 PM and concludes on Sunday, August 24, 2025, at 4:00 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.
August 15, 2025
Communications
All CARES-Live County Administrators and SPOCs:
To better protect customer data and align with security standards, the CWDS Customer Service Management (CSM) Portal hosted by ServiceNow will begin enforcing Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) starting August 29, 2025.
What is Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)? MFA adds an extra layer of security to your account by requiring two or more verification factors to prove your identity. After you enter your username and password, you will be prompted for a second step, such as a code from an authenticator app on your phone.
What to Expect
The CSM Portal will be unavailable on August 28, 2025, between 6:00PM – 11:59PM. Starting August 29, 2025, you will have one of two different enrollment experiences.
- If you log in between August 29, 2025 - November 26, 2025:
You will see a banner at the top of your screen reminding you to set up MFA. You will have a 30-day grace period to complete the self-enrollment. While you can continue to log in with your username and password during this time, the banner will remain visible until you enroll. After the grace period ends, you will be required to enroll immediately upon your next login. Here is a screenshot of the banner message:
- If you do not log in until after November 26, 2025:
There is no grace period. The very first time you attempt to log in after this date, you will be immediately prompted to enroll in MFA. You will be unable to access the system until you have successfully completed the enrollment process.
Need Help?
If users experience any issues setting up MFA, please contact the CARES Service Desk through the CSM Portal (if able to log in). 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.
August 14, 2025
Communications
All SPOCs:
August 13, 2025 Update: The AD 512 NMD: Psychosocial and Medical History of Non-Minor Dependent (version 12/24) statewide template has been successfully uploaded to the CWS/CMS application. This form is available for use and can be found under the CDSS radio button when generating a document.
Through testing of the new form, the CWDS Office has received reports of an error occasionally occurring when generating this form. This same error message can also occur when generating other forms in CWS/CMS. The CWDS Office and IBM are investigating this issue and are working toward a resolution.
Please contact the OTSI CWDS Application Support team via email at otsicwdsAppSupport@otsi.ca.gov if you have any questions regarding this form.
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July 17, 2025 Update: The CWDS Office is having technical difficulties with adding the AD 512 NMD form to the CWS/CMS application. Currently, the existing version of the form has been deactivated and is inaccessible for all counties. Another notice will be sent out as soon as the issue has been resolved and the form is accessible in CWS/CMS.
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The following CWS/CMS Statewide Template will be updated to its latest version on Thursday, July 17, 2025. This form can be found under the CDSS radio button when generating a form.
CDSS Forms
- AD 512 NMD (version 12/24): Psychosocial and Medical History of Non-Minor Dependent
Action Required
No action is required. If you have any questions regarding this form, please contact OTSI CWDS Application Support via email at otsicwdsAppSupport@otsi.ca.gov.
August 14, 2025
Communications
CARES SPOCs, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, and State Leadership:
The CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop is opening in early September! This limited-time online store is open from Monday, September 8, 2025, to Friday, September 26, 2025.
The shop offers a unique selection of CWS-CARES branded merchandise, produced by Staples Promotional Products. The shop is open to everyone, including all California counties and tribes, associated organizations, public agencies, and individuals.
We have a sneak peek of the featured items and frequently asked questions (FAQs). The collection includes a sticker, lanyard, tote bag, webcam cover, a pen/highlighter combo, and Post-Its. With prices ranging from less than $1 to $3 per item, they are ideal for bulk purchases.
We will send another reminder in early September so you do not miss the shopping window. On the store's opening day on September 8, 2025, you will receive an email with a live link to the store. In the meantime, you can use the attachment to shop and plan your purchases.
Do you have any suggestions for us? Please use this form for your recommendations.
Action Required
No action required.
August 14, 2025
Communications
All Dedicated County SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
The California Department of Technology (CDT) is upgrading the Cisco Identity Services Engine (ISE). The upgrade window occurs on Sunday, August 17, 2025, beginning at 6:00 AM and concluding at 11:00 AM. Users who use a Cisco Virtual Private Network (VPN) client will be unable to authenticate for approximately five minutes sometime during the upgrade window.
Action Required
If users experience any issues with CWS/CMS or with VPN, please follow your county process for reporting issues or you may contact the IBM Boulder Help Desk at 1-800-428-8268.
August 13, 2025
Communications
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
In support of the CWS/CMS Release 9.6 deployment scheduled for Saturday, August 16, 2025, from 5:00 AM to 1:00 PM, the CARES-Live application will also not be available during this CWS/CMS scheduled deployment.
Action Required
If users experience any issues with CARES-Live outside of this scheduled outage, 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.
