Child Welfare and Probation CARES SPOCs, Child Welfare Implementation Coordinators, County, Tribe, Probation, and State Leadership, and OCM Coordinators:
Thank you for taking the time to attend the CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #3 held on Wednesday, June 25, 2025. We were thrilled to have over 482 participants join live, representing an impressive 50 of the 58 California counties, in addition to one tribal community, and five partner organizations. We captured 57 questions during the session that are now published on the CWDS website. Thank you for your active participation and interest in CWS-CARES!
For your convenience, the presentation slides, session recording, and Q&A document are now available on our website at CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefings | Child Welfare Digital Services. Please note that a log-in is required to view the session materials using the link at the bottom of the page.
We value your feedback. Please share your thoughts on the CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #3 using this three-minute survey: Complete this Survey
Save the date! We look forward to seeing you at the CWS-CARES Stakeholder Briefing #4 on October 22, 2025. Invitations to register will be shared in the coming months.
Action Required
If you have further questions or require additional information, please do not hesitate to contact CWDS Customer Relations.
CWDS Bulletins
UPDATE: CWS/CMS Statewide Templates Update
All SPOCs:
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.
__________________________________________________________________________
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
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.
__________________________________________________________________________
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
- AD5112 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 OSI CWDS Application Support.CWS/CMS: CDT Service Desk Bulletin – Standard Monthly OS Security Patches to SBCS Infrastructure Servers
All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and SBC Administrators:
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled maintenance on Saturday, July 26, 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.
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled maintenance on Saturday, July 26, 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.
CWS/CMS: CDT Service Desk Bulletin – Standard Monthly OS Security Patches to SBCS Infrastructure Servers
All SPOCs, Technical Contacts, and SBC Administrators:
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled maintenance on Saturday, July 26, 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.
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled maintenance on Saturday, July 26, 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.
CARES Compass – Volume 2, Issue 4 - July 2025
CARES SPOCs, Implementation Coordinators, County Leadership, Tribe Leadership, Probation Leadership, State Leadership, and OCM Coordinators:
We are pleased to present the newest issue of the CARES Compass, the two-page executive summary with upcoming project communications and brief informational highlights.
In this issue, you will find:
We appreciate your continued commitment to staying informed.
Action Required
If you have any questions, need clarification, or have any accessibility issues, please do not hesitate to contact Customer Relations.
We are pleased to present the newest issue of the CARES Compass, the two-page executive summary with upcoming project communications and brief informational highlights.
In this issue, you will find:
- Pilot Counties Announcement: find out which counties are included in the Pilot Plan and learn about next steps.
- Meeting Reminders: a recap of the Stakeholder Briefing #3 and an overview of a new meeting series, External Systems Monthly Meetings, which kicks off July 10, 2025, at 10:00AM.
- CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop Announcement: learn about a new limited-time online shop for CWS-CARES merchandise coming September 2025!
- New CARES 101 Video: watch the newest video in the CARES 101 Video Series, Intake: Screening and Investigations.
- Update on the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary: learn about SqlDBM, a new tool introduced in this Data Dictionary update.
- Upcoming Events and Communications: a list of CWS-CARES communications and activities that will be released in the next three months.
We appreciate your continued commitment to staying informed.
Action Required
If you have any questions, need clarification, or have any accessibility issues, please do not hesitate to contact Customer Relations.
CWS/CMS: CDT Service Desk Bulletin - SAFE Cloud Service Scheduled Maintenance
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, July 20, 2025, at 8:00 PM and concludes on Sunday, July 21, 2025, 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.
The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled maintenance of the SAFE Cloud service. The maintenance begins on Saturday, July 20, 2025, at 8:00 PM and concludes on Sunday, July 21, 2025, 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.
CWS/CMS: California Department of Education - Updated Providers List
California Department of Education - Updated Providers List
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts
On Friday, June 27, 2025, the list of Education Providers in the CWS/CMS application was updated with data obtained from the California Department of Education (CDE). During this update, several Education Providers in the application were end dated. This occurs whenever an existing CWS/CMS Education Provider no longer shows up as an active Education Provider in the data obtained from CDE.
This information is being provided to assist counties with determining if any data corrections are needed.
Please contact CDE with any questions regarding the list:
Email: cdsadmin@cde.ca.gov
Phone: 916-327-4014
Action Required
Review the attached list of closed Education Providers; if the county determines a data correction may be needed, contact the CDE.
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts
On Friday, June 27, 2025, the list of Education Providers in the CWS/CMS application was updated with data obtained from the California Department of Education (CDE). During this update, several Education Providers in the application were end dated. This occurs whenever an existing CWS/CMS Education Provider no longer shows up as an active Education Provider in the data obtained from CDE.
This information is being provided to assist counties with determining if any data corrections are needed.
Please contact CDE with any questions regarding the list:
Email: cdsadmin@cde.ca.gov
Phone: 916-327-4014
Action Required
Review the attached list of closed Education Providers; if the county determines a data correction may be needed, contact the CDE.
CARES-Live Final Releases
All SPOCs and Technical Contacts:
To support the transition to CWS-CARES, the CWDS Project Team decided to conclude CARES-Live releases. The CARES-Live Release 2.8.36 has been tentatively scheduled for February and this will be the final release unless a critical event occurs that requires an additional update.
The CARES-Live team will review and assess the stories in the backlog to finalize the scope for the remaining releases. The below list will provide the information of the remaining releases and their Go-live dates:
Action Required
No action required. Contact CWDS Customer Relations if you have any questions.
To support the transition to CWS-CARES, the CWDS Project Team decided to conclude CARES-Live releases. The CARES-Live Release 2.8.36 has been tentatively scheduled for February and this will be the final release unless a critical event occurs that requires an additional update.
The CARES-Live team will review and assess the stories in the backlog to finalize the scope for the remaining releases. The below list will provide the information of the remaining releases and their Go-live dates:
- CARES-Live Release 2.8.34 – July 31, 2025
- Scope: Security enhancements and infrastructure updates, including as Elasticsearch upgrade.
- CARES-Live Release 2.8.35 – November 20, 2025
- Scope: Security enhancements and infrastructure updates.
- CARES-Live Release 2.8.36 – February 2026
- Scope: Security enhancements and infrastructure updates.
Action Required
No action required. Contact CWDS Customer Relations if you have any questions.
CWS-CARES Data Dictionary Update and New Tool: SqlDBM
External Systems Points of Contact, CARES SPOCs, County Leadership, CARES Implementation Coordinators, and OCM Coordinators:
This update covers the new CWS-CARES Data Dictionary version and introduces SqlDBM, a tool that will significantly improve how CWS-CARES Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERDs) are visualized.
New Version Available on June 30, 2025: CWS-CARES Data Dictionary V0.04
SqlDBM is an online tool that simplifies databases and data warehouse design and management. It enables users to view diagrams, known as Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERDs), which act as a visual aid to the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary. Users can click on elements, explore relationships, and gain a deeper understanding of the data definitions.
We are conducting an upcoming SqlDBM overview and training session. Here are the details:
Action Required
Please contact CWDSDataManagement@otsi.ca.gov if you have any questions.
We appreciate your support and understanding as we work diligently to ensure the successful implementation and ongoing maintenance of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary.
This update covers the new CWS-CARES Data Dictionary version and introduces SqlDBM, a tool that will significantly improve how CWS-CARES Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERDs) are visualized.
New Version Available on June 30, 2025: CWS-CARES Data Dictionary V0.04
- CWS-CARES Data Dictionary V0.04 will be available on the Microsoft Teams Channel:
CWS-CARES Data Dictionary under Files on Monday, June 30, 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.
SqlDBM is an online tool that simplifies databases and data warehouse design and management. It enables users to view diagrams, known as Entity Relationship Diagrams (ERDs), which act as a visual aid to the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary. Users can click on elements, explore relationships, and gain a deeper understanding of the data definitions.
We are conducting an upcoming SqlDBM overview and training session. Here are the details:
- An Introduction to SqlDBM session, including a Q&A, will be held on July 22, 2025. This one‑hour session will guide users through the tool, supporting documentation, and address questions. We’ll send out invitations with the exact time and duration soon. The session will be recorded.
- Staff are highly encouraged to attend. Please share the session invitation with your county staff who may benefit from attending, including technical staff, data analysts, report/form writers and developers, and data extract partners.
- Additional office hours will be scheduled for the first week of August 2025. Invitations will be sent out later.
- More details about read‑only access to SqlDBM roll out to the Counties and data partners will be shared during the July 22, 2025 session.
Action Required
Please contact CWDSDataManagement@otsi.ca.gov if you have any questions.
We appreciate your support and understanding as we work diligently to ensure the successful implementation and ongoing maintenance of the CWS-CARES Data Dictionary.
CARES-Live Scheduled Maintenance - June 26, 2025 | 6 PM - 8 PM
The CARES-Live team has scheduled maintenance for the CARES-Live application. The maintenance is scheduled for Thursday, June 26, 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.
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.
If unable to find a specific Bulletin, please contact Communications.