CWDS Bulletins

All SPOCs and Technical Contacts in Sutter County:

The California Department of Technology (CDT) has scheduled maintenance on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, beginning at 12:00 AM (Midnight) and concluding at 6:00 AM. Users at the listed site will experience downtime within the 6 hour window during the AT&T maintenance window.

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

In this Weekly Digest:

• General
  • Registration Now Open for Stakeholder Briefing #10  
  • Coming August 24, 2026: The CWS-CARES Pop-Up Shop #3 
• Implementation
  • Spotlight: How BPR Delta Sessions Help Organizations Prepare for CWS-CARES
• Training
  • Instructor-Led Training Begins August 3: Get Ready to Build Confidence and Level Up Your Skills
• Production Simulation
  • System Updates & Release Notes on the Production Simulation Hub
• CWS-CARES Functionality
  • CWS-CARES Functionality Spotlight: August 3, 2026

_______

General
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 July 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

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.

_______

Implementation
Spotlight: How BPR Delta Sessions Help Organizations Prepare for CWS-CARES

Business Process Re-engineering (BPR) Delta Sessions with individual Organizations began July 27 and will run through August 28. These one-on-one sessions give each participating organization (including county child welfare, county probation departments, Tribal partners, and CDSS divisions) an opportunity to review how its current day‑to‑day work compares to what will be expected when CWS‑CARES goes live.

In each 90‑minute virtual session, Organizations work with the BPR team to review the changes expected to have the greatest impact across key areas of their work and identify where their current processes differ from the statewide baseline developed from the BPR Archetype Sessions. The goal is to help the Organization understand where additional support (revised work procedures and policies, additional staff training, work assignments, etc.) may be needed to smoothly transition to CWS-CARES.

Thank you to all organizations that have confirmed participation. If your Organization chose not to participate in a Delta Session, you can access the updated Change Impact worksheet from the CWS-CARES Implementation Portal via the Organizational Change Management (OCM) and CWS-CARES OCM Resources pages to complete your organization’s internal assessment.

_______

Training
Instructor-Led Training Begins August 3: Get Ready to Build Confidence and Level Up Your Skills

Instructor-Led Training (ILT) for end users begins August 3, 2026 and will run through October 23, 2026. These live trainings provide guided practice and opportunities to ask questions as staff prepare for upcoming changes with CWS-CARES. End users are encouraged to complete the On-Demand Enablement modules beforehand, so they arrive ready for hands-on learning.

Key Reminders:

• The ILT Curriculum defines recommended On-Demand Enablement modules for each ILT course.
• Organization ILT schedules are being finalized and have been shared by Project Training Coordinators to Organization Training Coordinators.
• Staff should coordinate with their Organization Training Coordinator, their supervisor, and the published learning paths to select the sessions that best align with their role. (Note: Users need a CWDS account to access the learning paths).
• California Child Welfare Training (CACWT) registration links will be provided once ILT Schedules are confirmed, allowing users to register.
• Please complete the evaluation after ILT. Your feedback helps to improve future training.
• Reach out to your Organization Training Coordinator for any training-related questions.

_______

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. Within the Production Simulation page, users can select System Updates & Release Notes from the left bar menu. The System Updates and Release Notes page is a centralized location that provides the latest system updates and release notes in one place.

_______

CWS-CARES Functionality
CWS-CARES Functionality Spotlight: August 3, 2026

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

August 3, 2026 FAQ of the Week: 

Q: What file types can be uploaded to CWS-CARES, and how should users handle .CSV files when attaching documents to case records?

A: CWS-CARES supports uploading, storing, organizing, and retrieving electronic documents. Users can drag and drop files or attach them directly to CWS-CARES records such as Screenings, Contacts, Cases, and Assessments. Therefore, files can be uploaded and associated with an individual's case record. Currently supported file types are as follows:

• .pdf – Adobe PDF
• .doc/.docx – Microsoft Word
• .xls/.xlsx – Microsoft Excel
• .jpeg/.jpg – Images
• .txt – Text files
• .mov/.mkv/.mp4 – Movie files

For .csv files, the Project recommends converting them to .xlsx prior to uploading them to CWS-CARES.

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.

_______

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 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.

___________________________________________________________________

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:

This issue in SCR 8993 in some scenarios is  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.

The issue is currently being evaluated. Updates on next steps will be provided in a future communication.

Action Required:

We request that all CWS/CMS SPOCs and Technical Contacts distribute this communication to all staff impacted, at their discretion.

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.

External Systems Data Conversion Counties: Binti Counties (CARES 105 Testers), San Luis Obispo, Contra Costa

As mentioned on July 28^th, the External System Data Conversion Mapping Validation Tips document is now available. This guide has step-by-step instructions and screenshots for finding Placement records in CWS-CARES validation environments, along with previously shared RFA guidance, resources and support.  

You can also access the document directly on the CWS-CARES External Systems Portal. 

Please be aware that Family Finding data is currently unavailable in the DCVal (CARES105) environment due to a mapping issue identified during data conversion. Consequently, the counties with Family Finding data - Inyo, Los Angeles, Madera, Marin, Nevada, Plumas, Riverside, Sacramento, San Diego, and Solano - will not be able to view or validate it at this time. Our team is actively working to resolve this issue, and we will provide an update as soon as the data is available. 

Submitting Tickets 

It is critical that your testers continue submitting tickets through your county’s standard ticketing process. Ensuring each county submits tickets for their specific data mapping validation discrepancies allows us to track, prioritize, and resolve these issues efficiently.  

Thank you for your ongoing partnership and dedication to the validation process.  

Please contact the External Systems mailbox for general questions regarding this update. 

Action Required

Please share this information with your staff as appropriate and continue submitting tickets for any data mapping validation discrepancies through your county’s standard process.  

________________________________________

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.

Child Welfare leadership, Probation leadership, CWS-CARES Points of Contact: SPOCs, Implementation Coordinators, OCM Coordinators, specific CWDA staff related to child welfare, Probation SPOCs, Cal Academies List, CPOC, FFPSA, CalSAWS

We are informing you of an ongoing Salesforce incident impacting several CWS-CARES environments, including: 

• CARES 100 – Prod Sim 
• CARES 102 – County Dev 
• CARES 104 – Training 
• CARES 105 – DC Val

Users navigating through the application, records, and screens may intermittently encounter one of the following error messages: “Sorry to interrupt” or “Looks like there’s a problem”. 

A system banner is displayed within the affected environments to notify active users of the situation. Any necessary system downtimes required to address and resolve this issue will be communicated via the system banners.

Our technical teams are actively investigating the root cause with Salesforce, and we will share further updates as new information becomes available. 

Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Action Required

Please share this communication with staff who utilize these environments, so they are aware.  

Please contact Customer Relations for questions.

To: Co-Existent County SPOCs and Technical Contacts:

June 30, 2026 UPDATE: Issue Summary: Microsoft Word Documents Failing to Open in CWS/CMS

Issue: In certain scenarios, Microsoft Word documents would not open when accessed through the CWS/CMS application.

Root Cause Analysis (RCA)
During routine patch validation testing, it was identified that several Microsoft June security updates introduced a compatibility issue affecting the CWS/CMS application. As a result, Microsoft Word documents could fail to open under specific conditions.

The following June updates were determined to be the cause of the issue:

• Windows 11 23H2 – KB5093998
• Windows 11 24H2 – KB5094126
• Windows 11 25H2 – KB5094126
• Windows Server 2016 (1607) – KB5094122

Action Taken
The issue was escalated to Microsoft for investigation. Microsoft confirmed that multiple customers were experiencing the same behavior and advised that a correction would be included in a future Windows update.

Resolution
Microsoft has since released the July security updates, which include the fix for this issue. Validation testing has been completed, and the problem was no longer reproducible after installation of the July updates.

The following supported CWS/CMS operating systems and updates were successfully tested:

• Windows 11 23H2 – KB5099414 (July 2026 Patch Tuesday Release)
• Windows 11 24H2 – KB5101650 (July 2026 Patch Tuesday Release)
• Windows 11 25H2 – KB5101650 (July 2026 Patch Tuesday Release)
• Windows Server 2016 (1607 LTSB) – KB5099535 (July 2026 Patch Tuesday Release)

Action Required

To resolve this issue and maintain compliance with Microsoft's security update recommendations, ensure that the applicable July updates listed above are installed on all CWS/CMS-supported systems as part of the standard patch management process.

Note: Systems that have not yet received the July updates may continue to experience the Microsoft Word document launch issue if the affected June updates are installed.

______________________________________________________

June 19, 2026 UPDATE: Microsoft has not yet provided a permanent fix for the issue with KB5094126 (for Windows 11 v24H2 and v25H2) that is causing a 29956 error message when generating Word documents in CWS/CMS. IBM continues to strongly recommend that Co-Existent Counties do not install this patch on their CWS/CMS workstations, and if the patch is already installed to uninstall it until the permanent fix is produced. There is no estimated timeline for this fix, but we will send out an update once it is received and tested.

While testing the patches, IBM recently discovered an issue with another patch included in the June Microsoft patches. Patch #KB5093998 (for Windows 11 v23H2) is also causing the same 29956 error message when generating Word documents in CWS/CMS. IBM, again, strongly recommends that Co-Existent Counties do not install this patch on their CWS/CMS workstations, and if the patch is already installed to uninstall it until the permanent fix is produced. There is no estimated timeline for this additional fix, but we will send out an update once it is received and tested.

The following are the Microsoft patches that IBM is installing on the Dedicated County workstations for June 2026:

• .NET Desktop Runtime (x64) 8.0.28 Available
• .NET Desktop Runtime (x64) 9.0.17 Available
• .NET SDK (x64) 8.0.422 Available
• .NET Desktop Runtime 8.0.28 Available
• Adobe Acrobat 2026.001.21662 Available - Adobe Acrobat - Continuous Track (x64)
• Adobe Acrobat Reader 2026.001.21662 Available - Adobe Acrobat Reader - Continuous Track
• Adobe Acrobat Reader 2026.001.21662 Available - Adobe Acrobat Reader - Continuous Track (x64)
• Microsoft Edge Stable Build 149.0.4022.62 Available
• Microsoft Edge Stable Build 149.0.4022.62 Available (x64)
• MS26-JUN: Servicing Stack Update for Windows 10 Version 1607 - Windows 10 Version 1607 - KB5094141
• MS26-JUN: Servicing Stack Update for Windows 10 Version 1607 - Windows 10 Version 1607 - KB5094141 (x64)
• 5092427: Cumulative Update Preview for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8.1 for Windows 11, version 25H2 - Windows
• 5092427: Cumulative Update Preview for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8.1 for Windows 11, version 25H2 – Windows (x64)
• MS26-JUN: Security Update for Microsoft Excel 2016 - Excel 2016 - KB5002877
• MS26-JUN: Security Update for Microsoft Office 2016 - Office 2016 - KB5002578
• MS26-JUN: Security Update for Microsoft Office 2016 - Office 2016 - KB5002852
• MS26-JUN: Security Update for Microsoft Office 2016 - Office 2016 - KB5002878
• MS26-JUN: Security Update for Microsoft Word 2016 - Word 2016 - KB5002879
• Office 2024 Version 16.0.17932.20842 Available - Perpetual Channel - Office 2024 Volume Licensed
• Office 365 Version 16.0.20026.20166 Available - Monthly Enterprise Channel - Office 365 (English (United States
• Office 365 Version 16.0.20026.20168 Available - Current Channel - Office 365 (English (United States))
• Google Chrome 149.0.7827.103 Available
• 4052623: Update for Microsoft Defender antimalware platform - Microsoft Defender Antivirus - KB4052623
• Mozilla Firefox (x64) 140.11.0 ESR Available
• MS26-MAY: Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.7.2 for Windows 10 Version 1809 - Windows 10 KB5087061 (x64)
• MS26-MAY: Cumulative Update for .NET Framework 3.5 and 4.8 for Windows 10 Version 1809 - Windows 10 Version (x64)

Additional updates will be shared out once the permanent fixes for the problem Microsoft June patches have been distributed by Microsoft and tested by IBM.

_____________________________________________

Issue: The CWS/CMS application generates a 29956 error in certain situations when attempting to make a call to Word documents. This error prevents the user from data input as part of normal workflow processes.

Cause: Microsoft has confirmed that the issue has been caused by Microsoft’s June 2026 update (released on June 9, 2026), specifically the KB5094126 installation on Windows 11 desktops. Microsoft has confirmed this issue is present for multiple customers.

Workaround Solution: A temporary workaround from Microsoft is to uninstall KB5094126 on impacted systems. A permanent fix is expected to be released by Microsoft within the next few days.

Note: This issue and workaround does not apply to the Dedicated County workstations. The June 2026 Microsoft patch KB5094126 was not yet installed on the Dedicated County workstations.

Action Required

Co-Existent Counties that installed the June 2026 updates from Microsoft should, as a temporary workaround, uninstall patch KB5094126 from their workstations, until Microsoft provides a permanent fix.

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

We are pleased to introduce the new CWS-CARES On-Demand Learning (Enablement) Dashboards. Designed to provide visibility into training progress across the CWS-CARES platform, these tools empower both individual learners and management to track enablement milestones effectively.

A comprehensive step-by-step navigation guide is attached.

There are two distinct dashboards within the system:

1. Individual Dashboards (My Assigned Learning)

This feature allows individual users to track their training progress from high-level statuses (On Track, Overdue, Not Started) down to overall program completion percentages and granular, lesson-level details. Views include Assigned Learning Status, Learning Completed by [Enablement] Program, and Learning Completed by Lesson.

Additionally, users may disregard "Completed Late" or “Overdue” designations, as an update is in progress to consolidate all finished coursework under a single "Completed" status.

Access Links:

• Training Environment Individual Dashboard Link
• Production Simulation Individual Dashboard Link

2. County Level Dashboard (Supervisor – Assigned Enablement Programs) 

This enables supervisors and leadership to monitor overall completion rates and proactively offer support where needed. Key Capabilities include filtering completion metrics by County or Organization and Program Name. Dashboard fields such as Total Allocated Completion Days, Actual Completion Days, and Active Days in Progress measure calendar durations (e.g., the span of days between assignment and completion). They represent overall timeline progression rather than actual hours or active time spent training within the system. 

Access Links: 

• Training Environment - Supervisor Dashboard Link 

• Production Simulation - Supervisor Dashboard Link 

Users must have access to the Training Environment (CARES 104) to access the corresponding “Training Environment” dashboard links. Expanded Training Environment access will be rolled out broadly next week.  

As communicated on July 13, all published Enablement Programs have been automatically assigned to all users in the Prod Sim (CARES 100) environment. Consequently, staff may see courses on their dashboard that fall outside their specific role.  

Please be aware that the two tracking dashboards operate independently and do not cross-reference data with one another. Completion status or progress reflected on one dashboard will not automatically sync or cross-populate on the other. 

Users do not need to complete every assigned course. Staff are advised to understand their role's published Learning Path and work with their supervisor or training coordinator to confirm required modules and adjust enrollments accordingly. Learning Paths and other supporting materials may be accessed on the CWS-CARES V1 Training.

Enablement Dashboard Access & Core Features 

Users can access the Enablement Program Dashboard directly within the CARES 104 training environment via the Salesforce App Launcher (Waffle icon) under Dashboards > All Folders > Enablement Program Dashboard. 

Individual progress tracking features three views that track high-level status (Not Started, On Track, Overdue), overall program completion rates, and granular, lesson-by-lesson progress. 

Supervisor dashboard & filtering allows leadership to monitor team-wide progress with customizable filters for County and CWS-CARES Program Name, displaying key metrics such as user contact info, completion percentages, total allocated days, and days in progress. 

There are also reporting and export capabilities. Users and supervisors can expand widgets, refresh live data, and export report details (formatted or raw data) directly from any dashboard widget for further analysis. 

Thank you for your continued engagement as we work to support CWS-CARES user readiness and across all counties and organizations. 

If you have questions or need assistance, please contact your training coordinator or CWDS Training. 

Action Required

We request that all CWS-CARES SPOCs and Implementation Coordinators distribute this communication to all staff impacted by CWS-CARES, at their discretion.

All Pilot County RFA Implementation Coordinators and SPOCs:

The CWS-CARES team has scheduled maintenance activity for the CWS-CARES production environment for Sunday, August 2, 2026, beginning at 9:00 PM and concluding at 11:59 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. However, document related functionality 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 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:

The CARES-Live team has scheduled monthly Infrastructure maintenance for Thursday, July 30, 2026, from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. During this scheduled maintenance, the CARES-Live team will deploy infrastructure updates, and security patches that are not visible to users of CARES-Live.

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 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.

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

To prepare users for Instructor-Led Training (ILT), access to the CWS-CARES Training Environment (CARES 104) will be provisioned in a phased approach beginning tomorrow, July 29, 2026. Early access is being provided so users can confirm their login and complete any required account setup before ILT begins. Users will receive notification emails with required actions according to the following schedule: 

Provisioning Schedule 

Wednesday, July 29, 2026 

• Los Angeles County 
• Napa County 
• Santa Barbara County 

Tuesday, August 4, 2026 

•  All remaining counties, tribes, probation agencies, and CDSS 

As noted in prior communications, county-specific rollout messages will not be sent; impacted users will receive the system-generated onboarding emails only. 

Action Required: Complete Onboarding Steps to Confirm Access 

Users will receive two system-generated onboarding emails. Complete the steps below immediately to ensure access is confirmed before ILT begins: 

1. “Welcome to CWS CARES” from no-reply-test@cares.cwds.ca.gov (Okta) 

• Integrated counties/organizations: this email confirms access has been granted. No action required.  
• Non-integrated counties/organizations (new or reactivated users): click the link to set your password. The link expires in 7 days for new users and 1 day for reactivated users.  

2. “Finish changing your Salesforce account’s email address” from QA_SUPPORT@salesforce.com  

• Sent only to users in counties implementing email domain changes. Click the verification link within 72 hours to confirm the change.  

Prior to ILT: Continue Using the Production Simulation Environment (CARES 100) 

The Training Environment (CARES 104) should be used only for guided ILT activities per your county’s training schedule. Early access is provided to confirm login and complete setup only — not for practice, exploration, or workflow activities.  

To continue preparing for ILT, organizations should continue using the Production Simulation environment (CARES 100) to: 

• Build system familiarity

• Complete OnDemand learning modules 

• Continue pre-ILT readiness activities* 

* Users who have already completed Self-Paced Training prerequisites in the Training Environment (CARS 104) are not expected to complete them again. 

Thank you for your ongoing collaboration as we prepare for statewide ILT. 

Action Required:

Complete onboarding steps once your orgaization receives access to the Training Environment (CARES 104). 

 If you have any questions, need clarification, or have any accessibility issues, please contact Customer Relations. 

Security Protocols for Prod Sim Case Data

The Prod Sim environment contains converted CWS/CMS cases reflecting actual system data as of April 17th; because this includes real, sensitive 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 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.