To all SPOCs and Training Coordinators:

The CWDS Project is ready to rollout CARES 2.6 statewide and has decided on a phased implementation approach. CARES 2.6 includes the re-release of Child Welfare History Snapshot (Snapshot) with feature enhancements to improve search results and the user experience. As described below, there are a total of four (4) Phases with three (3) Waves included in Phase 4. Please pay close attention to the “Important Notes” below which describes the process for getting users access to Snapshot during the statewide rollout. Also below is information about Snapshot training sessions.

Phase 1:

On September 7, 2019 CARES 2.6 was released to 34 users, all of which are Intake Digital Service Core Constituent Representatives (Butte, Fresno, Los Angeles, Orange, Ventura, and Yolo) .

Phase 2:

On September 16, 2019, CARES 2.6 was released to additional users in the Phase 1 organizations (Orgs).

These first two (2) phases allowed CWDS an opportunity to return Snapshot back to Intake Digital Service Core Constituents, as this is the group that previously had Snapshot back in November 2018. The CWDS Project is now ready to release Snapshot beyond the Intake group.

Phase 3:
Phase 3 will be released on September 30, 2019 to identified users in the remaining CWDS Core Constituents (Merced, Sacramento, San Francisco, San Joaquin, Shasta, and three (3) CDSS Divisions: Administration, Children and Family Services Division (CFSD), and Community Care Licensing Division (CCLD)).

Phase 4:

Phase 4 includes all remaining Orgs and the rollout will be conducted in 3 Waves. A number of factors were taken into consideration when assigning the remaining Orgs to a wave, including estimated user counts and the number of Orgs in each wave. Please note that the go-live dates are scheduled one week apart.

Train the Trainer (TTT) training sessions will be held October 3, October 10, and October 15, 2019. TTT will include a scenario-based live demo, including the review of OCM and training material. TTT Training registration details will be announced soon. Please refer to the CWDS Implementation Portal at https://cwscms.osi.ca.gov/Portal to access the CARES 2.6 training materials. The CARES 2.6 Snapshot Job Aid was posted September 6, 2019. A Snapshot Demo Video will be added to the portal before the end of September. The CWDS Implementation Team is excited to work with all organizations on preparing for go-live dates and post go-live implementation efforts!

Action Required

Please share this information with County staff. For any questions regarding Cares 2.6 and the various phases of release please contact the CWDS Implementation Team via e-mail at CWDSImplementation@osi.ca.gov

On April 5 the CWS-CARES Implementation Training Team held a pilot train-the-trainer session for a group of Intake Core County Trainers at CWDS Headquarters. Participants included training coordinators from Butte, Fresno and Ventura counties. The 4-hour course provided an opportunity to enhance user relevance through County feedback and review of the CWS-CARES training approach and materials. The feedback collected at this session will be used to refine the training materials and provide the best learning experience for all CWS-CARES users. For more information on training and implementation activities, visit the Digital Services Implementation Portal.


 

As the project gets ready for Snapshot to roll out to core counties in upcoming months, CWS-CARES has assigned Implementation Leads to each region. Implementation Leads will provide hands-on support to help counties and other stakeholders prepare to use the new system. For this Snapshot release, each Implementation Lead will work with a region to help guide stakeholders through the key activities, prepare for training and act as a liaison between counties and the project. All of our Implementation Leads will be working together and sharing information across regions for a holistic statewide view on implementation activities.  For more information, please visit the Digital Services Implementation Portal. 

The CWDS Implementation Team is preparing for Snapshot, the first major CWS-CARES release. This tool allows staff to search CWS/CMS data for people and their past child welfare history. The team hosted a series of web conferences in January to kick off implementation activities with the State, county, and tribe organizations. These important sessions covered an overview of the Snapshot tool, logistics of the rollout, implementation services provided to organizations, key contacts and resources, next steps, and a brief Q&A. Ten regional sessions were conducted. Invitees included staff from the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), county directors, SPOCs, technical contacts, and trainers. Implementation Leads (IL) will prepare stakeholders for this change and serve as liaisons for the project. Stay tuned for more updates by subscribing to our newsletter and following us on social media.