This funding will help continue work on the Child Welfare Services—California Automated Response and Engagement System (CWS-CARES) and CARES-Live. According to a budget change proposal from January 10, the funding will support the replacement of an outdated system called the Child Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS), which has been in use since 1997. The current system doesn’t meet federal or state regulations, affecting around 30,000 workers—including county, tribal, and state employees.
The main aim is to create a compliant California Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System (CCWIS). This new system will focus on the needs of local child welfare staff and align with legal requirements to phase out CWS/CMS.
The Child Welfare Digital Services project is a collaboration among the California Department of Social Services, OTSI, the County Welfare Directors Association, and 58 local child welfare agencies and tribal partners.
Currently, the project employs 96 permanent staff—86 through OTSI, funded at $15.8 million, and ten within CDSS, funded at $1.9 million, alongside the request for three more positions.
The budget proposal outlines costs for hardware, software, and licenses, totaling about $60 million. Most of this budget, $48.3 million, would be allocated for Salesforce licenses. Other vendors mentioned include Okta, OwnBackup, and Snowflake.
Additionally, the proposal seeks $22.6 million for services related to processing IT contracts and executing purchase orders, which cover various operational costs for OTSI and CDSS in 2025-26.
