The state Office of Systems Integration (OSI)’s Child Welfare Digital Services (CWDS), which comes under the California Health and Human Services Agency, chose HHS Technology Group (HTG), based in Florida, for the project. Under the contract, which runs from Jan. 4 of this year through Oct. 3, 2022, HTG will be paid a total of $2.85 million for the work, which is characterized as “site reliability services” by the Financial Information System for California, a database of state procurement. The consulting contract was awarded competitively under California Multiple Award Schedules (CMAS).
CWDS describes its mission as “maintaining and operating the existing Child Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS) and the development of the Child Welfare Services – California Automated Response and Engagement System (CWS-CARES). We are dedicated to building a child welfare information system that responds to users’ needs while maintaining the best standards for security and data integrity to aid child welfare professionals in the vital assistance, oversight and case management of our most vulnerable populations.” CWDS is a joint project involving OSI, the California Department of Social Services, the state’s 58 counties and its tribes.
CARES-Live was launched in 2019 and serves about 420,000 people. In a news release about the contract award, HTG says CARES-Live “has greatly improved the state’s ability to serve at-risk children through automation and mobile technology, updating and streamlining key processes such as identity management, case and referral history review and facility search. Since its release, the system has seen steady growth in adoption, driven by demand for its tools that enhance user efficiency and effectiveness.”
HTG’s executive vice president of professional services, Tommy Swider, said in a news release: “To protect the safety of at-risk children, child welfare professionals need accurate and timely information to guide their decision-making on case management and referrals. We are proud to collaborate with CWDS to ensure the state’s vital applications continue to support California’s evolving child welfare programs and business processes.”
The company notes that this is HTG’s fourth contract dealing with CWDS. Previously, HTG provided software development services to CWDS using the agile software development life cycle as well as development and operations (DevOps) and database administration services.
Separately, OSI began a recruitment Tuesday for a director of technology (IT Manager II).
The director will head the IT group for the CWDS project and is responsible for the overall technology approach, strategic planning and implementation for the project and for ensuring alignment with CHHS, the California Department of Technology and other key stakeholders.
The director of technology will work closely on the CDWS project during planning, procurement, development and implementation, as well as maintenance and operations. The director will oversee all aspects of CWDS’ IT portfolio as well as “validate proposed solutions in the areas of IT platform, security infrastructure, digital services, cloud strategies and policies, and IT project intake of the CWDS project,” according to the job posting.
The position has a monthly salary range of $9,725 to $11,821, and the application deadline is Feb. 5.
