REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 23, 2026
FROM
JEANY GLASGOW, Director, Children and Family Services
SUBJECT
Title t
Non-Financial Memorandum of Understanding with the California Health and Human Services Agency, Office of Technology and Solutions Integration
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
1. Approve non-financial Memorandum of Understanding, including non-standard terms, between the California Health and Human Services Agency, Office of Technology and Solutions Integration and Children and Family Services for client data sharing between the Child Welfare Services - California Automated Response and Engagement System and the San Bernardino County Juvenile Network, effective upon execution by all parties and continuing for five years unless amended or terminated earlier by either party.
2. Authorize the Assistant Executive Officer or Director of the Children and Family Services to execute any subsequent non-substantive amendments, on behalf of the County, in relation to the Memorandum of Understanding, subject to review by County Counsel.
3. Direct the Director of Children and Family Services to transmit any subsequent non-substantive amendments to the Memorandum of Understanding to the Clerk of the Board of Supervisors within 30 days of execution.
(Presenter: Jeany Glasgow, Director, 658-1181)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Foster Sustainable Development Through Strategic Partnerships.
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Approval of this item will not result in the use of Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost), as the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the California Health and Human Services Agency, Office of Technology and Solutions Integration (CalHHS OTSI) is non-financial in nature.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
The State of California’s CalHHS OTSI is a collaboration of California State and local government agencies that support our shared stakeholders through technology to assure the safety, permanency, and wellbeing of children at risk of abuse, neglect, or exploitation.
The CalHHS OTSI is responsible for 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), which will replace CWS/CMS. CWS-CARES is the new system that is being developed for California to comply with Comprehensive Child Welfare Information System requirements. From June 2022 through April 2026, CWS-CARES Version 1 was in the design, development, and validation stages. All counties will participate in the Production Simulation from May 2026 through October 2026 in preparation for the CWS-CARES Version 1 go-live at the end of October 2026. The CalHHS OTSI is 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.
State of California Assembly Bill 1603, section 26, updated the Welfare and Institutions Code to declare that the "CWS-CMS”, now known as the CWS-CARES, is the most important system in the state for child welfare services staff to ensure the safety and wellbeing of California’s children. The same legislation requires the CalHHS OTSI, as the entity comprised of the California Department of Social Services and the Office of Systems Integration, in collaboration with the County Welfare Directors Association, to deliver monthly reports and convene a regularly scheduled quarterly forum.
The Superior Court of California, County of San Bernardino, Juvenile Division (Court) is the only county in California currently using the Juvenile Network (JNET). JNET is an integrated inter-departmental case management system designed to track and manage juveniles and their associated cases as they move through the juvenile justice system and it maintains client data for the Court. Since August 1998, JNET has supported the Juvenile Courts and multiple County departments including the District Attorney, Probation, the Public Defender, Children and Family Services (CFS), and County Counsel. JNET interfaces with the CWS/CMS system for coordinated tracking of children, youth, and young adults involved in the juvenile justice system, while the CWS-CARES system supports case management for child welfare services. Together, these systems are integral to automating foster care eligibility determinations, reducing manual data entry, improving data accuracy, and enhancing the ability to generate reports and respond to child welfare needs efficiently. The MOU allows the exchange of confidential client data between CWS-CARES and JNET to support these functions.
The Court has found that data sharing between the Court and CFS aids in the identification of families at risk for child abuse or neglect and will promote the prevention, identification, management, and treatment of child abuse.
The MOU includes terms that differ from the standard County contract and omits certain County standard contract terms. The non-standard and missing terms include the following:
1. The MOU does not adhere to the County’s insurance standards as required pursuant to County Policy 11-07.
• The County Policy requires partner agencies to carry appropriate insurance at limits and under conditions determined by the County’s Risk Management Department.
• Potential Impact: The MOU does not include County standard insurance requirements. The County has no assurance that the CalHHS OTSI will be financially responsible for claims that may arise under the MOU, which could result in expenses to the County.
2. The MOU does not require the CalHHS OTSI to indemnify the County, as required by County Policies 11-05 and 11-07.
• The County standard contract indemnity provision requires the contractor to indemnify, defend, and hold County harmless from third party claims arising out of the acts, errors, or omissions of any person.
• Potential Impact: The CalHHS OTSI is not required to defend, indemnify, or hold the County harmless from any claims, including indemnification for claims arising from the CalHHS OTSI’s negligent or intentional acts. If the County is sued for any claim, the County may be solely liable for the costs of defense and damages.
CFS recommends approval of the MOU, including non-standard terms, as it authorizes the County to exchange data between the JNET and the CWS-CARES, and will reduce duplicate entries, streamline workflows, and minimize the volume of inquiries to staff by enabling timely, accurate, and automated data sharing.
This item also requests authorization for the Assistant Executive Officer or the Director of CFS to execute any subsequent non-substantive amendments on behalf of the County, subject to review by County Counsel. The request for approval of the delegation of authority is due to the CalHHS OTSI ’s short turnaround time for receipt of fully executed agreements and amendments.
PROCUREMENT
Not applicable.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Human Services (Lisa Rivas-Ordaz, Contracts Manager, 388-0222) on May 12, 2026; County Counsel (Daniella V. Hernandez, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on June 4, 2026; Risk Management, (Stephanie Pacheco, Staff Analyst II, 386-8555) on June 5, 2026; Innovation and Technology Department (Don Le, Interim Chief Information Officer, 388-5500) on June 4, 2026; and County Finance and Administration (John Hallen, Principal Administrative Analyst, 388-0208) on June 4, 2026.