🏛️ Agency FAQs

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Estimated read time: 8 minutes

Overview

This article answers the most common questions we hear from Requesting Agencies as you learn how to use CarePortal to serve children and families well. You’ll find clear, simple guidance on who can submit requests, how responses work, what information is shared, and what to expect as you partner with local Churches.

Our goal is to help you feel confident and supported every step of the way as you enter needs, communicate with responders, and protect the families you serve.

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Intended audience

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This article answers:

1. Who does the CarePortal network serve?
2. Who can become a Requesting Agency?
3. How do I know if someone is interested in assisting?
4. How quickly should I expect a response?
5. How long do requests stay open for a response?
6. What type of information will be shared and stored?
7. Can Churches give money to the caseworker to purchase the items requested?
8. What happens when there are multiple responses from Churches?
9. What happens if a request is not fulfilled, or a Church does not respond?
10. Who has access to CarePortal?
11. How do I invite an Agency Worker to join CarePortal?
12. What should I expect when I'm invited to CarePortal?
13. How do I manage or update a team member's account?
14. Is there some kind of fraud prevention?
15. Is CarePortal secure?
16. Who follows up to make sure the request is fulfilled?
17. What types of needs can a request be made for?
18. Is CarePortal specifically for Christian Churches?

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1. Who does the CarePortal network serve?

CarePortal serves any child in crisis. Jesus cast the widest net of love, tearing down cultural biases and promoting radical, personal generosity and concern for those in need. With that example, CarePortal brings together diverse constituents — government Agencies, Churches, businesses, schools, and other ministries — to support children and families in crisis regardless of race, religion, gender, age, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, nationality, political leanings, etc. If we find that any of our partners are discriminating against the children and families they were meant to serve unconditionally, they will be removed from the network.

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2. Who can become a Requesting Agency?

1. The primary consideration is relevance to the spectrum of child welfare we present to our Church network (Prevention, Foster Care, Adoption, Aging-Out Youth). Our role is to connect Churches to local child welfare needs and to prevent them from being overwhelmed with needs not relevant to this work. This is the currency of trust we bring to the network. 
2. The second consideration is supply and demand — we can't have more requests being posted than the number of responding Churches can handle. 
3. The third is protecting the purpose statements. There are 10 purpose statements that guide what types of requests can be submitted. Learn more about purpose statements by Agency type: Child Welfare, Non-Profit, School, and Disaster Relief Agency.

If your Agency is a child-serving Agency with needs specific to coming alongside children in crisis, these three considerations will likely fit for you.

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3. How do I know if someone is interested in assisting?

If a Church member responds, the caseworker and/or Agency Rep will receive an email notification with next steps.

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4. How quickly should I expect a response?

As the caseworker or requesting partner, you can specify a timeframe ranging from 24 hours to 7–10 days. CarePortal depends on Church Leaders responding as soon as they can, and requesting partners doing the same.

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5. How long do requests stay open for a response?

It varies by the level of urgency established when posted. It's up to the caseworker to close the request as soon as the need is met.

• Normal need (within 7–10 days): You'll receive a reminder to close 14 days after posting and again at 28 days.
• High need: You'll receive a reminder to close 10 days after posting and again at 20 days.
• Emergency (within 24 hours): You'll receive a reminder to close 7 days after posting and again at 14 days.

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6. What type of information will be shared and stored?

Only non-confidential information should be shared through CarePortal. Request submissions should not include names, addresses, or any personally identifying information. Instead, a detailed description of the need, along with the ages and genders of children impacted, is typically all that's needed.

CarePortal prioritizes the confidentiality and privacy of every family served through our platform. CarePortal does not request or retain sensitive personally identifying information such as names, addresses, social security numbers, or other identifying details. Agency caseworkers should only submit the information needed for the vetted request.

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Important! Never include names, addresses, phone numbers, or any other personally identifying information in a request submission. If a submission contains PII, remove it before the request is shared with Churches.

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7. Can Churches give money to the caseworker to purchase the items requested?

No, a caseworker cannot accept cash or gift cards. Instead, the caseworker can connect the family directly with the Church Leader if they have a monetary need.

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Important! Caseworkers cannot accept cash or gift cards under any circumstances. If a family has a monetary need, connect them directly with the Church Leader.

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8. What happens when there are multiple responses from Churches?

The requesting partner can engage the Church that has first responded, or the most helpful response. When the need is met, the worker closes the request, and an email is sent to all Churches that originally engaged.

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9. What happens if a request is not fulfilled or a Church does not respond?

Sometimes, no one is able to meet the need. This is why the caseworker or requesting partner may also need to look into other forms of community support.

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10. Who has access to CarePortal?

There are three posting options for Requesting Agencies to select from, which determine who on the internal team can submit requests. Options range from every caseworker on staff to one specialized individual. On the Church side, each Church designates a Primary Point Person who receives CarePortal requests directly and distributes them to potential Responders.

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11. How do I invite an Agency Worker to join CarePortal?

Agency Reps, Admins, and Network Leaders can invite new users directly from the User Management Table — no workaround needed. This ensures every team member agrees to the Terms & Conditions before their account is created.

To invite a new user:

1. Go to the User Management Table and select Invite User.
2. Fill in the required fields and select Send Invite.
3. The invitation appears in the Invitations tab with the status "Pending."

You can track all pending invitations in the Invitations tab, which shows each user's name, email, invite date, who sent the invite, current status (Pending or In Progress), and expiration date. Agency invitations expire after 24 hours. If a user hasn't accepted in time, select Resend to send a new invitation or Revoke to cancel it.

Once the user accepts, they'll appear in the Users tab as an Agency Worker by default.

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Tip: Give the invitee a heads-up before you send the invite — Agency invitations expire after 24 hours, so they'll want to check their email promptly.

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12. What should I expect when I'm invited to CarePortal?

When someone invites you to CarePortal, you'll receive an email with a link to activate your account. Here's what to expect:

1. Select Accept Invite in the email.
2. Create a password that meets the validation requirements shown on screen.
3. Confirm your personal information — first name, last name, phone number, and extension — and agree to the Terms & Conditions.
4. You'll be redirected to your dashboard with the role you've been assigned.

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Tip: Don't see the email? Check your spam or junk folder. If it's not there, ask your Admin or Rep to resend the invitation.

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13. How do I manage or update a team member's account?

Keeping your team's information and roles current helps ensure the right people have the right access. Select Manage on any user's row in the User Management Table to open their detail page, where you can:

• Edit user information — Update first name, last name, phone number, or extension. Email addresses can't be edited by anyone. If the user has roles in other Agencies, their information can't be edited from your account; a message will explain why.
• Manage roles — Assign or remove the Agency Admin or Agency Rep role. Assigning the Agency Rep role requires at least one county to be assigned before saving. If a county has only one tier, it auto-assigns; if there are two or more tiers, you'll select them manually. You can add, edit, or remove counties at any time — just note that removing the last county requires either adding another or unselecting the Rep role first.
• Remove a user from the Agency — Select Remove from Agency on the user's detail page. Users with open requests can't be removed until those requests are closed. Once removed, the user no longer appears in the table, but their name and past requests remain visible on previously submitted records.

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Important! Users with open requests cannot be removed from the Agency until those requests are closed. Make sure all active requests are resolved before attempting to remove a user.

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14. Is there some kind of fraud prevention?

Only verified email addresses connected to our partner Agencies have access to submit a request. They must select their name from a dropdown menu (or add it with an approved address). Once a request is submitted, it goes through an internal Agency approval process before reaching Churches.

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15. Is CarePortal secure?

Yes, CarePortal is securely hosted using Amazon Web Services. The web server that hosts the CarePortal code is protected from the public internet by a load balancer and standard firewall. Administrative access to servers and data is limited to specific IPs over an encrypted connection using public key authentication. The database that stores all requests and user data is automatically encrypted and replicated across multiple availability zones to keep the data secure and backed up in real time. All user access uses encrypted SSL connections to keep data private in transit.

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16. Who follows up to make sure the request is fulfilled?

CarePortal is designed to open lines of communication. The outcomes are up to the Church ministry leaders to follow up with their Responders, and the caseworkers to respond in a timely manner. We do have volunteer coordinators available to assist the Church in getting as many needs met as possible.

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17. What types of needs can a request be made for?

Any needs submitted must fit one of the 10 purpose statements to accomplish a case plan goal for children and families in crisis. CarePortal has three tiers of need categories:

• Tier 1 — concrete goods and services. Examples: crib, clothing, professional services like exterminator, finances
• Tier 2 — engagement requiring a background check. Examples: tutoring, mentoring, substance abuse classes, supervised visit facilities, transportation for adults, babysitting
• Tier 3 — engagement requiring specialized training or a license. Examples: Safe Families, foster care, adoption

Tier 2 and Tier 3 typically launch in a county after Tier 1 has been running successfully for a certain amount of time. A Church would have to be approved to become a Tier 2 or Tier 3 official Church and would then recruit and vet Responders for those types of needs.

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18. Is CarePortal specifically for Christian Churches?

CarePortal is a Church and Community empowerment platform. It exists to mobilize Christian Churches that affirm they are consistent with the C.S. Lewis Foundation Statement of Faith, along with the Apostles' Creed, and the Community to care for vulnerable children and families in their own communities — together, stimulating life-changing relational connections in the process. The example and teachings of Jesus fuel everything we do. At the same time, CarePortal brings together diverse constituents — government Agencies, businesses, schools, and other faith-based ministries — to accomplish a shared mission of caring for vulnerable children and families. There is a place at the table for everyone. Our Church and Community focus is on the Child.

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Related articles:

• 🏛️ Agency Essential Reading
• 🏛️ Agency Protect the Trust Agreement
• 🌐 Adding, Editing, or Removing Agency Reps