TCOM CONVERSATIONS

Are You Ready for TCOM 2023?

2023 TCOM Conference Program Cover

You can feel it—a hum of energy that challenges all the hype around the town’s strongest cold brew. In less than a week, these somewhat predictable streets of downtown Lexington, Kentucky will be filled with innovators, thinkers, policymakers, and game-changers, their badges shiny and conversations full of hope and courage to create systems that care – What a great place to get inspired!

WORDS – “STAKEHOLDER”

WORDS by Dr. John Lyons

Today, I’m describing a word that you may want to remove from your vocabulary or at least be aware of when others might find it offensive.

Collaboration across frontiers: Explore the TCOM tools in the World

Small kid spinning globe with physical map of world

Have you ever wondered where in the world is our TCOM community? We have created this map that will serve as a central hub where users can discover the various TCOM Tools being used globally. It will constantly be updated as we keep growing and expanding our work together.

Embracing The Mess: Collaboration Is Really A Verb

A Picture of group of professionals Collaborating

Collaborative.  It’s a great adjective.  Four syllables.  Easy to say. Makes me feel good saying it. But, what does it mean to be collaborative?  How do I make it real?  Well, it starts by turning it into a verb.  To collaborate.  To purposefully and thoughtfully work with others in order to produce something. 

The19th Annual TCOM Conference

The 19th Annual TCOM Conference

The Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management (TCOM) conference is one of the most highly anticipated events in the population health industry, and we are thrilled to announce that registrations are now open for this year’s conference.

Introducing The TCOM Instagram

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Follow us on Instagram
(@TCOMchannel) to stay updated on
our latest news, events, and behind
the scenes content! Don’t forget to
like and comment on our posts to
show your support.

WORDS – “Apothegm”

TCOM

WORDS “Since the IPH Center team is mostly remote, I look for different ways to stay connected and help build a culture. One small attempt is by sharing a word — often obscure — but with some relevance to our work.”  — Dr. John Lyons Apothegm When we use an apothegm to guide how we […]

World Autism Awareness Month: Changing Lives One Person at a Time 

World Autism Awareness Month: Changing Lives One Person at a Time

When I first learned about autism in 1999, my college textbook gave me exactly two paragraphs about a “disorder” that was estimated to be as prevalent as 1 in every 1000 individuals in the US. Today autism is considered as prevalent as 1 in every 37 individuals.

Teaming and Connectedness

Picture of a Chicago Symphony Orchestra

The IPH Center is developing a program of research on teaming to seek to understand team cohesion and effectiveness better. If you work in a team environment, could you take a few minutes to complete our survey?

WORDS – “Risibility”

TCOM

“Since the IPH Center team is mostly remote, I look for different ways to stay connected and help build a culture. One small attempt is by sharing a word — often obscure — but with some relevance to our work.”

“What IPH?” Seminar – Can a horse be even more effective than a therapist?

Dr. Kimberly I. Tumlin standing next to a beautiful horse

Our next guest at “What IPH?” Seminar, Dr. Kimberly I. Tumlin, assistant professor at the University of Kentucky, will explore these possibilities in a very interesting conversation with our program facilitator, Dr. John Lyons, professor and the director of the Center for Innovation in Population Health at the University of Kentucky.

Dialogues with Data

Connecting the Dots YouTube Live Series

We are pleased to announce the second episode of Connecting the Dots “Dialogues with Data” with our guest speaker Dr. Scott Fairhurst of the Pacific Clinics.

International Direct Care Summit Keynote

Picture of Michael Call,Ph.d. Smiling, and the text reads " 2023 International Direct Care Summit. The Scince of Safty: Applications for Direct Care Leaders Presenting MIchael Cll,Ph.D. February 1, 2023 - 7-8 AM(CT)

Organizations that apply safety science to behavioral health, mental health, and other supportive services improve the safety, reliability, and effectiveness of their work.

eQIP

Logo of eQIp: A hiker looking at a Map, with text reading Alternative Pathways

The Families First legislation created the role of the Qualified Individual (QI) to serve as an independent gatekeeper for placement in Qualified Residential Treatment Programs (QRTP).

A New Year, A New Blog!

a person is typing using a typewriter

The blog has been a collaborative space intended to spark meaningful conversations, promote engagement, and provide a common location for sharing ideas, resources and events with all members of the International TCOM community.

Our New Live Series – Connecting The Dots

Connecting the Dots YouTube Live Series

We are pleased to announce the launch of the first series of our IPH Center Live events, “Connecting the Dots: The Making of Meaningful Metrics”. This live video podcast will be an in-depth, and broadly accessible, exploration of innovative approaches for translating assessment data into meaningful metrics across the helping professions.

Upcoming Events: Youth Centered Care and Public Health

The 2022 TCOM Conference is the biggest event hosted by the Praed Foundation and the TCOM Team every year. This event typically has anywhere from 300 – 550 people in attendance each year. For this year’s conference, we will be hosting in-person presentations in New Orleans, LA at the JW Marriott New Orleans from September 21 – 23, 2022. We will also host our 3rd annual virtual Cloud Gathering from September 26 – 27, 2022 on the Webex Virtual Platform. To gear up for this event, we invite you to meet some of the faces that will be at this year’s TCOM Conference.

Call for Poster Abstracts for the 2022 TCOM Conference

People reviewing research posters

We’re happy to announce that we are now accepting poster abstracts for the upcoming September TCOM Conference.
Posters at the 2022 TCOM Conference provide an opportunity for TCOM Collaborative members to share their insights and work surrounding Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management (TCOM) and TCOM Tools (e.g. CANS, ANSA, FAST, SSIT, CAT, RISE, etc.). If you have a topic unrelated to TCOM, you may still submit your abstract for review.

Making & Strengthening Connections: Strength Building Through Relationships

gray metal hand railings

Social connections are positive relationships that provide emotional, informational, instrumental as well as spiritual support. The building of social connections has endless possibilities connected with transformational care planning. Collaborative solutions can develop when there are increased connections and relationships with others connected to an individual’s community. Strengthening connections often initiate a ‘rippling effect’, leading to increases in bonding relationships, recreational activities, and natural supports at all levels: individual, family, and community.

2022 TCOM Conference: New Virtual Ticket Pricing + Early Bird Ending Soon

cars parked on the roadside near city buildings

2022 TCOM Conference attendees: We encourage you to go ahead and book your tickets and room now, as Early Bird (30% discount) pricing will be ending July 10, 2022. The 2-Day Cloud Gathering TCOM Conference ticket pricing has been discounted by more than 50% off. Now virtual ticket pricing has been adjusted from $90/ticket to $40/ticket. We are excited to see you there!

Are You A Change Maker, Change Embracer, Change Resistor?

The Praed Foundation recently explored how people change through a new podcast, “Shift Shift Bloom!”.
Through the podcast, we examined how people change, why they change, and how people sustain the changes that are most important to them in their everyday lives.
The ten-episode first season featured guests who consider themselves in one of three categories: change-makers, change embracers, or resistors of change. The guests on the podcast offered their personal stories of change, with themes of transgender identity (Jordan Constantine), fighting racism in historically racist institutions, (Dr. De Lacy D. Davis), child abuse survivor to advocate (Juliana Barton), and many more.

The TCOM Channel is Now a YouTube Partner

As many of you know, the IPH Center at the University of Kentucky and the Praed Foundation have created ‘The TCOM Channel’ on YouTube to facilitate improved communications about the good work happening in the international TCOM collaborative. Because of your interest and support, The TCOM Channel has become one of the 25% of the more than 500 million existing YouTube channels that has been successfully monetized. The TCOM Channel is now a YouTube Partner.

TCOM Training Session | Workshop Event

people having business meeting together

The Praed Foundation will be hosting 2 virtual workshops. The first workshop, the 2-Day TCOM Orientation, will focus on the Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management (TCOM) philosophy, and the TCOM Tools (CANS, ANSA, FAST). The 2nd workshop hosted in July 2022 is a Certified Trainer Training, which will focus on creating training materials that represent the core concepts of communimetrics and the TCOM framework.

Hierarchies of Understanding & Need for Collaboration: Transformation on Person & Population Levels (2/2)

purple and blue abstract wallpaper

In the first part of this blog, Ken McGill talked about how a whole-person approach requires a broader perspective of “needs” and how collaboration is required for transformation at the individual and systems level. In part 2, Ken continues to discuss how this can be achieved. He focuses on how human complexities require collaborative solutions, and how it takes a team to heal a village.

Hierarchies of Understanding & Need for Collaboration: Transformation on Person & Population Levels (1/2)

purple and blue abstract wallpaper

Ken McGill discusses how the TCOM framework comprise a whole-person approach, and how the TCOM tools can be used to support a whole-person understanding of those we serve. He discusses the importance in understanding a person’s needs and strengths. He conceptualizes a more broad view of need through “Hierarchies of Understanding” and how the next step in Systems of Care is to ensure that collaboration efforts are strong enough to meet not only Maslow’s pyramid of needs, but also needs outside of the individuals and families.

Resiliency | TCOM Podcast

person rock climbing

We are introducing both Michele McFadden and Cynthia Alpan, who were recently featured on the new TCOM podcast, “shift, shift…Bloom!“. Michele is a survivor of a hit-and-run accident where she was left with a traumatic brain injury. Cynthia is a financial advisor in Lebanon, a country that is struggling through one of the worst financial crises the world has ever seen. This podcast examines how people change, and to do this, we ask individuals who consider themselves change-makers, change embracers or change resistors to share their personal stories of transformation.

Ask A TCOM Trainer | New YouTube Series

clear light bulb placed on chalkboard

We have started a new series, “Ask A TCOM Trainer” on our TCOM YouTube Channel. TCOM trainers from the Center for Innovation in Population Health and guests from across the TCOM world will weigh in on the topics that matter most to our community. Our goal with this series is to help people understand the TCOM tools and framework, and how TCOM can make a positive impact on others.

Power of Transformation | Juliana Barton

Woods with sunlight shining through

Our TCOM Podcast, “Shift, Shift, Bloom” shared part 2/2 of our interview with Juliana Barton. Juliana’s story of chronic abuse in her family was followed by a series of experiences with apathy and ineffectiveness in child welfare and public health care systems. Despite the challenges of dealing with flawed systems, Juliana was able to rise above them. Her story of resilience and working to give back to the systems that failed her and her family is as noble as it is tragic. We think her story will give you pause, but also it will give you hope and inspiration. Please join us in our journey to understand how people change.

What If Homelessness Was Not Just About Housing, But Also About Trauma Recovery?

You’re invited to attend a free seminar by the Center for Innovation in Population Health. This webinar will focus on the topic, “What if homelessness was not just about housing, but also about trauma recovery?”. Dr. Sarah Ascienzo and Dr. Natalie Pope will be discussing their innovative research surrounding homelessness. They will discuss their participants’ challenges they encountered when trying to free themselves from reoccurring homelessness. This topic could not be discussed without talking about their trauma.

Overcoming Adversity with Dr. De Lacy Davis | TCOM Champion

We will be starting a new series in which we highlight past TCOM award winners (TCOM Champions) for their work in the TCOM community. At the 2020 TCOM Conference, De Lacy Davis, EdD, won the TCOM Family Advocate Champion Award for his inspiring leadership in ensuring parents receive the help they need. Dr. Davis was also a keynote for the virtual 2021 TCOM Conference. He is the Director for the Family Support Organization of Union County and the Executive Director for the New Jersey Alliance of Family Support Organizations. He is also the founder and still leading the organization, Black Cops Against Police Brutality.

Children’s Health & Mental Wellbeing: Whole-Person Approach | Event

Just like physical health, mental health in childhood focuses on reaching developmental and emotional milestones, learning healthy social skills as well as how to cope when there are difficult situations. An important goal for all children is for them to be both physically and mentally healthy, so that they can have a positive quality of life-functioning well at home, in school, and in their communities. It is important that we remember that physical health is not just the absence of illness & disease and mental health is not simply the absence of a mental disorder.

The People Behind The Transformational Stories

Butterfly

We are introducing both Jordan Constantine and Rachel Faller, who were recently featured on the new TCOM podcast, “shift, shift…Bloom!”. This podcast examines how people change, and to do this, we ask individuals who consider themselves change makers, change embracers or change resistors to share their personal stories of transformation.

The TCOM Podcast: All About How People Change

The newly launched TCOM podcast, “shift, shift…Bloom!”, examines how people change, why they change, and how they sustain the changes that are most important to them in their everyday lives. The ten-episode first season features guests who consider themselves change makers and change embracers as well as those who identify as resistors of change — we’re all somewhere on that spectrum in different domains of our lives, aren’t we? You may listen to “shift, shift…Bloom!” on any platform you get your podcasts.

Data is Not a 4-Letter Word: A Clinician’s View of What It Really Is

Ken McGill shares his thoughts on utilizing data to drive care. Using the phrase, “Data is not a 4-letter word”, he hopes that this will spark meaningful conversation explaining TCOM to not only those in the behavioral and mental health field, but in all systems of care in which we connect with people.

International TCOM Day

groundhog

Happy TCOM Day to all and Happy Ground Hog Day as well. Ground Hog Day is a great time to celebrate the TCOM (Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management) work that we do. We think of Ground Hog Day as the official holiday of TCOM. Celebrate our International TCOM Day by subscribing to the TCOM YouTube Channel, get started on your recertification in the TCOM Tools, submit a proposal for our annual conference, or just reminding yourself of what the TCOM work is all about.

Research Opportunity: Teaming & Connectedness

Dr. John Lyons and Dr. Elizabeth Riley are initiating a program of research on effective teaming as a part of the IPH Center’s focus on collaboration. If you work in a team environment, we’d like to get your perspective and learn from your experience. The survey generally takes less than 10 minutes to complete. Thanks for considering participating.

Want to Work with the TCOM Team?

Join us at the Center for Innovation in Population Health! We are expanding and will soon be accepting applications for various positions. Our team provides training, research, and implementation support for organizations that utilize the Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management (TCOM) framework. This framework is primarily used in systems of care, such as child welfare, behavioral health, juvenile justice, and other complex systems.

Oregon’s Role in the National Partnership for Child Safety

5 children looking towards camera, arms around one another, smiling

Oregon Department of Human Services, along with 26 other jurisdictions, has shown their commitment to improving their child welfare systems by joining the National Partnership for Child Safety (NPCS). NPCS brings a public health and safety science approach to reducing child abuse and neglect.

Michael Cull, one of our Center’s Associate Directors and an Associate Professor for the University of Kentucky College of Public Health, was invited to participate in an interview with Jefferson Public Radio to discuss Oregon’s role in the National Partnership for Child Safety.

2022 TCOM Conference: Call for Proposals

We invite those interested in presenting to submit their proposal to present at the 18th Annual TCOM Conference. The theme of the 2022 TCOM Conference is “Managing Change and All That Jazz”. The Call for Proposals will remain open until February 28, 2022. You may submit your proposal using our Call for Proposal form. 

And the Medallion Scavenger Hunt Winner is…

During the 2021 TCOM Conference, Community Data Roundtable (CDR) and the Praed Foundation hosted a virtual conference-wide scavenger hunt. Attendees sought out horse-themed medallions with TCOM keywords for a chance to win a fabulous prize. Community Data Roundtable Executive Director, Dan “Spielberg” Warner, put together a video highlighting the winner, Dr. Arabellys Hidalgo, of The New York Foundling, receiving her prize.

Want to be a (Heuristic) Hero?

Each month, the TCOM Team will be exploring a heuristic through the TCOM lens, which we will promote on our recently launched YouTube channel, The TCOM Channel. Our eyes will be on heuristics that are intended to help people improve their person-centered helping processes.

TCOM Safe System Team Assists in National Partnership for Child Safety

Family of 4 walking down street

Michael Cull, PhD, and his team at the Center for Innovation in Population Health, will join in leading the technical assistance efforts for the newly-formed National Partnership for Child Safety (NPCS). NPCS was formed by child welfare leaders in an effort to improve child safety and realign child welfare toward a more preventative child and family well-being system.

What If You Could Find Your Ideal Psychotherapy Treatment Before Seeing a Therapist?

The What IPH (if) Seminar Series, hosted by the Center for Innovation in Population Health, present innovative ideas that can apply to the public health space. Matt Southward, Ph.D., Postdoctoral Research Scholar in the Department of Psychology at the UK, presents his latest personalization treatment findings and how well these precision medicine models work to predict a patient’s best course of treatment from the beginning.

Let’s Recap: 2021 TCOM Conference

We would like to thank everyone who attended and participated in this year’s 2021 TCOM Conference. This year, we made the choice to transition our Conference from a hybrid to virtual event due to the increase numbers of COVID-19. In this, we were still able to have an engaging and collaborative event for the 17th Annual TCOM Conference. Here is a brief recap of the event.

2021 TCOM Conference: What to Expect

The 17th Annual TCOM Conference will take place October 6-8, 2021. Now that we have switched our format to entirely virtual, here are some items to expect for our virtual event.

The Need for TCOM-365, Not Just 3 Days

TCOM-365 will actively support the work of those who have attended conferences in the past, who will attend this year, and those who may have never have the opportunity to attend the actual event. We will be bringing TCOM worldwide through our transformative collaborations.

Moving Virtually – 2021 TCOM Conference

After careful discussion and consideration, the TCOM Team has decided to move the 17th Annual TCOM Conference, scheduled for October 6 – 8, 2021, to a solely virtual format. This decision was not made without significant deliberation.

TCOM Conference’s COVID-19 Health Policy 

To assure the optimal safety of all attendees, this year’s TCOM Conference in Lexington will require either evidence of full vaccination OR a negative PCR test for COVID-19 within 72 hours (3 days) prior to in-person conference check-in at the hotel. We will follow CDC guidelines regarding masks and social distancing during the conference.

Safety Culture and Child Welfare with Vermont

Just like in aviation and the nuclear industry, child welfare is a safety critical industry and high stakes high consequence decisions are made every day by child welfare workers and caregivers. Dr. Michael Cull, Associate Director for the Center for Innovation in Population Health (IPH Center), was recently interviewed in Welcome to the Field, a […]

10 Seconds to Make a Difference – National Be Someone Day

The mission of the TCOM community has always been to elevate the shared vision of the people and the communities that serve them. We believe that every day we can play a part in helping improve the lives of the children, families and adults we serve.  That being said, today is “National Be Someone Day”.

Pre-Conference Vignette-A-Thon

Black typewriter

We are announcing a vignette-a-thon, an event to allow us to expand our pool of potential vignettes in areas where they are most needed. Submit a vignette that meets the mentioned criteria (per our review), and you’ll receive a discount on next year’s conference registration. Come to the conference this year and you’ll receive prizes for submissions during our social hour.

LIVE NOW: Registration for 2021 TCOM Conference

Registration for the 17th Annual TCOM Conference is now available. This year, experts and professionals throughout the field will gather to focus upon a theme of “Getting A Leg-Up on TCOM,” in Lexington, Kentucky-October 6-8, 2021. Through the TCOM Conference, we build momentum to serve youth & families in equitable and transformative ways. We hope that you will join us.

TCOM Certified Trainer Training

We are hosting a virtual workshop June 16 – 17, 2021 for those that are interested in being a certified Trainer in either the ANSA or CANS. Deadline to register is June 9, 2021.

Italy’s 5th TCOM Conference

Italy’s 5th TCOM Conference will present the implementation of CANS tools in Italy and in the United States for the promotion of collaborative practices oriented to outcome evaluation. In the US, about 80% of children and adolescents in care of mental health services receive an assessment through CANS. In Italy, there are about 1000 trained operators, 80 agencies involved, 7 interinstitutional research projects, and others still in the planning phase. During the training days, reflections will be presented starting from clinical research conducted with the use of the instruments of the CANS family, and the operators will be confronted with the usefulness, strengths and limits and possible future developments of this innovative approach.

Have a Moment?

As TCOM has grown, so have the members of the community we serve. We understand that continued communication with the TCOM Collaborative and understanding who you are is an important part in our goal to continue to connect and collaborate with you. That’s why we have created an audience survey, and would appreciate your participation.

ACRC: 65th Annual Conference

The Association of Children’s Residential Centers is seeking presentations for its 65th Annual Conference, to be held August 3-6, 2021, in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The ACRC is seeking abstract submissions from presenters willing to present live: in-person, virtually, or in either format. They also offer a robust poster presentation session both in person and virtually. The deadline to submit a proposal will be Friday, April 30, 2021.

Saw Han Quah, Ph.D.

Saw Han Quah is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice in Singapore. For the past 20 years, Saw Han has worked with children, young persons and their parents in relation to child protection, juvenile crime and family issues. Prior to private practice, Saw Han worked as a Principal Clinical Psychologist and Assistant Director at a government […]

Lea Wong, MA

Lea Wong, Assistant Director, Children Services, oversees the Children Services Case Management in Mother’s Choice and she is passionate in child welfare and committed to be the voice for children in their best interests to pursue their permanency plan. Lea takes lead of developing the first self-financed fostering program in Hong Kong called Project Bridge […]

How is Implementation of the CANS Outside of the U.S? – featuring Mother’s Choice in Hong Kong

Child Care Home at Bowen Road Hong Kong

Recognizing the valuable TCOM work that is being engaged in around the world, we are excited to announce a quarterly blog series that will focus on implementation in different countries. These posts will provide information on implementation considerations, challenges and learning opportunities, and will give a peek into how places outside of the United States are using the TCOM tools.
We begin this series with an implementation of the CANS in its early stages in Hong Kong by Mother’s Choice, a local charity serving children without families and pregnant teenagers. The following is an interview with Dr. Saw Han Quah and Lea Wong, in which they discuss their efforts to implement the CANS.

What if adopting an entrepreneurial mindset can help academics succeed in their professional development?

New Faculty are given an office, a computer and teaching assignments and are expected to develop a successful program of research. In many ways, each faculty position is its own ‘start-up’. Like start-ups, some succeed and some do not. Perhaps we can learn from the field of entrepreneur development how to better support the process of faculty development. We welcome you to join us at our What IPH Seminar Series featuring Warren Nash, the Executive Director of The Von Allmen Center for Entrepreneurship (VACE) at the University of Kentucky.

Call For Proposals – Extension Announced

For the 17th Annual TCOM Conference, we are announcing a new proposal submission deadline for March 31, 2021 23:59 CST.
If you are interested in presenting at the 17th Annual TCOM Conference, you now have over two weeks to work on and submit your presentation proposal.

Invitation: Presenting at the Annual TCOM Conference

The Annual TCOM Conference gives us the opportunity to bring together leaders and innovators in the fields of behavioral health, child welfare, juvenile justice, education, and more. We would like to hear from all the voices of the TCOM Collaborative to submit a proposal for the 17th Annual TCOM Conference in Lexington, KY from October 6-8, 2021.

Getting A Leg Up On TCOM

What are the steps needed to begin the process of getting a leg up? So getting a leg up on TCOM focuses on the goal of CANS to ‘name-it’ or – what is going on in the lives of those we serve. How can someone obtain-it if they do not first name-it or what is being identified as needs and/or strengths. The plans of care than are constructed to outline the transformation goals or the ‘gain-it.’ These become the skills, functional strengths being developed as part of care planning process. It will be the child/youth & family team that will ‘sustain-it’ developing/utilizing family & community supports. It is only with a shared vision that a child/youth, adult & their family will remain focused on reaching their own aspirational goals throughout life.

Deadline Approaching – Call for Proposals

*Please note that at the time this was written, our Call for Proposals deadline was March 15, 2021. We have now extended our deadline to March 31, 2021.*
The deadline for the 17th Annual TCOM Conference Call for Proposals is two weeks away on March 15, 2021. We invite you to submit a proposal if you are interested in presenting at this year’s TCOM Conference.

Keeping it Fresh: Updating Your Reference Guide

Image is of 3 pages from the updated TCOM Reference guides as an example with dark olive green background

In recent months, we have updated our Standard Comprehensive versions of the CANS, ANSA and FAST (with the Early Childhood and CAT versions not far behind). Keep reading to learn about general and tool-specific updates and how you can access these new versions.

Introducing Our 2021 TCOM Conference Chairperson – Ken McGill

Meet Ken McGill, the Conference Chairman for the 17th Annual TCOM Conference! We are grateful to have Ken be a part of the TCOM Collaborative, and we are excited to work with him on creating a fantastic event for the TCOM 2021 Conference. Let’s meet Ken!

IPH Center’s First Seminar – You’re Invited!

The TCOM group established the Center for Innovation in Population Health at the University of Kentucky back in the Fall of 2019. We are proud to announce that through the IPH Center, we will be hosting a free seminar series, and encourage our TCOM Collaborative to attend.
In our very first seminar series, Stephen Wrentmore, a lecturer with the Department of Theatre and Dance, UK College of Fine Arts, will be discussing dramaturgy, the science of storytelling. Stephen will offer ideas on how dramaturgy can help researchers tell the stories of their publications, grants, or creating a treatment plan. This will give our audience an alternative way that health scientists can tell their stories and their work.

17th Annual TCOM Conference – Call for Proposals!

We invite all members of the international TCOM collaborative to submit proposals to present your work at this year’s TCOM Conference! For this year’s conference, we will be in Lexington, KY, where the TCOM Team is now based. We look forward to your proposals, and look forward to your attendance,

8 Tips to Keep the Holidays Happy

We encourage our TCOM Collaborate to celebrate this year’s festivities in ways that we hope will help keep us all safe and healthy. We understand that this may present some difficult emotional and logistical challenges. Celebrating holidays alone or only with our immediate household members can be a new hurdle that many of us haven’t experienced before. But the holidays aren’t canceled. We can still share our love, show gratitude and plan creative activities to make this holiday a season to remember.

Mine-CANS Winner – TCOM Conference 2020

During the TCOM 2020 Virtual Cloud Gathering Conference, Community Data Roundtable (CDR) hosted a conference-wide virtual scavenger hunt for all of our attendees.
Attached, you will find a video that Community Data Roundtable put together which highlights the winner, Lydia Shaw, receiving her gift basket, and features CDR, members of the TCOM Team, and Dr. John Lyons.

New Website Announcement

Back in September of 2019, the TCOM group established the Center for Innovation in Population Health (IPH) at the University of Kentucky.
Today we are excited to announce the launch of the IPH Center’s new website!

We hope that with our website, we can further improve our engagement with the University of Kentucky, Commonwealth of Kentucky, and beyond. On our site, you will be able to gather an understanding of what the IPH Center hopes to accomplish, the work that we do, and learn more about our team.

We Appreciate You

Two weeks ago was our 16th Annual TCOM Conference; we would like to thank everyone that participated.

Recap from TCOM 2020 Virtual Cloud Gathering Conference

The 16th Annual TCOM Conference, A TCOM Cloud Gathering. Meeting Each Other Where We Are: Collaboration in a COVID-19 World has officially ended. We hope you were able to learn and grow from this year’s sessions; the TCOM Team feels grateful that we had the opportunity to connect and collaborate with each of you.

Story Board

For a printable full size version of this visualization click: Story Board. Question/Description The Story Board visualization show change over time for a single individual. It can answer the following questions. What are the current background needs, actionable needs, and strengths for an individual? What needs have changed over time? What strengths have changed over […]

Average Impact

Question/Description The Average Impact visualization provides an overall picture of need reduction over time. It can answer the following questions: What is the difference between the average number of actionable items at Initial compared to Ever and Last? What is the total need reduction form the maximum about of need (Ever) and Last? Context of […]

TCOM 16th Annual Conference: Are You Registered?

TCOM 2020 Conference is DAYS away. The All Access Pass Sale (20% off from our regular registration) is available until Sunday, November 8th, 2020. Starting Monday, November 9th, only the 3-Day Regular Registration option will be available to register for.

Keynote Spotlight: Meet Liz Kromrei

Meet one of your TCOM 2020 Keynote Speakers! Featured in this post: Liz Kromrei – let’s meet Liz!

Be sure to join us virtually to hear Liz discuss “CANS Assessments in the Texas Child Welfare System: A Road Trip” on Friday, November 13th, 2020 from 11:50 – 12:35PM EST during our TCOM 2020 Cloud Gathering Conference.

Speaker Spotlight: Charlane Oliver

Meet one of your TCOM 2020 Speakers! Featured in this post: Charlane Oliver, co-founder of the Equity Alliance. Let’s meet Charlane!

Be sure to join us virtually to hear Charlane for our Master Lecture on Wednesday, November 11th, 2020 from 11AM – 1PM EST, and Roundtable from 3PM – 5PM EST on November 11th during our TCOM 2020 Cloud Gathering Conference.

Keynote Spotlight: Meet Dr. Michael Cull

Meet one of your TCOM 2020 Keynote Speakers! Featured in this post: Dr. Michael Cull

Be sure to join us virtually to hear Dr. Cull discuss “Reconsidering Resilience” on Wednesday, November 11th, 2020 from 11:50 – 12:35PM EST during our TCOM 2020 Cloud Gathering Conference.

Keynote Spotlight: Meet Dr. Khaled El Emam

Meet one of your TCOM 2020 Keynote Speakers! Featured in this post: Dr. Khaled El Emam

Be sure to join us virtually to hear Dr. Khaled El Emam discuss “The Promise, Applications, and Challenges of Generating Synthetic Health Data” on Friday, November 13th, 2020 from 11:00 – 11:45AM EST during our TCOM 2020 Cloud Gathering Conference.

Keynote Spotlight: Meet Dr. Jei Africa

Meet one of your TCOM 2020 Keynote Speakers! Featured in this post: Jei Africa – let’s meet Jei!

Be sure to join us virtually to hear Dr. Jei Africa discuss “Emerging from the Crisis: Radical Hope, Justice and Love” on Thursday, November 12th, 2020 from 11:00 – 11:45AM EST during our TCOM 2020 Cloud Gathering Conference.

Transitions: How does managed care use the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) tool?

By: Barbara Ann Dunn, ACSW, LCSW, Director, Program Innovation and Outcomes, Magellan Healthcare Transitions Using Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) algorithms for access and transition decision support is particularly helpful when celebrating successes. It’s not always appropriate to use the algorithms to screen people for discharge from programs. Screening divides those who get […]

Appropriate and Effective: How does managed care use the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) tool?

By: Barbara Ann Dunn, ACSW, LCSW, Director, Program Innovation and Outcomes, Magellan Healthcare Appropriateness and Effectiveness An appropriate service should be effective. These two Key Decisions are inextricably linked and are often the basis of medical necessity. Evidence-based practices assign a defined appropriate population and a set of measures demonstrating effectiveness and provide a good […]

TCOM Annual Conference: Group Rates Available

Meeting Each Other Where We Are: Collaboration in a COVID-19 World Group rates are available for this year’s virtual conference (November 11th-13th, 2020)! Save 30% off the All Access Pass when you register a group of five people or more. Feel free to reach out to us at communications@praedfoundation.org for details. For registration and to […]

TCOM Annual Conference: Early Bird Registration Extended!

We’re extending Early Bird ticket sales to September 13th! Regular registration will begin at 12:00am on Monday, September 14th. Our conference will be virtual this year, and continuing education credits can be awarded. You can find our registration site and draft conference agenda here. We hope you’ll join us! –The TCOM Team

Different Models using the CANS with Family Support and Advocacy

By: Janet Hoeke, Founder and Owner of WillowTree Mosaics Recently a friend asked me to join their Wraparound care coordination team as part of the child and family team in the role of family support. The CANS wasn’t used in Idaho when my child was dealing with his serious emotional disturbance, so this was my […]

TCOM Annual Conference: Early Bird Registration Now Open!

Meeting Each Other Where We Are: Collaboration in a COVID-19 World We hope you’ll join us for our virtual conference on November 11th-13th! Connection is more important now than ever. We look forward to our community coming together. Early bird registration is now open, and continuing education hours are available (if seeking CEs, please add […]

How does managed care use the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) tool?

By: Barbara Ann Dunn, ACSW, LCSW, Director, Program Innovation and Outcomes, Magellan Healthcare The Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) is a multi-purpose tool developed for children’s services to support decision making, including level of care and service planning, to facilitate quality improvement initiatives, and to allow for the monitoring of outcomes of services. […]

Voice to Vote

By: the TCOM Team Let’s all vote and help those who need our help to vote as well. Everyone should have a voice in creating our national shared vision. Over the past decade, a many of us have participated in a number of strategic planning processes that played off 2020 representing perfect vision (e.g. Vision […]

A TCOM Virtual Town Hall with John Lyons

By Kenneth McGill, Senior Training and Consultation Specialist from Rutgers University On June 30th New Jersey Children’s System of Care held a 2-hour Town Hall style webinar with Dr. John Lyons, developer of TCOM, who provided answers to questions from system partners on the CANS Tools (i.e., SNA, CAT, & FANS). In addition, Dr. Lyons shared the work being […]

Curiosity: What Does Culture Have to Do with It?

By: Cynthia Schelmety, Training Manager, CCF, CANS-NY Technical Assistance Institute & Cassandra Cooper, MA, LCPC, Senior Policy Analyst, University of Kentucky “Knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”-Aristotle Culture comes from the Latin word cultura, which basically means to build on, to cultivate, and to foster. Sometimes the term Culture is solely meant to […]

A Statement from the University of Kentucky College of Public Health

The TCOM team is honored to be working alongside the University of Kentucky’s College of Public Health. Below is a message from Dean Donna K. Arnett regarding our country’s most recent incidents of racial injustice. We wholeheartedly affirm this message and share a commitment to seeking equity and justice for the Black community and all […]

Supervision Strategies for the “New Normal:” Remote Work with an Improvement Mindset

Free Recorded Webinar (Listening Time: 42 Minutes) Last week, TCOM colleagues Mark Lardner and Tiffany Lindsey led a webinar for CANS and ANSA clinical supervisors, coaches and trainers. In the webinar, we present several team-based strategies from our Team First: Field Guide, which is a free download at The Praed Foundation’s homepage. Texas was gracious […]

Unprecedented Transformation

By: Rebekka Schaffer, Workforce Development and Conference Coordinator, Center for Innovation in Population Health I don’t know about you, but every time I turn on my television, or check my email, or try to order something online, I’m reminded that we’re living in “unprecedented and uncertain times”. It’s a little ironic that the phrase itself […]

Beyond Compliance

By: Mark Lardner, LCSW, Center for Innovation in Population Health When a system is looking for an assessment process to help improve their work with individuals, they often explore the TCOM approach. A simplified description of an initial implementation of TCOM tools would include the following activities. First, local versions of the tools are designed with […]

TCOM and the Post-Truth Culture: The Fourth Monkey

By: Dr. John Lyons Much has been said about our current cultural moment… where it appears truth does not matter to a large segment of our population.  All that matters is ‘winning’ and if winning requires you to provide inaccurate or misleading information, then it is just another strategy to ‘win’. This cultural belief system, […]

Transformational Relationships in a Pandemic

By: Cinthya Chin Herrera, PsyD Across the country, most states have joined the the remainder of the world in moving nearly every aspect of our society into digital spheres.  In the Bay Area, many service providers have begun exploring the intricacies of working from home. At times this has meant connecting with kids, teens, families, […]

Amy Zimmermann, PhD

Meet Amy Zimmermann! __________________ Amy Sharp Zimmermann, M.S.W., Ph.D., is the Director of Systems, Data, and Reporting for Child and Family Services (CFS) at Casey Family Programs. Dr. Zimmermann works directly with social workers and direct service leadership to lead Continuous Quality Improvement and Change Management efforts. These efforts focus on developing innovative practices, based […]

Collaborative Assessment in the “New Normal”: Completing the CANS and ANSA via phone

Dr. John Lyons and Dr. April Fernando presented a webinar on the use of the CANS and ANSA in non-face-to-face modalities (e.g., telephone). Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, many organizations have had to adapt their means of communication for the safety of themselves and others. Effective collaboration becomes extremely important when using the phone or […]

Using CANS Items to Define Child Well-Being and Study Child Welfare Outcomes

By: Dr. Amy Zimmerman, Casey Family Programs Casey Family Programs (Casey) believes that every child deserves a safe, supportive, and permanent family. Casey works urgently and relentlessly with our target service population of older youth to achieve permanency so that no child will age out of Casey foster care. We believe building, or rebuilding, family […]

Caring for Each Other…The CANS Can Help

By Ken McGill, Eds, LMFT, Rutgers University The impact of the coronavirus, now labeled a pandemic, has been worldwide. If we take a moment, we will see that there has been a change in daily life; this is true for individuals, couples, families, agencies, institutions or any other entity throughout our planet. I am sure […]

Working from Home – Experiences from the TCOM team

As the COVID-19 crisis changes day by day in the United States and around the world, more people are beginning to work from home. Many resources are providing helpful tips for people new to working from home, so we decided to ask some of our staff who generally work from home to highlight their successes […]

Resilience Reconsidered

by Michael Cull, PhD, Associate Director for Safe Systems, University of Kentucky’s Center for Innovation in Population Health No doubt our resilience as a nation is being tested by current events.  We’re facing significant uncertainty at home and at work. How will we accomplish home visits? How do we ensure child safety? How can we […]