CANS-NY Technical Assistance Institute: Providing training, coaching, and technical assistance in effective use of the CANS-NY
New York State is using the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) as the primary eligibility tool for Children’s Health Home access and as an outcomes management tool within this system. In order to support effective use of the CANS-NY by care managers and supervisors, the CANS-NY Institute will provide a system of training, coaching, and technical assistance.
The Institute is supported by the NYS Department of Health and facilitated by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. Executive leadership comes from Dr. John Lyons, who is the primary developer of the CANS and who has supported 36 statewide implementations of the tool. Dr. Suzanne Button brings more than 20 years of experience with behavioral health care and social service programming in New York State to her role as Institute Director.
A collaborative workgroup, consisting of four private organizations with notable experience in training and CANS-NY usage, will provide coaches and training for CANS-NY users/Health Home care managers in their region.
This collaborative workgroup will be guided and supported by data gathered through the yearly statewide Learning Needs Assessment, which will first be administered this month! This assessment is designed to identify current training and learning needs and supports related to use of the CANS-NY. It will be distributed to agencies across the state that are using the tool. The results of this assessment will be reviewed by the Institute and available to CANS-NY users and key stakeholders through the TCOM site.
The Institute’s training and coaching activities are also informed by an Impact Board , consisting of youth and families with lived experiences of care, as well as key stakeholders from the State Partners of AIDS Institute (AI), the Office of Mental Health (OMH), the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), the Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS), and many others. CANS-NY Institute leadership provides monthly email updates to the Impact Board about its progress and findings, and will hold bi-annual meetings to elicit input on emerging learning needs, Institute effectiveness, and consumer perspective on the CANS-NY.
Information about regional coaches, scheduled trainings, and other resources can be found at the Department of Health website. Additional information, tip sheets, and support for users of the CANS-NY can be found on the TCOM Training site or at TCOM Conversations.
Click here to view the full announcement and learn more about the key partners involved in the institute.
This is great news for New York state! A unified tool for measuring entry and exit for health homes will facilitate powerful management of this innovative approach. The CANS, in particular, is great for health home management, because it measures more than just clinical indicators, but also the child in the context of social determinant needs, caregiver strengths and needs, and broadly understood risks. Health homes will benefit from a tool that explains the complexity of the population they are facing, and give them insights into how to mobilize their resources beyond traditional outpatient therapy interventions, and the broader community will benefit from seeing the outcomes that these organizations provide to their population. I look forward to seeing the reports created in this process, since they will be informative to other health home initiatives across the country.
Thanks Dan. We’re really excited about what this means for the children and families in New York state too. Also looking forward to sharing what we learn – stay tuned!