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.

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

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, […]

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 […]

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 […]

Mass Customized Patterns and Priorities for Success

By Kate Cordell, PhD, MPH, Managing Director at Mental Health Data Alliance, LLC What if we could utilize the CANS and ANSA to identify which items, if resolved, were associated with success in our program? What if we could look at that by race/ethnicity, gender and age? If we could, we could get a lot […]

How to do a Quality Assessment, TCOM Style

Presented and written by Lynda Killoran (Centerstone), Lynn Steiner (Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago), and Deborah Thomas (Centerstone) In our work as trainer, supervisor or clinician, we often hear a variation on THIS theme from assessors who were recently trained on a version of the CANS: “It’s SOOOO long and there are too […]

Readiness Inventory for Successful Employment

RISEmploy Each TCOM tool is a combination of items inside of a domain meant to reflect the emerging needs and strengths of its population of use. It is adaptable. One of these adaptations is the “Readiness Inventory for Successful Employment (RISEmploy), also known as the Strengths at Work (SAW), can be implemented as its own […]

Mapping it out with CANS-Y-LAND

Of the TCOM suite of tools, the most widely used tool is the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths Assessment (CANS). The CANS is a communimetric measurement tool that utilizes direct feedback from the youth, family & other team members to identify the actionable needs & strengths of the youth & family in developing and informing the treatment […]

TCOM 2018 Speaker Spotlight- Vida K. Khavar

Meet one of your #TCOM2018 Presenters! Featured in this post: Vida Khavar Vida Khavar is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has 25 years’ experience in child welfare. Vida began her career as a clinician in various agencies throughout Los Angeles. She developed expertise in all areas of child welfare while striving to bring Permanency to […]

The Development of CHISALS

Thanks to recent technological growth, children are receiving cochlear implants earlier than ever before. This advance in technology offers a great benefit to support earlier development of language skills.   While these advancements are exciting, they, of course, create some new challenges for the young patients, their auditory-verbal therapists, and their families. Because of their young […]

Building a System of Addiction Treatment, One Addiction at a Time

By: Robert Shearer, MD Doctor, Middle Tennessee Addiction Center Incorporating TCOM into Addiction Treatment I discovered the work of Dr Lyons somewhat by accident when I began working with a case management group that belongs to the Tennessee HealthLink program. This program utilizes the Adult Needs and Strengths Assessment. To best communicate with the case […]

Safe Systems Improvement Tool

Safe Systems Improvement Tool Tennessee’s Communimetric Assessment for Understanding Critical Incidents The 1st annual Safety Culture Summit gave attendees and their larger audience a glimpse of the work being done around safety culture. Along with the tools shared during the poster session at the summit, Michael Cull, Policy Fellow at Chapin Hall at the University […]

FCI: From Stories to Hypotheses Part 3/4

Facilitated Collaborative Inquiry: From Stories to Hypothesis Part 3/4 by Stephen Shimshock, PhD Director of Systems-Data and Reporting, Casey Family Programs — This post is part three of a four-part series on Facilitated Collaborative Inquiry (FCI). In the previous post (Using Data to Show Differences in Outcomes) we examined ways to identify subgroups of youth that may […]

FCI: Using Data to Show Differences in Outcomes Part 2/4

Facilitated Collaborative Inquiry: Using Data to Show Differences in Outcomes Part 2/4 by Stephen Shimshock, PhD Director of Systems-Data and Reporting, Casey Family Programs — This post is part 2 of a 4 part series on Facilitated Collaborative Inquiry (FCI). This post builds on the foundational material presented in the previous post . In this post we […]

Planting a Seed of Wisdom

Thank you to Tracey Merachli for sharing her vision of the CANS in this poem. Planting a Seed of Wisdom, December 2015 by: Tracey Merachli, tmerachli@children-first.ca Resource Consultant-Children First Well let me tell you about my vision for the CANS. It starts with listening to families and understanding their unique life and plans. The life […]

Resiliency

Resiliency, as defined by the TCOM tools, is an individual’s capacity to identify and use their internal strengths to manage their lives in times of need and support their own development. Resiliency acknowledges an individual’s ability to “bounce back” from psychosocial consequences resulting from traumatic experiences. These experiences can range from traumatic life events such […]

EPISODES: Structure, Function, Management

By: Nathaniel Israel, PhD EPISODES: STRUCTURE, FUNCTION, MANAGEMENT *Episode—a container or set of parameters which define when a series of actions are expected to take place and when interventions have ceased A building block of understanding a person’s care is being able to assign an Episode of Care to a person. Nearly all reports are based […]

Standard Reports: Design for Decision Support

*September 2017 Post Update: Additional information added to the TCOM Report Suite. Click here to view the amended version. The work we do across all levels and systems of care is a knowledge-based community connected to a variety of service settings including clinics, hospitals, state and local agencies. Ultimately, the goal is to improve the […]

Interactive Reports: A Feasible Goal for Any Organization

By Jesh Harbaugh, Assistant Director of Business Intelligence Development, Evaluation, and Strategic Initiatives (DESI) SENECA FAMILY OF AGENCIES This is the last post of a 3 part series In the previous posts of this series, Data is Only Useful When it’s Used and Increasing the Value of Your Data With Interactive Reports,  I’ve discussed the […]

Increasing the Value of Your Data with Interactive Reports

By Jesh Harbaugh, Assistant Director of Business Intelligence Development, Evaluation, and Strategic Initiatives (DESI) SENECA FAMILY OF AGENCIES
This post is Part 2 of 3! Stay tuned next week for more from Jesh and Seneca Family of Agencies

Data is Only Useful When it’s Used

By Jesh Harbaugh, Assistant Director of Business Intelligence Development, Evaluation, and Strategic Initiatives (DESI) SENECA FAMILY OF AGENCIES This is the first post of a 3 part series In the helping professions, few words elicit such strong and varied reactions as “data.”  In our culture of evidence-informed treatment, having strong outcome data to support your […]

The HEADS-ED: A Rapid Mental Health Screening Tool for Children and Youth

by: Mario Cappelli, PhD and Paula Cloutier, MA Affiliations:  1Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), 2CHEO Research Institute, 3University of Ottawa What is the HEADS-ED? The HEADS-ED is a brief mental health screening tool that helps physicians to obtain a psychosocial history to aid in making decisions regarding patient disposition (e.g., admission, discharge, or requesting […]

Healthy Relationships

Happy Valentine’s Day! What does Valentine’s Day mean to you? Is it a celebration of love, a hallmark holiday, or both? As a child, this holiday can take the form of a classroom activity where you put Valentine’s Day grams with chocolates and hand them out to each child in the class. As we get […]

TCOM’s Targeted Tools

The TCOM Team met in Chicago in January to kick off the New Year and review the work being done across the collaborative. As a result of this meeting we’ve produced our very first TCOM newsletter that highlights these efforts! *Keep an eye out for the release of our newsletter next week!* One important discussion at […]

Defining a Caregiver

A caregiver is a family member or paid helper who provides physical, emotional, and/or developmental support for an individual who is unable to fully care for themselves.  When an individual is in care or receiving services, it is often important to look at multiple aspects of their life – strengths, risk behaviors, functioning, and school/work. […]

Helping Commercially Sexually Exploited Children (CSEC)

There is a growing awareness that the sex industry sometimes victimizes children.  The Federal Trafficking Victims Protection Act (TVPA) of 2000, along with reauthorizations in 2003, 2005, and 2008 describes a victim of human trafficking as a person induced to perform labor or a commercial sex act through force, fraud, or coercion. Any person under […]

A Cost-effective, Evidence-based Intervention for Depressed Adolescents

December 14, 2016 Written by Paul Berger, Managing Director at SAAVSUS Inc Funded by a series of grants from the National Institute of Mental Health, the Adolescent Coping with Depression Course (CWD-A) is an evidence-based, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) for adolescent depression. The course materials, Leaders Manual and Student Workbook, are available as a free download […]

The RISE: A Tool for Fostering Entrepreneurship in Human Service Settings

By: Dr. Thomas S. Lyons, PhD Michigan State University R.I.S.E. -Readiness Inventory for Successful Entrepreneurship   In the business world, it has been known for some time that companies that want to be successful in the highly competitive global economy must be constantly reinventing themselves through innovation. This requires that they develop a culture of […]

Key Decision Points for Collaborative CQI-Part 1

This is the first post of a multi-part series on Collaborative CQI (Continuous Quality Improvement) Part 1: Creating Trust and Positive Impact by Nathaniel Israel Health and human service systems are composed of people. People make important decisions which shift the likelihood that children and families will meet their health and wellness goals. Having a […]

Integration Training-Mark in Phoenix

Mark was in Phoenix, Arizona, conducting a two day CANS Integration training for supervisors and staff from Casey Family Program’s Tucson and Phoenix field offices.  He was joined by Neil Mallon from the University of Maryland. The training focused on integrating the CANS into Multidisciplinary Team Meetings, Developing Strength Based Action Plans based on the […]

The Incredible Years

Thanks to Stephanie Romney, in collaboration with Carolyn Webster-Stratton and John Lyons, we have a great guide to the integration of the Incredible Years and the CANS 0-5. What is The Incredible Years (IY)? The Incredible Years is a training program that occurs as a series of complementary evidence-based programs that promote child social, emotional, and academic competence and […]

CANS/FAST use in Singapore

Thank you to our partners at the Rehabilitation and Protection Group in Singapore for joining our conversation: — In 2010, the Rehabilitation and Protection Group in Singapore was in need of a way to communicate the needs and outcomes for children in care. After reviewing the different frameworks in the literature, we decided that the […]

CANS in Schools-John in California

John continues his trip on the west coast with two stops in California. This past Friday, John was at the West San Gabriel SELPA in Alhambra and today he is at the Southwest SELPA in Rondo Beach, California. He is training on the new version of the CANS specifically designed for use in schools! This version was […]

Cultural Responsibility-April in Kent, WA

April rounds off her Washington whirlwind adventure with one last stop in Kent, WA (just an hour or so away from Seattle). Here she is working with a supervisor group focusing on how to provide culturally responsive care and work from a culturally humble approach. In our combined efforts to do so, the CANS Core […]

A CANS-F Refresher: Mark in Towson, MD

Mark was in Towson, MD today as part of the implementation of Maryland’s family version of the CANS, the CANS-F.   Frontline staff and supervisors from the county child welfare agency met to discuss their existing implementation, review their CANS-F data from the past quarter, and work on strategies to simplify the re-certification process.  (As it […]

Supervisor Training-April in Arlington, WA

From Yakima to Spokane to Arlington,  April continues her Washington adventure with another stop in Arlington, WA. April is conducting treatment planning and supervisor trainings to another great group at the WA State Department of Social and Health Services. The team here is using the CANS to support families and children involved in the child […]

Using the Data

Complete a test, Do your research, Collect the data… There is no doubt that we live in a world with a wealth of information about the people, place, and entire environment around us. Aside from the thrilling celebrity gossip and election 2016 madness, what are we doing with all of this information? With great RESEARCH […]

CANS Training Days-April in Spokane

From Yakima, April headed straight for Spokane. Washington State is ok, not bad, pretty, GORGEOUS in the fall! Now we know where April is, but why is she there??? One of more widely known tools of TCOM is the CANS. The Child and Adolescent Strengths and Needs. It (like the other tools) focuses on identifying […]

ANSA Implementation in Alameda County-John in San Leandro

ANSA – Adult Needs and Strengths Assessment The ANSA is another TCOM Tool that was developed for adult’s behavioral health 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. The ANSA is currently used in a number […]

Using the ANSA in a Recovery Model-John in Georgia

Holding onto the remnants of summer 2016, John is in the historical town of Buford, Georgia, attending the Behavioral Health Symposium hosted by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities (DBHDD). This is a two day conference aimed at informing professionals of best practices in delivering services and supports. Missed the conference??? The team […]

Defining a NEED and a STRENGTH

Anyone who is certified in the CANS, ANSA, FAST, or any of the Communimetric tools has taken the time to become certified. Those of you who certify online at TCOMTraining.com have probably received an email from one of us stating something along the lines of… “Unfortunately you have not yet received sufficient reliability. Your most […]

CANS Core

***11/18/2016 UPDATE*** Currently at Closing Plenary in Princeton, NJ for the 2016 TCOM Conference. Below you will see our updated CANS Core Items available. If you have any additional questions on how to implement the CORE items to your own agency/jurisdiction/state, contact April Fernando at afernando@chapinhall.org cans-6-17-core-50-2016 Every agency, jurisdiction, and, most importantly, child, is […]

Communimetrics

Communimetrics – A Communication Theory of Measurement in Human Service Settings. This is the theory behind TCOM (Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management), developed by Dr. John Lyons.