CANS study Guide questions with verified
answers
The purpose of the CANS is to accurately Ans✓✓-represent the shared vision of
the child/youth serving system—children, youth, and families.
Since its primary purpose is communication, the CANS is designed based on
Ans✓✓-communication theory rather than the psychometric theories that have
influenced most measurement development.
SIX KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE CANS - Items were selected because they are each
relevant to service/treatment planning. Ans✓✓-An item exists because it might
lead you down a different pathway in terms of planning actions
SIX KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE CANS - Each item uses a 4-level rating system that
translates into action Ans✓✓-Different action levels exist for needs and
strengths. For a description of these action levels please see below.
SIX KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE CANS - Rating should describe the youth, not the
youth in services. Ans✓✓-If an intervention is present that is masking a need but
must stay in place, this should be factored into the rating consideration and
would result in a rating of an "actionable" need
SIX KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE CANS - Culture and development should be
considered prior to establishing the action levels. Ans✓✓-Cultural sensitivity
involves considering whether cultural factors are influencing the expression of
needs and strengths. Ratings should be completed considering the youth's
developmental and/or chronological age depending on the item. In other words,
anger control is not relevant for a very young child but would be for an older
youth or youth regardless of developmental age. Alternatively, school
,achievement should be considered within the framework of expectations based
on the child/youth's developmental age.
SIX KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE CANS - The ratings are generally "agnostic as to
etiology" Ans✓✓-In other words this is a descriptive tool; it is about the "what"
not the "why." Only one item, Adjustment to Trauma, has any cause-effect
judgments
SIX KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE CANS - A 30-day window is used for ratings in order to
make sure assessments stay relevant to the child/youth's present circumstances.
Ans✓✓-However, the action levels can be used to over-ride the 30-day rating
period
The CANS is a multi-purpose tool developed to support care planning and level of
Ans✓✓-care decision-making, to facilitate quality improvement initiatives, and to
allow for the monitoring of outcomes of services.
he CANS is developed from a communication perspective in order to Ans✓✓-
facilitate the linkage between the assessment process and the design of
individualized service plans including the application of evidence-based practices.
The CANS gathers information on the Ans✓✓-child/youth's and
parents/caregivers' needs and strengths
Strengths are the child/youth's assets: Ans✓✓-areas in life where he or she is
doing well or has an interest or ability.
Needs are areas where a child/youth requires Ans✓✓-help or intervention.
,he CANS helps care providers decide which of a child/youth's needs are the
Ans✓✓-most important to address in treatment or service planning.
The CANS also helps identify strengths, which can be the Ans✓✓-basis of a
treatment or service plan.
By working with the child/youth and family during the assessment process and
talking together about the CANS, care providers can develop a Ans✓✓-treatment
or service plan that addresses a child/youth's strengths and needs while building
strong engagement.
The CANS is made up of domains that focus on various areas in a child/youth's
life, and each domain is made up of a group of specific items. There are domains
that address how the child/youth functions in everyday life, on specific Ans✓✓-
emotional or behavioral concerns, on risk behaviors, on strengths and on skills
needed to grow and develop. There is also a domain that asks about the family's
beliefs and preferences, and about general family concerns.
he care
The care provider, along with the child/youth and family as well as other
stakeholders, gives a number rating to each of these items. These ratings help the
Ans✓✓-provider, youth and family understand where intensive or immediate
action is most needed, and also where a child/youth has assets that could be a
major part of the treatment or service plan.
The CANS ratings, however, do not tell the whole story of a Ans✓✓-child/youth's
strengths and needs. Each section in the CANS is merely the output of a
, comprehensive assessment process and is documented alongside narratives
where a care provider can provide more information about the child/youth.
The Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths grew out of John Lyons' work in
Ans✓✓-modeling decision-making for psychiatric services.
To assess appropriate use of psychiatric hospital and residential treatment
services, the Childhood Severity of Psychiatric Illness (CSPI) tool was created. This
measure assesses those dimensions crucial to Ans✓✓-good clinical decision-
making for intensive mental health service interventions and was the foundation
of the CANS. The CSPI tool demonstrated its utility in informing decision-making
for residential treatment and for quality improvement in crisis assessment
services . The strength of this measurement approach has been that it is face valid
and easy to use, yet provides comprehensive information regarding clinical status.
The CANS assessment builds upon the methodological approach of the CSPI, but
expands the assessment to include a broader conceptualization of needs and an
assessment of strengths - both of the child/youth and the caregiver, looking
primarily at the 30-day period prior to completion of the CANS. It is a tool
developed with the primary objective Ans✓✓-of supporting decision making at all
levels of care: children, youth and families, programs and agencies, child/youth-
serving systems. It provides for a structured communication and critical thinking
about children/youth and their context.
he CANS is designed for use either as a prospective assessment tool for decision
support and recovery planning or as a Ans✓✓-retrospective quality improvement
device demonstrating an individual child/youth's progress. It can also be used as a
communication tool that provides a common language for all child/youth-serving
entities to discuss the child/youth's needs and strengths. A review of the case
record in light of the CANS will provide information as to the appropriateness of
the recovery plan and whether individual goals and outcomes are achieved.
answers
The purpose of the CANS is to accurately Ans✓✓-represent the shared vision of
the child/youth serving system—children, youth, and families.
Since its primary purpose is communication, the CANS is designed based on
Ans✓✓-communication theory rather than the psychometric theories that have
influenced most measurement development.
SIX KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE CANS - Items were selected because they are each
relevant to service/treatment planning. Ans✓✓-An item exists because it might
lead you down a different pathway in terms of planning actions
SIX KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE CANS - Each item uses a 4-level rating system that
translates into action Ans✓✓-Different action levels exist for needs and
strengths. For a description of these action levels please see below.
SIX KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE CANS - Rating should describe the youth, not the
youth in services. Ans✓✓-If an intervention is present that is masking a need but
must stay in place, this should be factored into the rating consideration and
would result in a rating of an "actionable" need
SIX KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE CANS - Culture and development should be
considered prior to establishing the action levels. Ans✓✓-Cultural sensitivity
involves considering whether cultural factors are influencing the expression of
needs and strengths. Ratings should be completed considering the youth's
developmental and/or chronological age depending on the item. In other words,
anger control is not relevant for a very young child but would be for an older
youth or youth regardless of developmental age. Alternatively, school
,achievement should be considered within the framework of expectations based
on the child/youth's developmental age.
SIX KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE CANS - The ratings are generally "agnostic as to
etiology" Ans✓✓-In other words this is a descriptive tool; it is about the "what"
not the "why." Only one item, Adjustment to Trauma, has any cause-effect
judgments
SIX KEY PRINCIPLES OF THE CANS - A 30-day window is used for ratings in order to
make sure assessments stay relevant to the child/youth's present circumstances.
Ans✓✓-However, the action levels can be used to over-ride the 30-day rating
period
The CANS is a multi-purpose tool developed to support care planning and level of
Ans✓✓-care decision-making, to facilitate quality improvement initiatives, and to
allow for the monitoring of outcomes of services.
he CANS is developed from a communication perspective in order to Ans✓✓-
facilitate the linkage between the assessment process and the design of
individualized service plans including the application of evidence-based practices.
The CANS gathers information on the Ans✓✓-child/youth's and
parents/caregivers' needs and strengths
Strengths are the child/youth's assets: Ans✓✓-areas in life where he or she is
doing well or has an interest or ability.
Needs are areas where a child/youth requires Ans✓✓-help or intervention.
,he CANS helps care providers decide which of a child/youth's needs are the
Ans✓✓-most important to address in treatment or service planning.
The CANS also helps identify strengths, which can be the Ans✓✓-basis of a
treatment or service plan.
By working with the child/youth and family during the assessment process and
talking together about the CANS, care providers can develop a Ans✓✓-treatment
or service plan that addresses a child/youth's strengths and needs while building
strong engagement.
The CANS is made up of domains that focus on various areas in a child/youth's
life, and each domain is made up of a group of specific items. There are domains
that address how the child/youth functions in everyday life, on specific Ans✓✓-
emotional or behavioral concerns, on risk behaviors, on strengths and on skills
needed to grow and develop. There is also a domain that asks about the family's
beliefs and preferences, and about general family concerns.
he care
The care provider, along with the child/youth and family as well as other
stakeholders, gives a number rating to each of these items. These ratings help the
Ans✓✓-provider, youth and family understand where intensive or immediate
action is most needed, and also where a child/youth has assets that could be a
major part of the treatment or service plan.
The CANS ratings, however, do not tell the whole story of a Ans✓✓-child/youth's
strengths and needs. Each section in the CANS is merely the output of a
, comprehensive assessment process and is documented alongside narratives
where a care provider can provide more information about the child/youth.
The Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths grew out of John Lyons' work in
Ans✓✓-modeling decision-making for psychiatric services.
To assess appropriate use of psychiatric hospital and residential treatment
services, the Childhood Severity of Psychiatric Illness (CSPI) tool was created. This
measure assesses those dimensions crucial to Ans✓✓-good clinical decision-
making for intensive mental health service interventions and was the foundation
of the CANS. The CSPI tool demonstrated its utility in informing decision-making
for residential treatment and for quality improvement in crisis assessment
services . The strength of this measurement approach has been that it is face valid
and easy to use, yet provides comprehensive information regarding clinical status.
The CANS assessment builds upon the methodological approach of the CSPI, but
expands the assessment to include a broader conceptualization of needs and an
assessment of strengths - both of the child/youth and the caregiver, looking
primarily at the 30-day period prior to completion of the CANS. It is a tool
developed with the primary objective Ans✓✓-of supporting decision making at all
levels of care: children, youth and families, programs and agencies, child/youth-
serving systems. It provides for a structured communication and critical thinking
about children/youth and their context.
he CANS is designed for use either as a prospective assessment tool for decision
support and recovery planning or as a Ans✓✓-retrospective quality improvement
device demonstrating an individual child/youth's progress. It can also be used as a
communication tool that provides a common language for all child/youth-serving
entities to discuss the child/youth's needs and strengths. A review of the case
record in light of the CANS will provide information as to the appropriateness of
the recovery plan and whether individual goals and outcomes are achieved.
