The TCOM Alameda Collaborative has launched an online training calendar.  The calendar is designed to provide information on the training sessions provided by Partner agencies.

Partner agencies host on-going training sessions for practitioners. There are several trainings available every month covering topics from basic CANS/ANSA certification to more nuanced topics like incorporating the CANS/ANSA into treatment planning.  The calendar is available in the Training Resources page.  From the calendar, training registration is just a click away!  

Does your agency provide training on these tools? Add your training dates and information using the form at the bottom of the Training Calendar page.

The TCOM Spotlight article will highlight the way agencies within Alameda County are utilizing the CANS and ANSA tools in their practice. One organization will be highlighted in each newsletter.

Fred Finch Youth Center (FFYC) started implementing the CANS tool in 2014 and is deeply committed to the CANS implementation.  The organization chooses a CANS-related focus each year so that the CANS can be more than just a form for staff.  They felt it was important that CANS become a beneficial and collaborative process for both the organization and the youth and families it serves. For this reason, they’re our first TCOM Spotlight agency!

The first point of focus was to train staff to effectively work with the tool. FFYC supervisors all became CANS trainers. This not only allowed them to adapt the training to their programs, but also provided a consistent internal CANS certification training for new staff. This structure allows FFYC supervisors to regularly interact with the CANS and its related training materials. 

The second focus area was on improving the use of CANS data to inform treatment, as well as using the tool in collaboration with youth and families. FFYC adapted a training from the TCOM Collaborative which focused on integrating CANS items into treatment planning. The training was provided to all clinicians using the tool.  FFYC has trained clinicians to run reports that inform their treatment planning efforts. The reports also help clinicians to assess their own effectiveness in achieving positive outcomes for youth.  Supervisors were also trained to generate reports and look for trends related to program staffing and within caseloads. This information is then utilized to identify training needs, support clinicians who may feel stuck with a youth or young adult, or determine individual and group practice for a program.

FFYC has also identified program-specific goals related to CANS outcomes. The goals allow them to look at service effectiveness at both the program and agency level. QA staff at FFYC create and distribute quarterly program reports to illustrate progress towards the targeted goals.  They also host an ongoing CANS Data Advisory Group meeting, in which clinical and executive staff make decisions about how to use data, determine what data to focus on, and decide how to measure and build on improvements.
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The CANS has provided Fred Finch Youth Center with a shared language within and between internal programs, external organizations, and with the youth and family they serve.  This has served to align efforts and is a big piece of their work to provide effective trauma informed care.

If you know of an organization that deserves the center stage for their stand out implementation or cool and innovative practices with CANS and/or ANSA tools, please share their story through the Contact page.

In the Dear Collaborative column, we’ll answer YOUR questions about TCOM or the TCOM tools (CANS, ANSA-T, ANSA).

Have questions and want answers?  Submit your questions through the Contact page and look for the answer in the next edition of Dear Collaborative. Submissions are treated confidentially.

Q1: If I have an adult client who is homeless, but doesn’t want to be housed, what do I score the Living Situation item on the ANSA?
A1: Like all items, “Living Situation” is scored based on the actual conditions the client faces. Homelessness would warrant a rating of 3. The individual’s choice of whether or not to seek housing is a separate issue. The client's voice and choice should certainly be respected in the decision of whether this item should be a Treatment Target. In the client’s situation, this item would likely be categorized as a Background Need.

Q2: Should I change the version of the CANS I use now that DHCS and DSS is mandating the CANS?
A2: No. You’re all set. The State has mandated that all counties use “the Core Fifty” items for outcome evaluation purposes. These items are already present in the Alameda County version of the CANS.

Q3: Would a need with a 2 or 3 score that a client wants to change in their life go in the treatment plan if the client doesn’t want your help to make the change?
A3: It would go in the treatment plan, but the important question is, “where?” The 2 or 3 rating indicates that the item is an area in which the individual does hope to see some transformation occur. If they do not want the treatment team’s direct help with making that happen this item would be captured in the Treatment Plan among the “Anticipated Outcomes” or “Background Needs.”

Each newsletter will feature top questions that are submitted to the Alameda TCOM Collaborative. If you have an urgent or critical CANS-related question, you can contact your agency's CANS/TCOM Coordinator or one of the Collaborative Members.