Dear Collaborative: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Question 1:
I work with kids, and it's really hard to get many of my clients' parents to spend time with me and answer all these CANS questions; I'm not sure how to get the CANS done. Any advice? 

​We totally understand that the CANS can be intimidating, especially if you feel like you need to ask about every item. Luckily, CANS isn't meant to be a questionnaire but a framework to organize the information you get from organic conversations with clients, parents, teachers, case managers and others who interact with and know the client. So go ahead and use your engagement skills to have conversations about how life is going, what concerns them, what's going well and where they think they need help or want change. Keep the CANS items in mind while you're talking, and then use the CANS framework to organize what you learned. It's OK if you don't know about every item at first; you'll likely know more when you come back to do an updated CANS after you get to know people better.

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Question 2:
I work in more than one county and don't understand why the CANS has different versions-why?

​CANS is a flexible tool that allows jurisdictions to choose the items they feel are most relevant to the folks who live in that area. California has a core set of items used across the state and each county can choose additional items to create a version that fits them best. This customization prevents everyone from having to use extra items that might not be prevalent in some areas but are really important in other regions while also allowing the State to gather data sets on the core items statewide. This can help with funding and service decisions in a really important way!

Question 3:
I don't like rating people-it feels bad; why does CANS force us to rate people?

​Oh no, we definitely don't want to rate people, but we do want to use CANS to rate where we need to act to support clients with needs and help them build strengths. We want to identify action plans so clients get what they need and so we rate for action. This way, we create a road map for ourselves to implement interventions and for clients to be the architects of their own change by collaboratively identifying their strengths and needs.