Getting the Most Out of the CANS

​Want to get more out of the CANS? Here are a few practical ways to make the tool more collaborative, useful, and connected to care planning.
 
When used well, the CANS can support shared understanding, stronger care planning, and more meaningful conversations with youth, families, and teams.

Collaborate with youth/family and teams. Check your understanding and elevate youth/family voice by engaging youth/family and teams in conversations about where action would be most helpful.

• Introduce the CANS and use it as a tool to increase transparency and invite collaborative documentation. Ex: “I’m going to be gathering team input and completing a document we call the CANS, which is a snapshot of what’s working well (strengths) and where you might need some support (needs). Let’s talk about it.”

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Get creative with engagement. Use art, play, CANS cards, Lotería cards, and other tools to surface information about actionable needs and strengths to build.

• Follow your flow. Engagement and assessment look different for everyone, and what you learn can be reflected in the CANS.

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Bring the CANS into natural meeting spaces. Add the CANS as a standing agenda item in meetings such as Child and Family Team Meetings. [See article SF CYF T.I.P.s: “Meaningful Use of the CANS Video Training”]

• Start with CANS items most relevant to the case. Use them to develop shared understanding, identify and prioritize action, and monitor progress over time. Explore and incorporate additional items as helpful. 

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Utilize CANS narratives to provide context. Increase team communication and understanding by expanding upon action levels as helpful.

• Include brief narrative details that explain actionable items and shifts over time. This is particularly helpful when completing CANS updates or operating off of external assessments.​

[Sourced from Seneca Family of Agencies' Tips & Tricks]

MORE ON ENGAGEMENT HERE!