CANS-NY Technical Assistance Institute: Providing training, coaching, and technical assistance in effective use of the CANS-NY
New York State is using the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) to determine level of care for home and community based services (HCBS) in Children’s Health Home and as an outcomes management tool within this system. In order to support effective use of the CANS-NY by care managers and supervisors, the CANS-NY Institute provides a system of training, coaching, and technical assistance.
The Institute is supported by the NYS Department of Health and facilitated by Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. Executive leadership comes from Dr. John Lyons, who is the primary developer of the CANS and who has supported 36 statewide implementations of the tool. Dr. Suzanne Button brings more than 20 years of experience with behavioral health care and social service programming in New York State to her role as Institute Director.
A collaborative workgroup, consisting of four private organizations with notable experience in training and CANS-NY usage, will provide coaches and training for CANS-NY users/Health Home care managers in their region.
This collaborative workgroup will be guided and supported by data gathered through the yearly statewide Learning Needs Assessment, which was first administered in February 2018. This assessment was designed to identify current training and learning needs and supports related to use of the CANS-NY. The results of this assessment will be reviewed by the Institute and available to CANS-NY users and key stakeholders through this site.
The Institute’s training and coaching activities are also informed by an Impact Board , consisting of youth and families with lived experiences of care, as well as key stakeholders from the New York State Department of Health, New York State Office of Children & Family Services (OCFS), the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH), the New York State Office of Alcoholism & Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), the New York State Office for People with Developmental Disabilities (OPWDD), and the AIDS Institute (AI). CANS-NY Institute leadership provides monthly email updates to the Impact Board about its progress and findings, and holds bi-annual meetings to elicit input on emerging learning needs, Institute effectiveness, and consumer perspective on the CANS-NY. The first Impact Board meeting was held in May 2018, and its second is scheduled for October 2018.
Check out this site for additional information about regional coaches, scheduled trainings, and other resources!