CANS
Also written as: CANS — Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths
Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths; a standardized multi-purpose tool used in child mental health systems to assess needs and strengths for the purpose of service planning and monitoring.
Full Definition
The Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) is a structured assessment instrument developed to support decision-making for children and adolescents receiving mental health services. It evaluates domains including life functioning, child strengths, caregiver needs and strengths, and child behavioral and emotional needs. In editorial work, CANS appears as an acronym that must always be expanded on first use and verified for correct capitalisation. Documents containing CANS scores require editors to ensure that rating conventions (0–3 scale) and domain terminology are consistently applied. The tool is mandated in many US state Medicaid programs, making accurate documentation legally significant. Editors should not confuse it with the CAFAS (Child and Adolescent Functional Assessment Scale), a distinct instrument.
Usage
Usage note: Expand on first use as 'Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS).' Verify that domain names match the version of the tool specified in the document, as CANS has multiple state-adapted versions.
In Context
- "The case manager completed the CANS prior to the child's transition to a lower level of care, and the editor verified that all domain scores were present." — Pediatric case management report
- "A CANS rating of 3 in the 'danger to others' domain must be clearly documented in the service plan narrative." — Child mental health service plan