The Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) is an assessment process in addition to a multi-purpose tool developed for children’s services to support decision making, e.g., level of care and service planning, facilitate quality improvement initiatives, and monitor the outcomes of services. The measure is based on research findings that “optimally effective treatment of children and youth should include both efforts to reduce symptomatology and efforts to use and build strengths” (Lyons, 2009). |
"The PSC-35 is a psychosocial screening tool designed to facilitate the recognition of cognitive, emotional, and behavioral problems so appropriate interventions can be initiated as early as possible". (IN 17-052, p 2) |
SCCBHSD uses two versions of the CANS: Early Childhood ("EC") for ages Birth to 5, and the Comprehensive 5+ for ages 6 and up. The CANS 5+ has an 18+ module for our TAY programs serving youth over age 18. The PSC-35 is to be used for youth ages 3 to 18. |
CANS contact:
Behavioral Health - CANS & PSC-35:
Amanda Vierra
(669) 263-4738
[email protected]
Probation Department - Juvenile Probation - CANS:
Kimberly D’zatko
408-468-1680
[email protected]
CANS and PSC-35
Documents, forms, manuals and resources
- CANS & PSC 35 Operational Standards (4/2024)
- CYF Functional Assessment Tools FAQs (3/2023)
- CANS Coaching Guide for Supervision & Integrating CANS and TCP
- PSC-35 Implementation Orientation training slides - Administrators & Managers (6/2018)
- PSC-35 Implementation Orientation training slides - Direct Service Providers (6/2018)
- Praed Foundation website
- TCOM Conversations (blog)
- The TCOM Channel
- CANS 5+ (v2.0) Manual - English (NEW 04/2017; Effective 07/2017)
- CANS 5+ Manual (V1.0) - Spanish (updated 2012)
- CANS 5+ Manual (V1.0) - Vietnamese (2008)
- CANS 5+ (v2.0) score sheet - English (NEW 04/2017; Effective 07/2017; Updated 06/2018)
- CANS 5+ (v2.0) score sheet - Spanish (NEW 04/2017; Effective 07/2017; Updated 06/2018)
- CANS 5+ (v2.0) score sheet - Chinese (NEW 04/2017; Effective 07/2017)
- CANS 5+ (v2.0) score sheet - Tagalog (NEW 04/2017; Effective 07/2017)
- CANS 5+ (v2.0) score sheet - Vietnamese (NEW 04/2017; Effective 07/2017)