About the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths-Mental Health (CANS-MH) Indicators
CANS-MH indicators were added during the second phase (Phase II) of the Children, Teens and Families Indicators Portal project. The CANS-MH is an assessment tool (CANS-MH instrument) that supports the increasing emphasis on the identification and use of strengths in mental health assessment and service delivery for youth and their families. Prototype reports using the CANS-MH were presented at the 2008 NYS OMH Waiver SPOA conference and are archived on the portal.
Many programs serving youth in the NYS public mental health system utilize the CANS-MH or other version of the CANS instrument to help determine level of care, to assist with service planning and to benchmark youth and family progress toward meeting service goals.
However, not all programs uniformly report the CANS-MH assessment into the OMH administrative data system. Therefore, at the present time we have included the programs and SPOA entities that most consistently both use the CANS-MH and report data to OMH via the CAIRS system.
Data Collection Method
The NYS OMH Child and Adult Integrated Reporting System (CAIRS) is a secure and confidential HIPAA compliant information system developed and utilized by OMH to record, facilitate, monitor, and evaluate mental health services provided to children and adults with mental health needs in NYS. Youth and family service agencies that submit CANS-MH assessments into the CAIRS system and which provide community support, treatment and level of care referral services are included in the CANS-MH indicators section of this portal.
The CANS-MH indicator reports are presented by program type and the program unit where services are provided. No individual client level data are available in this portal. Data are included for children who were admitted to the select programs or who were determined to be eligible for SPOA services. Due to inconsistencies in CANS-MH reporting over time, CANS-MH data from 2002 to the current period are aggregated over time for these reports. Data in the reports are updated regularly and include the current calendar year.
CANS-MH Indicators
The CANS-MH indicator reports are derived from data submitted by the above service providers when a child is admitted and discharged from care or when a child is deemed eligible for SPOA services. CANS-MH indicators include the areas of problem presentation, risk behaviors, functioning, care intensity and organization, family/caregiver needs and strengths, and youth strengths. The prevalence of CANS-MH needs at the time the youth begins services are presented. Outcomes in terms of change in level of indicators from admission to discharge are also shown. This link shows the CANS-MH indicators as entered by providers into CAIRS: (CANS Indicators Definition.pdf).
CANS-MH Indicator Reports
Indicators
CANS-MH Dimension Level of Need: Percent of youth admitted or deemed eligible in the SPOA process with needs on CANS-MH dimensions by domain. Reports are shown at the program type and program levels of detail. Needs are defined as having a rating of '2' which reflects a moderate degree or a rating of '3' which reflects a severe or profound degree of the dimension. These ratings are also conceptualized respectively as need for action ('2') or as need for either immediate or intensive action ('3'). Data are aggregated over time for the period from 2002 to the present.
CANS-MH Domain Level of Need: Percent of youth admitted or deemed eligible in the SPOA process with needs on more than 50% of the dimensions within a CANS-MH domain. Reports are shown by domain at program type and program levels of detail. Needs are defined as having a rating of '2' which reflects a moderate degree or a rating of '3' which reflects a severe or profound degree of the dimension. These ratings are also conceptualized respectively as need for action ('2') or as need for either immediate or intensive action ('3'). Data are aggregated over time for the period from 2002 to the present.
CANS-MH Outcomes: Percent of youth with needs on CANS-MH dimensions by domain at the program type and program levels of detail at admission compared to discharge. * Needs are defined as having a rating of '2' which reflects a moderate degree or a rating of '3' which reflects a severe or profound degree of the dimension. These ratings are also conceptualized respectively as need for action ('2') or as need for either immediate or intensive action ('3'). Data are aggregated over time for the period from 2002 to the present.
* Reports do not include SPOA providers because the SPOA process serves primarily as a referral mechanism and does not admit and discharge youth as do the other programs.
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