CANS Manual by Domain
The CANS manual is used for scoring the CANS assessment. It provides definitions of each item on the assessment as well as the criteria for how to choose an accurate action level on each item. It is recommended that the manual is referred to each and every time a CANS is being completed in order to most accurately represent the child’s needs and strengths.
Reference Guides
Northwestern has compiled some additional resources beyond the manual to facilitate CANS scoring. Our reference guides can help in several ways, including quickly identifying which items may apply to your case based on the reasons for case opening, complying with the CANS requirements in your scoring, and determining which items to score based on who the caregivers involved are.
Frequent Scoring Errors
Through reviewing thousands of DCFS CANS, the Northwestern CANS Quality Control staff have identified some commonly seen mistakes. These errors can lead to misrepresentations of youth and families. Taking note of these frequently observed areas of confusion can help you avoid making these mistakes.
On Demand Trainings
Northwestern has begun posting on demand videos designed to help you with scoring the 2.0 version of the CANS and will be on a variety of topics. These videos will be a variety of topics. Our first video walks you though the “difficult to score” CANS guide.