CANS/FAST Technical Assistance, Vanderbilt UMC

Abstract Vanderbilt University Medical Center CANS/FAST Technical Assistance, Training Project Purpose This proposal is to support the Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) in its on-going implementation of customized Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) and Family Advocacy Support Tool (FAST) tools for use in its Child Welfare system. The technical assistance and consultation will support local CANS/FAST expertise, and ensure the continued validity of CANS/FAST usage and fidelity to the Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management (TCOM) framework. Qualifications The Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) is a functional assessment tool that has been in use in child welfare, children’s behavioral health, educational and juvenile justice systems since the late 1990s. Developed by John S. Lyons, PhD over 24 years while at Northwestern University, the CANS is now used across the United States, Canada and over 10 countries internationally. It is estimated that 80% of children served in public behavioral health and child welfare systems in the United States have participated in a CANS assessment process. Since the development of the CANS, other similar tools have been created including the Adult Needs and Strengths Assessment, Family Advocacy and Support Tool (FAST), Crisis Assessment Tool (CAT), and the Readiness Inventory for Successful Employment (RISE). During the last 35+ years Dr. Lyons’ work has received support from the organizations that he has worked in which contributed to the development of his team and the evolution of the Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management (TCOM) approach: University of Ottawa, Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago, and most recently at the Center for Innovation in Population Health (IPH Center) at the University of Kentucky. Established in 2019, the IPH Center provides a platform for the TCOM approach to flourish in a research setting that can draw multi-sector collaborative relationships with key partners in the academy as well as throughout the human service sectors. Within the context of the IPH Center, TCOM and its tools, such as the CANS and FAST, broadens the strategy of personal transformation to addressing population health improvement. Methods 1. CANS/FAST Technical Assistance, Consultation to ensure validity of usage and fidelity to the TCOM framework: a. Michael J. Cull, PhD, Principal Investigator b. April D. Fernando, PhD, Co-Investigator 2. CANS/FAST training and technical assistance 3. CANS/FAST precision analytics and feedback 4. Project Management Qualifications of Key Staff Michael J. Cull, PhD Background and Experience: Background and Experience Dr. Cull is the Associate Director for Safe Systems at the IPH Center at UK, and an Associate Professor of Health Management and Policy in the College of Public Health. Dr. Cull is a licensed nurse practitioner with a specialty in child and adolescent psychiatry. He holds a Master of Science in Nursing degree from Vanderbilt University and received his Ph.D. from the Institute of Government at Tennessee State University. Dr. Cull served as Deputy Commissioner overseeing the Office of Child Health for Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services. Prior to this appointment, he was an Assistant Professor in Health System Management at Vanderbilt University’s School of Nursing and over his 20 yearsat Vanderbilt served in a number of clinical and administrative roles including Director of Education and Dissemination in the office of Quality and Patient Safety. Dr. Cull has specific expertise in applying safety science to improve safety, reliability, and effectiveness in organizations. His approach leverages tools like organizational assessment and systems analysis of critical incidents, including deaths and near deaths, to build team culture and help systems learn and get better. Position Description: Dr. Cull will serve as the CANS/FAST implementation lead, providing consultation to VUMC leadership on areas of implementation including (but not limited to): integration of TCOM and the CANS/FAST in workflows, practice, policies and procedures; participate in meetings and workgroups with VUMC leadership and other stakeholders and develop materials as needed to facilitate the implementation of the CANS and FAST. April D. Fernando, PhD Background and experience: Dr. Fernando is the Associate Director for Workforce Development at the Center for Innovation in Population Health, and an Assistant Professor of Health, Behavior and Society at the College of Public Health, University of Kentucky. Dr. Fernando works with non-profit agencies as well as child welfare and behavioral health care systems across the United States in implementing Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management (TCOM) and utilizing the TCOM tools such as the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS). She developed the CANS-Commercially Sexually Exploited version, which is used nationally. A licensed clinical psychologist, Dr. Fernando brings her years of experience as an educator, clinician, and mental health administrator to her work with TCOM and the CANS. Position Description: Dr. Fernando will provide CANS/FAST workforce development technical assistance for the project. As the workforce development lead she will consult across the team to support the use of the CANS as a foundation for trauma-informed care and a data source for continuous quality improvement (CQI) efforts.