Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) Assessor

DePelchin Children’s Center•Houston, TX

21d

About The Position

The CANS Assessor is responsible for conducting comprehensive assessments using the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths tool to support individualized service planning for children and youth in community-based care. Primary responsibilities include scheduling, coordinating and conducting the CANS interviews and assessments for each child in care, either virtually or in person in accordance with agency policy. The CANS Assessor is responsible for tracking and ensuring compliance with timeframes as set forth by the Texas Child-Centered (T3C) rate requirements. This position is also be responsible for documenting and communicating the CANS assessment results to the child’s permanency and placement teams to support effective service planning and placement stability.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree.
Minimum (2) years’ experience working in child welfare, preferably in Foster Care, Adoption, Permanency/Conservatorship, or Family Based Services.
Strong organizational, planning and coordination skills.
Ability to build inter-agency and intra-agency partnerships.
Excellent public relations skills with the ability to communicate clearly and effectively both verbally and in writing with diverse individuals.
Ability to work collaboratively with agency staff and other key stakeholders
Strong interpersonal and cognitive skills in analysis, assessment, creative and critical thinking, problem solving and decision making.
Demonstrated knowledge and ability to work effectively with children and youth with special needs and their families.
Sensitivity and competency in relating to individuals and groups of diverse cultural backgrounds.
High level of computer competency in Windows environment.
Familiarity with search engines and search technology preferred.
Ability to maintain confidentiality & follow policies related to personnel records and client records.
Ability to drive during day and evening hours to various geographic areas on agency business.

Nice To Haves

Experience in completing CANS assessments.

Responsibilities

Schedules, coordinates and conducts the CANS assessment interviews in the child’s home, community or via telehealth.
Interview all required participants including the child (when verbal), the child’s permanency worker and caregiver (as applicable) and any other optional parties as deemed appropriate for the situation and need.
Conduct the assessment at a location and time which is most convenient for the child and family (may be outside of regular business hours).
Arrange formal interpreter services as needed.
Provide input and recommendations on current policies and processes to the Texas Child-Centered Care (T3C) Implementation Team to ensure a smooth transition to the T3C System.
Document all case activity as per program requirements.
Enters all assessment information into the eCANS web-based application.
Document resulting recommendations in the DFPS IMPACT system.
Communicate CANS results to the child’s placement and permanency teams.
Provide guidance and technical assistance to TTG, CPS and CPI staff on the goals, use of and outcomes of the CANS assessment.
Work to resolve any disputes with agency staff related to the results and recommendations from the CANS assessment
Complete CANS annual certification requirements through the Praed Foundation.
Integrate information into the CANS assessment from multiple sources by conducting interviews with children and with family/caregivers and incorporating information as appropriate from the referral source, treatment providers, school, rater observations and record reviews.
Monitor CANS reports to ensure children, youth and young adults are receiving CANS assessments on a determined frequency and within expected timeframes.
Prepare and submit a variety of reports as needed.
Provide guidance and technical assistance to agency staff and the community on the CANS assessment, placement policy and procedures.
Attend all mandatory and relevant in-service training offered at TTG to expand knowledge of services and the application of clinical skills.
Adheres to all policies and procedures of the agency and its accrediting and standard setting bodies, such as Council on Accreditation (COA) and state licensing.