The Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) Tool is an assessment strategy designed for decision support and outcomes management. It is completed for all children in out-of-home care. It is used in case practice in the following ways:
- This tool captures overall functioning, wellbeing, needs and strengths of the child and current caregiver.
- Information captured on the assessment tool can be used to match children with caregivers based on their level of need and the caregiver’s level of care.
- The CANS assessment is used in rate setting to determine the supplemental points.
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Who Needs to take the CANS Exam?
Anyone filling out or approving a CANS. This may include:
- Child Welfare Professionals
- Youth Justice Professionals
- Supervisors
- CST (Community Supported Teams) workers
What is the CANS Exam?
- Read a short story or vignette about a child
- Score a CANS sheet
- Get a score of .70 or more
How to become certified?
- Create a PDS Online account. Click here for LINK account questions.
- Complete the CANS Online Training
- Passing a Certification Exam every year
Why do I have to take an exam every year?
- To make sure every user is scoring items the same way
Completing the CANS Certification
Step 1: Complete the Online CANS Tool Training. There are Two Ways to take the Training
| Where | Why | How |
| PDS Online | To receive Certified Education Hours (CEHs) for professional license | Access the CANS Tool Training in PDS Online. |
| WCWPDS Website | CEHs not needed | Scroll to the bottom of this page to access the modules |
Step 2: Pass the Certification Exam
Access the CANS Exam in PDS Online
Step 3: Maintain Certification
Complete and pass the CAN exam every year to maintain your certification
Recertification Exam in PDS ONLINE
*THE CERTIFICATION EXAM IS VALID ONLY FOR WISCONSIN USERS.*
You can access and complete the CANS Exam once you have finished the CANS Tool training that can be accessed in PDS Online at the red button earlier on this page. For any questions about the training and certification process, please contact our office at cans@wcwpds.wisc.edu.
