CFT and CANS Implementation and Fidelity Toolkit

Why CFT/CANS? 

Assembly Bill 2083 requires counties to design and implement a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) framing a unified System of Care which coordinates timely, and trauma-informed services for foster children and other vulnerable youth and their caregivers. 

Children in out-of-home placement are served by multiple systems and programs including the placing agency (child welfare or juvenile probation), education, county mental and/or behavioral health, and sometimes the local regional center. The challenges of navigating these various systems lead to service gaps and placement instability, and ultimately compounded trauma for the child and family. A single, uniform System of Care, when well delivered, closes these gaps and improves outcomes. The use of teaming between Behavioral Health and either Child Welfare Services or Juvenile Probation through the collaborative forum of Child and Family Teams (CFT) and gaining a shared view of the child or youth’s functioning through the Child Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) tool creates several benefits: 

1. Youth and families receiving services from more than one public agency will experience the use of the same language and same approach to engagement, planning and delivery of interventions. 

2. Parents, resource families and youth will experience reduced stress through the use of an integrated, coordinated service plan that reflects the reality of their life; satisfaction will increase because the plan will reflect their own goals and preferences. 

3. There will be uniform processes to assess youth or child needs, with shared understanding of available services and resources that can contribute to an integrated plan. 

4. If youth (re)enter another system subsequently, they will already know what to expect and can build on the previous experience and learning. 

CFT/CANS implementation is an inter-agency effort between Child Welfare Services, Behavioral Health and Juvenile Probation. The aim is to ensure an aligned, uniform CFT engagement and planning process with assessment communicated through CANS is a cornerstone of the Integrated Core Practice Model (ICPM). Behavioral Health brings their expertise to the CANS assessment and case planning; Child Welfare and Juvenile Probation both utilize the CANS in their roles as placing agencies; the CFT is where these agencies come together. 

Integrated CFT/CANS implementation ensures this inter-agency collaboration is being practiced throughout the span of a child or family’s involvement and across all partnering systems. The tools provided here help counties collaboratively plan across systems toward full implementation of CFT/CANS as a core practice of the ICPM. 

Successful implementation is based on a clear plan that attends to key capacities research has shown make the difference in whether a new practice takes hold. The structure for CFT/CANS implementation planning reflects thoughtful, deliberate structures that draw a clear path from sponsorship through assessment through action planning. As an ongoing process involving multiple systems, this approach both clarifies roles and reinforces partnerships. Oversight mechanisms are built into easy-to-use tools, allowing all three participating agencies - Child Welfare Services, Juvenile Probation and Behavioral Health - to play a part in implementation plan development, progress monitoring and accountability. 

There are four major areas of implementation capacity building that reflect the framework of the ICPM and its behaviors, values and principles: 

• Organization and Leadership 
• Workforce Development 
• Strengthening Partnerships for Quality Practice 
• Using Data for Understanding and Improvement 

By attending to these areas, counties target key elements of their culture and environment that create the conditions for integrated CFT/CANS practice to thrive, regardless of the developmental stage of their CFT or CANS implementation. 

When CFT/CANS is fully integrated in practice, CFT/CANS fully reflects the core components of the ICPM: inquiry, engagement, teaming, advocacy and accountability. This tool supports the message that ICPM offers an organizing framework for current practice and system improvement. 

Download: CFT/CANS Components within ICPM Practice Framework  

• CFT Resources

• CFT Brochures

  CFT Videos

  CFT Survey

  CDSS CFT Website

  CFT Engagement Guide

  CFT Confidentiality Agreement and Sign In

  CFT Meeting Summary and Action Plan

• CANS Resources
• CDSS CANS Website
  
  CANS Flyer

These tools and resources support the staff in your county to have the knowledge, skills and attitudes for implementation of CFT/CANS practice and pave the way for a smooth transition. 

• CANS Training Curriculum Overview 
• CANS Training Curriculum Overview
• California Certified CANS Trainer list 
• If you are a Regional Training Academy looking for a Child Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) trainer in your area, here is a contact list of certified CANS Trainers in California (data collected and provided by the Praed Foundation)
• Child Welfare Requirements for CANS Training and Certification
• ACL 21-27: Child Welfare Requirements For Child And Adolescent Needs And Strengths (CANS) Training, Certification, And Entry Of CANS Data Into The CARES-Live System 
• CFT Training Materials
• Coming soon! 
• Dec. 15, 2022 Statewide CFT/CANS Convening
• Along with the 3-hour video recording of the December 15, 2022 Statewide CFT/CANS Convening, an online folder of county resources is provided here: 
  12/15/22 Statewide CFT/CANS Convening video recording
  12/15/22 Statewide CFT/CANS Convening resources folder 

As an inter-agency collaborative, implementation of CFT/CANS practice is built on a foundation of clearly defined, functional partnerships. These tools and resources help leaders create the conditions to establish and sustain these partnerships. 

• Interagency MOU Recommendations for Development and Use
• This document is a comprehensive set of recommendations and considerations for counties developing a Memorandum of Understanding between the partnering agencies in the CFT/CANS interagency collaborative.
  
  Interagency MOU Recommendations for Development and Use
• Child & Family Interagency MOU Template
• Counties can use this template to draw up their CFT/CANS interagency collaborative Memorandum of Understanding.
  
  Child & Family Interagency MOU Template 

• CFT Meeting Observation Tool

• A behaviorally-based assessment tool to guide staff and supervisors in what quality CFT practice looks like before, during and after CFT meetings. 
  
  The CFT Meeting Observation Tool was developed by the Statewide CFT/ CANS Implementation team and has been robustly piloted and is ready for counties and agencies to use. The CFT Meeting Observation tool is intended to support agencies in evaluating quality of and adherence to intended practice of child and family team (CFT) meetings. Results can be used to provide information regarding the status/progress of CFT implementation, guide the work of agency CFT implementation or leadership teams, identify workforce development and organizational support needs, and support Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) processes.
  
  • CFT Meeting Observation Tool

  • CFT Meeting Observation Tool Instructions

  • CFT Meeting Observation Tool Training

• CANS Fidelity Tool: CHQ-In  
• The Collaborative Helping Quality Inventory (CHQ-In) is a behaviorally-based assessment tool to guide staff and supervisors in what quality CANS practice looks like. Technical assistance for utilizing this tool is available through the Praed Foundation. Contact  April Fernando for further assistance.
  
  Fidelity Tool: CHQ-In 
• CFT/CANS Logic Model
• This logic model reflects the theory of change underlying CFT/CANS: that integrated CFT/CANS practice helps achieve desired outcomes for children, youth and families. 
  
  Coming soon! 
• Child and Family Team Survey 
• A survey for participants of CFTs asking several questions about their experience. Information from this survey is used to help inform and improve the CFT process. 
  
  Child & Family Team Survey
   

The CFT/CANS Statewide Implementation Team has designed a step-by-step process for CFT/CANS interagency implementation planning teams that starts by understanding where you are, progresses through determining where you want to go, then sets a plan drawing on supports and resources to ensure success. Here are the materials that guide and support this planning process: 

• CFT/CANS Implementation Planning Guide: Like a road map for the entire CFT/CANS implementation planning process, this guide serves as your detailed source for background information, step-by-step instruction and helpful resources.

• CFT/CANS Snapshot Tool: To launch the implementation planning process, a wide group of stakeholders from across a county examines the current status of their CFT/CANS practice to determine priorities for advancing implementation.

• CFT/CANS Implementation Plan Template: Next, counties will develop a detailed implementation plan based on the priorities identified in the Snapshot. The Plan Template gives guidance for developing timelines, action steps, objectives and accountability measures along the way. 

• CFT CANS Implementation Planning Guide 
• CFT/CANS implementation planning guidance for Interagency Teams from start to finish. Inside you'll find step-by-step instructions that guides your collaborative throughout the implementation planning process. 
  
  CFT CANS Implementation Planning Guide 
• CFT CANS Snapshot Assessment Tool 
• The implementation planning process begins with a self assessment: Where are we now? The Snapshot Tool walks you through the inquiry to find your starting place.  
  
  CFT CANS Snapshot Assessment tool 
• CFT CANS Implementation Plan Template  
• Once your county has identified its CFT/CANS implementation priorities, it's time to draw up the road map. The Implementation Planning Template guides you step-by-step. 
  
  CFT CANS Implementation Plan template 

• ACL 22-73: Assembly Bill (AB) 1068 and Practice Guidance for the Child and Family Team (CFT) Process 

• ACL 22-35: Timing and Frequency of Child and Family Team Meetings.  

• ACL 21-113: Assessments by a Qualified Individual (QI) for placement in Short-Term Residential Therapeutic Programs (STRTPs) under the requirements of the Family First Prevention Services Act (FFPSA) and Assembly Bill (AB) 153 (chapter 86, Statutes of 2021). 

• ACL 21-105: Updates To CWS/CMS Functionality And New Documentation Requirements Regarding Child Participation During Child And Family Team (CFT) Meetings 

• ACL 19-26: Placement change requirements, exemptions from placement change requirements, placement preservation strategies, and best practices 

• ACIN I-71-18: Using Team Meetings To Increase Cross-system Collaboration Between Local Child Welfare And Education Agencies (LEAs) 

• ACL 18-23: The Child and Family Team (CFT) Process Frequently Asked Questions. 

• ACL 17-104: Documentation of Child and Family Teams (CFTs) in the Child Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS) 

• ACL 17-104E: Erratum to ACL 17-104: Documentation of Child and Family Teams (CFTs) in the Child Welfare Services/Case Management System (CWS/CMS) 

• ACL 16-84: Requirements and Guidelines for Creating and Providing a Child and Family Team. 

• ACIN I-71-18: Using Team Meetings To Increase Cross-system Collaboration Between Local Child Welfare And Education Agencies (LEAs). 

• ACIN I-21-18/MHSUDS IN 18-022: The California Children, Youth, and Families Integrated Core Practice Model and the California Integrated Training Guide. 

• ACL 18-23: The purpose of this ACL is to provide answers to FAQs submitted by local child welfare and juvenile probation departments regarding the CFT process, as outlined in ACL 16-84, released on October 7, 2016.