Wisconsin CANS

TCOM Orientation, Domains and Indicators

September 21, 2026, 12:30pm - 4:00pm CDT
September 22, 2026, 8:30am - 12:00pm CDT
Virtual via Zoom
Fee: None
Continuing Education Hours: 7.0
Note: Participants are required to attend both days in order to earn full credit.

Register

Course Description

The Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) is a collaboratively completed measure of child, youth, and family strengths and needs. This evidence-based, standardized assessment was developed to support decision-making and action planning, to facilitate quality improvement initiatives, and to allow for the monitoring of clinical and functional outcomes. As a communication tool, it facilitates the linkage between the assessment process and the design of individualized service plans.

This training provides an orientation to the Transformational Collaborative Outcomes Management (TCOM) approach and an overview of the CANS and TCOM’s overall framework, key concepts, and how its multilevel approach directly benefits children, youth, and families. The principles and best practices in using the CANS as a TCOM assessment strategy, a communication framework, and tools to monitor outcomes and inform care plans for families and young people will also be addressed. Using vignettes and small group activities, the interactive full-day workshop will prepare assessors for certification on the CANS.

Learning Goals: 

• Describe TCOM and its use.
• Describe the CANS and its purpose.
• Define the role of person-centered assessments.
• Prepare for the online certification test.

• Articulate the TCOM philosophy and how it guides the development of a shared vision for children, youth, and families, providers, and systems.
• Describe the purpose of the CANS.
• Understand the role of structured assessments and decision support models.

Brandon Howlett, MS. Ed

Brandon Howlett is the TCOM Training Lead for the Innovation in Population Health team at the Innovation in Population Health Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience at the University of Chicago, where he supports the practical use of the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS) and other TCOM tools around the world. With more than two decades of experience in behavioral health, workforce development, child welfare systems of care, and human-serving systems, he specializes in teaching organizations to use person-centered approaches to drive meaningful change. His work focuses on translating lived experience into actionable assessment, planning, and service strategies that support healing, engagement, and transformational outcomes. Brandon leverages his expertise and lived experience to coach, train, and support systems in applying TCOM principles that center the individual's story, strengths, and priorities. Brandon holds a Master of Science in Educational Administration and Policy, and is currently a doctoral candidate for a Ph.D. in Educational Sciences and Leadership.