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Effective 1/1/25: New CANS 3.0 Assessment

Date: 12/16/24

Superior HealthPlan would like to inform providers that effective January 1, 2025, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS) will use an enhanced CANS 3.0 assessment tool for all children and youth in DFPS conservatorship who are 3 years of age and older. The CANS 3.0 will replace the CANS 2.0 assessment currently in use. 

On January 1, 2025, DFPS will be ready to have the first child placements made into the Texas Child-Centered Care (T3C) System, with IMPACT 2.0 updates ready and residential childcare providers that have been credentialed. As part of the T3C System, an enhanced CANS 3.0 assessment (customized based on the current CANS 2.0) will be conducted at different stages of a child’s case and will be used to help inform which one of the 24 T3C Service Packages is recommended to meet the child’s unique needs.

What will happen to the CANS 2.0?

  • Beginning January 1, 2025, the CANS 2.0 assessment will be discontinued and replaced by an enhanced CANS 3.0 assessment as part of the T3C System. 
  • A child or youth who has had a CANS 2.0 does not automatically need to get a CANS 3.0 assessment simply due to the updated tool. 

What are the differences between the CANS 2.0 and CANS 3.0?

If I am already certified to administer the CANS 2.0, do I need to get re-certified in the CANS 3.0?

  • Current providers who administer the CANS assessment may complete these assessments using CANS 3.0 with their current CANS 2.0 certification.
    • Providers will be required to re-certify with the CANS 3.0 through the TCOM website when their next annual CANS certification is due.

As a current CANS assessor, will I be able to complete any CANS 2.0 assessments after January 1, 2025?

  • No, since the CANS 2.0 will be discontinued on January 1, 2025, current providers who administer the CANS must complete and approve any outstanding CANS 2.0 assessments in the eCANS web-based system by December 30, 2024.

How will a caregiver know how to schedule a CANS assessment for a child under their care?

  • As children begin moving into T3C placements, CANS 3.0 assessments will become the responsibility of either DFPS or Single Source Continuum Contractor (SSCC) CANS assessors, based on the child’s legal DFPS region or SSCC catchment area. DFPS or SSCC CANS assessors will reach out directly to the child’s caregiver to schedule and complete the CANS 3.0 assessment.
    • For children who have NOT moved into a T3C placement, caregivers will follow the normal process of scheduling a CANS assessment through STAR Health, and the new CANS 3.0 tool will be used.

Where can I find more information and CANS 3.0 resources?

In the coming weeks, additional resources and videos for CANS assessors will be released on the T3C webpage. For more information, please visit the DFPS Texas Child-Centered Care (T3C) webpage.