DARMHA collects data for various Division of Mental Health (DMHA) programs. This data is needed to inform planning, monitor progress and report in a de-identified way to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and other funders.

Indiana utilizes common assessment tools to support decisions and monitor progress in several public service systems. In July 2007, behavioral health providers which contract with the DMHA began using the Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths (CANS). A year later, the Adult Needs and Strengths Assessment (ANSA) was implemented. During 2008, child residential providers began using the CANS. Indiana’s Department of Child Services implemented the CANS in 2010. Information from the CANS and ANSA inform treatment planning and level of care decisions. Additionally, a suite of outcome reports is available to service organizations to monitor outcomes.

*The DARMHA website can be used utilizing the following browsers: Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Apple Safari. If you experience problems, please contact the Support Center.

News:

Enhancements to Indiana’s CANS and ANSA Reference Guides: Indiana’s SFY2024 CANS and ANSA reference guides have been enhanced for accessibility and translated into Spanish. The revised English version of the TCOM tools enables Individuals who are blind, have low vision, or have dyslexia by using JAWS software to have the text read to them. The reference guides have also been translated into Spanish. Revised reference guides are available on DARMHA’s Documents page and through the online training/certification website, www.tcomtraining.com.

Effective July 1, 2023, revised CANS and ANSA tools will be implemented statewide. 2023 reference guides and rating sheets for the Indiana Child and Adolescent Needs and Strengths: Ages 6-17 (CANS 6+), Indiana Early Childhood CANS: Birth – 5 (CANS-EC), and the Indiana Adult Needs and Strengths and Assessment: 18+ (ANSA) are available on the DARMHA Documents page. The updated manuals describe the domains, item names and descriptions, rating anchors (examples), and optional questions to facilitate discussions. Going forward, CANS and ANSA training and certification will use these briefer standardized tools. To support the changes, effective 4/17/2023, the TCOM Training site will be updated with three new courses with the briefer, standardized Early Childhood CANS-EC, CANS 6+, and ANSA tools.

Please note, you will NOT be required to retake your certification test(s) if your expiration date is current. However, we encourage you to use the TCOM training website as a resource to familiarize yourself with the new tools. To ensure that you understand the changes, we recommend using the brief online quizzes for each domain to practice accurately rating each item. Also, consider taking a few practice tests and recertify if time allows.

If you have questions or need additional information, contact intcom@iu.edu.