Sharing the CANS: From the CBHI

   So, one of the potential problems in the new world order is one of the oldest problems in caring for children with mental health:  sharing information.   The CANS is a uniform system of data collection, a very rich source of information that should be shared among the various agencies working with the family, and the Virtual Gateway makes it possible for many people to look at information with killing trees to feed the copying machine.  You can share the information, according to the CBHI, with a simple consent form:

 

Important Info: Entering the Full CANS with MassHealth Member Consent on the Virtual Gateway 
Many providers are now entering the full CANS tool, with member consent, into the CBHI application on the Virtual Gateway.   Please remember that when you obtain consent, you need to do three things: 
1) Print a Consent Information Sheet from the application; it will automatically print the correct member name, member ID, provider agency name, and provider agency ID on the sheet.
2) Fax the two-page signed consent form using the Consent Information Sheet as your fax cover sheet (do not use your standard cover sheet). You can fax a batch of forms at once, if you want, as long as the batch consists only of three-page sets (the Consent Information Sheet followed by the two-page consent form). Fax to EOHHS at one of these numbers: 617-210-5565 or 617-210-5568.
3) Retain the signed consent form for your records.
If the member declines consent, you do not need to fax.
For more detailed instructions, see the CBHI Certified Assessor Reference Guide at the CANS page of the CBHI website.

 Works great, as long as you have parent who can give consent to share information.  But what about the parent who doesn't want the information shared? What if one agency knows about the abusive husband, but another doesn't?  What if the dangerous person actually can get to the Virtual Gateway?  One hopes that these scenarios don't come up too often.  Still, it is a great start to the sharing of information to help children do better.