The I-CAN stands for The Instrument for the Classification and Assessment of Support Needs.
It is a holistic support needs assessment tool designed for people with a disability aged 16 years and above. The tool can only be used by trained and certified I-CAN assessors.
The I-CAN was developed by the Centre for Disability Studies (CDS), based on extensive research into the need for an innovating, rigorous and robust system of identifying and classifying support needs. This research was funded by an Australian Research Council Linkage Grant. The first version of the I-CAN was launched in 2002. Prior to this, the tool was known as the Support Classification and Assessment of Needs (SCAN). The I-CAN has been reviewed and updated regularly, with Version 6 launched in 2022.
Conceptual Framework
The I-CAN is conceptually based on the World Health Organisation’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (ICF), and maps a person’s support needs to 12 domains.
The ICF’s Activity and Participation domains are supplemented by three domains based on health and wellbeing, resulting in a total of 12 domains:
- Mobility
- Domestic Life
- Self Care
- Community, Social & Civic Life
- Communication
- Learning & Applying Knowledge
- General Tasks and Demands
- Life Long Learning
- Interpersonal Interactions & Relationships
- Behaviours of Concern
- Mental & Emotional Health
- Physical Health
Each domain is then broken into four sub-domains, for example Mobility includes:
- Transfers & Positioning
- Carrying, Moving & Handling Objects
- Walking & Moving
- Transport
The only domain that is not broken into four sub-domains is Physical Health, which has 10 sub-domains in order to ensure that complex health needs can be accurately captured.
Using the I-CAN – Describing and Recording Support Needs
The I-CAN is designed to be used flexibly, capturing the most relevant support needs for the purpose of the assessment and for an individual’s circumstances. Information is only entered into the relevant domains.
Information is entered using person centred, strengths-based language, in “I-CAN statements.” The I-CAN statement is a critical component of this type of assessment, describing what the person can do, and with what support.
I-CAN statements are then “scored” in terms of the frequency of support and the type of support provided in each domain.
Use of the Tool
In Australia, the I-CAN is predominantly used by practitioners under the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS), for example when supporting a participant to access the scheme for the first time, undergoing plan reviews or when a participant’s circumstances are changing.
The I-CAN is also used to for non-NDIS participants, including those with acquired and psycho-social disabilities.
Why Use the I-CAN?
The I-CAN is:
- Strengths-based and person-centred
- Semi-structured – so can be used flexibly and what is appropriate to the person you are assessing
- Based on the WHO ICF
- Aligns with our commitment to uphold the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disability (CRPD)
- Appropriate for use across all disability types including physical, intellectual and psycho-social disabilities
- Validated for use for people with disabilities 16 years and older, however some assessors are using it with younger people
- Developed and researched in Australia
- The assessment is completed via an online tool so can be accessed anywhere with internet access. No need for paper manuals or forms.
Who can become an I-CAN Assessor?
The I-CAN training is available to following people:
-Allied health clinicians with a tertiary qualification, such as:
- Occupational Therapist
- Physiotherapist
- Speech Pathologist
- Social Worker
- Dietitian
- Psychologist
- Exercise Physiologist
- Rehabilitation Counsellor
- Counsellor
- Psychotherapist
-Registered nurses (RN)
-Enrolled nurses (EN)
-Clinicians with an Education degree
-NDIS Behaviour Support Practitioner
If you do not meet the above eligibility criteria, and you feel that you have the relevant skills and experience to become a certified I-CAN assessor, please email the I-CAN team via ican@cds.org.au. In the email, please outline your relevant skills, experience and qualifications in the disability sector including your experience in completing assessments and report writing. The team will review eligibility on a case-by-case basis.
About the I-CAN Training
Participants will learn to facilitate I-CAN interviews with a person with disability and their circle of support, map support needs using the I-CAN v6 tool, and generate an individual support needs report which helps guide service delivery and planning.
The total cost of training and accreditation is $655, which includes:
- Access to the self-paced online learning via Acorn to complete I-CAN v6 training in your own time (6 month time frame to complete the online training modules)
- Access to the associated materials and I-CAN v6 online tool
- Access to online Q & A session/s on request to the I-CAN team via email
- Access to the I-CAN team for assistance with queries and tech issues
- I-CAN assessment review and accreditation process
- Provisional I-CAN online tool access for 6 months from the initial date of training registration, in order to complete the accreditation process. Please note that the accreditation process must be completed within this 6 month period, otherwise access to the tool will be revoked.
- Full license for 12 months from the initial date of training registration, subject to completion of certification requirements
I-CAN TRAINING REGISTRATION
Due to unprecedented interest and enrolments in the I-CAN v6 Tool, we have temporarily closed our Acorn Learning Management System for new I-CAN v6 Assessor Training enrolments. We will update our website when the I-CAN v6 Assessor Training will re-open again.
The I-CAN v6 Assessor Training can be accessed online via our Acorn Learning Management System.
Steps to register for the training:
- Acorn Account Creation: – Please use the link below to the Acorn Learning Management System. To get started, create an Acorn account. Please make sure you fill in the registration questions, as this information determines your eligibility for the training course.
- Enrolment: Once you have created an Acorn account and logged into the Learning Management System, proceed to enrol in the I-CAN version 6 training course via the home page. As indicated above, if you don’t meet the eligibility criteria to become an I-CAN assessor but believe you have the relevant skills and experience, reach out to the I-CAN team at ican@cds.org.au.
- Payment Options: If you meet the eligibility criteria, you can proceed to the payment page. Pay online using a credit or debit card. Alternatively, if you would prefer an invoice, contact the I-CAN team via ican@cds.org.au.
We can also offer private workshops for organisations, both in Australia and internationally. Please contact us to discuss your organisation’s needs.
