EVALUATION OF THE ONTARIO COMMON ASSESSMENT ... - CCIM

OCAN Evaluation for Aboriginal Mental Health Programs
sites. Participants also understood that the OCAN is based on a validated assessment tool, i.e. the
Camberwell tool.
Perceived Adequacy of OCAN Staff Training and Support
The coordinator took part in the complete 5 day training session, composed of the coordinator training
followed by the train the trainer session. The provider believed the training was extensive and sufficient to
implement OCAN. However workers emphasized that there is high turnover in the Aboriginal mental health
field and access to regular training is important.
Current status of OCAN implementation
The staff assessment is completed for each new adult client, however the self-assessment is completed only
when necessary or deemed appropriate. The providers explained that OCAN appears to work well for
people who need case management however, this is only a small portion of the case load at this site.
Most clients access services specifically for mental health issues. Providers stated that their clients receive
social support services from other agencies in their First Nation community, these include housing and other
domains covered in the OCAN. They believe that clients are not looking to them as mental health providers
for that type of service coordination. One provider explained it this: “by the time the clients get to me, they
don’t want to get into [the OCAN domains], they know who to talk to if they need those services. They come to
me for mental health counseling”.
OCAN’s fit within the service delivery on Manitoulin Island
Perceived importance of a standardized assessment tool
Providers felt that a standardized assessment tool generally would be quite valuable, particularly if the
information could be easily shared with other providers, such as hospitals, on-reserve social services providers
and federally funded mental health services provides (Under First Nations and Inuit Health Branch). The
importance of having access to a broad range of information related to each client was also seen as
important as it could improve care.
However workers cautioned that standardization would only lead to improved care if the information
collected is relevant to the providers and culturally appropriate for clients.
The realities of implementation OCAN into the daily workflow
OCAN is creating significant duplication of work for staff at this point. Providers are concerned that the staff
assessment has significant over lap with the CDS data set which they already enter into the Roxy data base
as mandated by the LHIN.
The providers explained that “OCAN overlaps and didn’t add anything to the normal intake we normally do.”
Providers also felt that it is best used as tool during the intake process when clients are referred by federally
funded workers. Once the clients are scheduled for appointments with specialized providers “they are not
expecting to talk about the OCAN domains, they are expecting treatment!”
Sutherland & Maar - March 2010 Page 35