September 26, 2018
ACL recently awarded grants totaling $4,877,699 to Adult Protective Services systems in 14 states. The three-year grants will be used to enhance statewide APS systems, evaluate and improve practices, and improve data collection and reporting to ACL’s National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System (NAMRS).
State APS systems investigate reports of abuse and exploitation of older adults and people with disabilities. They provide support and case-management, and connect people facing abuse to a variety of protective, emergency, and support services.
Find out how each state will use their APS enhancement grant:
- Arizona will link data from APS, Aging and Disability Services, and local Area Agencies on Aging; utilize technology to enhance data collection and reporting; and use predictive analytics to improve planning and budgeting for service needs.
- Arkansas’ project seeks to improve the experiences and outcomes of those served by APS by improving the state’s ability to document and report APS cases, clients, and offender characteristics and services in a manner that is consistent with NAMRS. They will also be supporting the education of APS staff, stakeholders, and the community.
- California will implement an APS Leaders Institute to increase the capacity of APS managers to coordinate, plan, and implement APS system improvements. The project includes the development and evaluation of a stipend program for graduate social work education paired with a commitment to work in APS.
- Idaho will be evaluating and deploying new resources including new screening and assessment tools, a case management and Goal Attainment Scaling intervention, and new methods to capture APS case, client, and perpetrator data.
- Maine will implement and evaluate an evidence-based APS service-planning and intervention model that utilizes practices including motivational interviewing, supported decision making, teaming, restorative justice, and goal attainment scaling. They will also update their information systems in order to report complete case component data to NAMRS.
- Massachusetts will use technology to create a common data reporting system that covers APS programs for adults of all ages. They will also partner with stakeholders to create an enhanced technology-based abuse education and reporting system called “Recognize, Report, Respond (R3)” for use by people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
- Minnesota seeks to improve APS data quality, increase APS case-level reporting capacity, and promote consistency in adult protection assessment and screening response for vulnerable adults. The state will develop new quality assurance environments and implement customized reporting.
- Montana's APS program will integrate the reporting of suspected abuse and exploitation into the licensing and certification process for facilities, standardize risk and safety assessments and data collection, implement new tools to track the outcomes of interventions, work with Montana Tribal entities to improve data reporting, and track cases involving illicit drugs, alcohol, and opioid abuse.
- Nevada will expand its Elder Protective Services program into a full APS program that serves adults with disabilities between the ages 18 and 59. They will use the grant to train APS staff, create program materials, and enhance NAMRS data collection and reporting capability.
- Ohio seeks to improve APS efficiency and data quality, increase awareness of elder abuse within the community, and to improve community supports for elders in need of community services or being considered for guardianship. The project will result in products that include a mandatory reporter training and online referral system, public awareness materials and resource guides, and a strategic plan for local teams.
- Oklahoma will develop an enhanced self-neglect practice that includes care planning, training, and service coordination. The project will also strengthen technology to improve NAMRS reporting and facilitate interviews and assessments with self-neglect clients, including Native Americans.
- Pennsylvania will expand the multi-disciplinary team approach to support older adults experiencing self-neglect, identify and resolve service gaps for older adults in need of protective services, and improve the quality and quantity of data reported to NAMRS. The state will also educate older adults living in the community on how to identify and report abuse and maintain health and wellness.
- Rhode Island will partner with the state's behavioral health agency to provide direct services to APS clients in need of highly targeted intervention and utilize statewide APS case management software and assistive technology to make field work more efficient. They will also increase internal training and host APS state conferences.
- Virginia will provide improved integrated e-learning to new APS workers and supervisors and proactively review caseload trends and best practice. Virginia will also improve their data collection and increase NAMRS participation with agency, key indicator, and case component level data.
Earlier this week, ACL awarded an elder justice innovation grant to combat elder abuse in Indian country.