	Adult Protective Services

Introduction

Administration and Management

Service Delivery Administration Standards

Service Standards

APS 3: Screening

Reports of abuse, neglect, and exploitation are promptly screened.

APS 3.01

The organization maintains a 24-hour hotline to directly receive reports, or through other community organizations, and trained personnel are available 24 hours a day to respond to emergencies.

Interpretation: In a small community with limited resources, a collaborative arrangement for the planned use of public safety resources will be considered in compliance.

APS 3.02

Reporters are informed about:

the organization’s responsibilities, including protection of the reporter’s identity;
the process used to screen and investigate reports and the role of the reporter in this process;
the types of services or interventions the organization can provide; and
the result of the screening or investigation, unless prohibited by law or court order.

Interpretation: The organization should clarify if the reporter can have any ongoing role in the screening or investigation process.

APS 3.03

The individual:

takes an active role in screening and in subsequent decision making; and
is informed of his or her rights, including the right to refuse service as long as the individual possess the capacity to understand the consequences of refusal.

Interpretation: The organization will sometimes file a court petition when personnel have determined that the person is in imminent danger. In such cases, the individual's right to self-determination is respected to the fullest extent possible.

APS 3.04

The protective service worker reviews the report, conducts an initial screening including a review of safety and risk factors, and uses standardized decision-making criteria to:

review and select priority cases;
report to other authorities or initiate court action when required; and
determine if the case will be screened out, referred for an alternative response, or investigated.

Interpretation: Decision-making criteria must meet state and local legal requirements. Clear, written procedures should specify critical indicators or risk factors in abuse and neglect; prevention of abuse, neglect, and exploitation; and the appropriate level of response for individual cases. The procedures must ensure the prompt “screening out” of cases that do not fit organizational guidelines and the prompt assignment of cases that do. Case records should reflect consistent use of procedures and the application of appropriate interventions.

APS 3.05

Reports are screened and assigned for investigation, referred to other providers, or screened out within 24 hours.

Interpretation: The organization should ensure it has appropriate staffing or an alternative provider to meet the timeframe.

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	PURPOSE: Adult Protective Services protect vulnerable adults from exploitation, neglect, and abuse.

RELATED FILES


	SERVICE One or more organization-operated programs or activities that have a common general objective and deploy the organization's material and human resources in a planned and systematic manner. An organization that publicly promotes or identifies itself in writing as offering a service, is licensed to deliver a service, assigns personnel and/or space to a service, or allocates financial resources to a service is considered to offer that service.


	COMMUNITY A specific group of people living in the same locality and who may share a common culture, values, and norms. Communities can also be defined by race, religion, ethnicity, age, occupation, political status, tribal affiliation, interest in particular problems or outcomes, or other common bonds. The term "community" encompasses worksites, schools, tribes, residential neighborhoods, business districts, recreational areas, and health and human service sites.


	PERSONNEL The body of employees and/or volunteers that carries out the organization's tasks under the organization's administration and/or supervision. This definition does not include foster parents who are specifically referenced in relevant standards


	SCREEN A preliminary test administered to a client to determine whether he/she meets eligibility criteria for the services offered by an organization.


	CASE A general term used to designate clients (including individuals, families, and groups) served by an organization for purposes of monitoring the provision of services. A foster care case is generally based on the placement of an individual child, although casework for the child may include services to the child's family. A child protective services case is based on an entire family household if a family assessment model is used; otherwise a case is defined as a child.


	CRITERIA Systematically developed, objective, and quantifiable statements used to assess the appropriateness of specific decisions, services, and outcomes.


	INDICATOR A described activity, event, outcome, or benchmark used for measurement in monitoring the quality and outcome(s) of service.


	PREVENTION Actions taken to minimize and/or eliminate social, psychological, or other conditions. Prevention can occur at the individual, group, community, and societal levels and enhances opportunities to achieve positive fulfillment.


	CASE RECORD A written compilation that describes the client and the services delivered. Records can be in hard copy and/or electronic format. The case record can be used as a source of information for quality improvement or other evaluation activities, for research purposes, or to demonstrate accountability to funding bodies.