Adult Protective Services in the United States
- LAST REVIEWED: 01 April 2021
- LAST MODIFIED: 29 June 2015
- DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195389678-0226
- LAST REVIEWED: 01 April 2021
- LAST MODIFIED: 29 June 2015
- DOI: 10.1093/obo/9780195389678-0226
Introduction
Adult Protective Services (APS) is the social services system that is charged with investigating and intervening in cases of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of vulnerable and older adults. In the United States, state and local governments provide protective services for adults, although the administrative auspices and scope of these programs varies from state to state. Most states have mandatory reporting laws and systems that are based on the premise that vulnerable older and disabled adults need protection by the state if they are being harmed by others, are unable to care for themselves, are unwilling to accept services, and meet some predetermined criteria for diminished capacity to make informed decisions on their own behalf. Most APS programs use intervention models such as case management, crisis intervention, and guardianships and other involuntary services, including removal to a hospital or skilled nursing facility. Given the complexities of the problems addressed, work in APS requires knowledge of aging, disabilities, assessment of client capacity, family dynamics, and community resources to address a range of needs ranging from mental health to victims’ services to housing conditions and other environmental adjustments. APS workers must balance the need to protect clients while simultaneously upholding their self-determination. Other challenges of APS work include scarce resources, high caseloads, and the public’s lack of knowledge about the scope and nature of APS. The references in this entry address the administrative structure of APS, client characteristics and problems, reporting and substantiation of cases, risk assessment, working conditions, and ethical issues. References related to evaluation and outcome research in APS highlight the work still needed, particularly in evaluating the effectiveness of APS interventions. The need for a multidisciplinary approach to treating abused, neglected, and vulnerable adults has been long recognized and is now formalized by many communities. This bibliography contains articles that examine the connection of APS with other service systems, as well as works focusing on the role of multidisciplinary teams that address abuse and neglect of elderly and vulnerable adults. With a growing population of older adults, the need for Adult Protective Services is expected to increase in the 21st century, and resources in this entry provide useful information for those seeking to increase their understanding of this vital practice area.
General Overviews and Descriptions of Practice
These works provide an overview of the purpose and structure of Adult Protective Services programs. The National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA) has an excellent website that provides an overview of how APS works, its history, and information on the U.S. Elder Justice Act and other policy efforts. The National Center on Elder Abuse provides information on APS as a partner in combating adult abuse and neglect. Kosberg, et al. 2006 describes adult protection, including APS, in the United States. Atkinson and Nelson 1995 offers an overview of APS practice, while Kaplan 1992 provides an example of adult protection work with a disabled but not elderly adult. Brandl, et al. 2006 and Nerenberg 2008 (both cited under APS and Multidisciplinary Teams) also provide succinct descriptions of APS services and their connection with other service systems.
Atkinson, Vickie L., and Gary M. Nelson. 1995. Adult Protective Services. In The field of adult services: Social work practice and administration. Edited by Gary M. Nelson, 215–225. Washington, DC: NASW Press.
Discusses working with involuntary clients, abusive caregivers, self-neglect, and informed consent in APS. Describes the assessment and change process from a social work perspective of supporting, enabling, and empowering APS clients within the context of balancing issues of self-determination and protection of clients.
Kaplan, Kenneth. 1992. Linking the developmentally disabled client to needed resources: Adult Protective Services case management. In Social work case management. Edited by Betsy S. Vourlekis and Roberta R. Greene, 89–106. New York: Aldine de Gruyter.
An overview and description of APS work with developmentally disabled, nonelderly adults, emphasizing the importance of thorough knowledge of community resources such as adult foster care. Provides three detailed case examples that describe the successful linking of APS clients and a range of resources.
Kosberg, Jordan, Max Rothman, and Burton Dunlop. 2006. Advocacy and protection of older adults. In Handbook of social work in health and aging. Edited by Barbara J. Berkman, 551–558. New York: Oxford Univ. Press.
DOI: 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195173727.001.0001
A synopsis of Adult Protective Services and the Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program in the United States. Addresses roles for social workers in legal settings as well, including a discussion of adult guardianship.
National Adult Protective Services Association.
Member organization for protective services professionals and Adult Protective Services agencies in the United States. This comprehensive website describes how APS helps and what happens after a report is made. Provides links to information on APS laws in each state.
National Center on Elder Abuse.
A resource on elder mistreatment directed by the US Administration on Aging. Describes APS as an intervention partner in the fight against elder mistreatment. Includes information on how APS works, APS laws and regulations, best practice guidelines, and other resources.
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Article
- Abortion
- Adolescent Depression
- Adolescent Pregnancy
- Adolescents
- Adoption
- Adoption Home Study Assessments
- Adult Protective Services in the United States
- African Americans
- Aging
- Aging out of foster care
- Aging, Physical Health and
- Alcohol and Drug Abuse Problems
- Alcohol and Drug Problems, Prevention of Adolescent and Yo...
- Alcohol Problems: Practice Interventions
- Alcohol Use Disorder
- Alzheimer's Disease and Other Dementias
- Anti-Oppressive Practice
- Asian Americans
- Asian-American Youth
- Assessment
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Baccalaureate Social Workers
- Behavioral Health
- Behavioral Social Work Practice
- Bereavement Practice
- Bisexuality
- Brief Therapies in Social Work: Task-Centered Model and So...
- Bullying and Social Work Intervention
- Canadian Social Welfare, History of
- Case Management in Mental Health in the United States
- Central American Migration to the United States
- Child Maltreatment Prevention
- Child Neglect and Emotional Maltreatment
- Child Poverty
- Child Sexual Abuse
- Child Welfare
- Child Welfare and Child Protection in Europe, History of
- Child Welfare Practice with LGBTQ Youth and Families
- Children
- Children of Incarcerated Parents
- Christianity and Social Work
- Chronic Illness
- Clinical Social Work Practice with Adult Lesbians
- Clinical Social Work Practice with Males
- Cognitive Behavior Therapies with Diverse and Stressed Pop...
- Cognitive Processing Therapy
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
- Community
- Community Development
- Community Policing
- Community-Based Participatory Research
- Community-Needs Assessment
- Comparative Social Work
- Computational Social Welfare: Applying Data Science in Soc...
- Conflict Resolution
- Council on Social Work Education
- Counseling Female Offenders
- Criminal Justice
- Crisis Interventions
- Cultural Competence and Ethnic Sensitive Practice
- Culture, Ethnicity, Substance Use, and Substance Use Disor...
- Dementia Care
- Dementia Care, Ethical Aspects of
- Depression and Cancer
- Development and Infancy (Birth to Age Three)
- Differential Response in Child Welfare
- Digital Storytelling for Social Work Interventions
- Direct Practice in Social Work
- Disabilities
- Disability and Disability Culture
- Disasters
- Divorce
- Domestic Violence Among Immigrants
- Early Pregnancy and Parenthood Among Child Welfare–Involve...
- Eating Disorders
- Ecological Framework
- Economic Evaluation
- Elder Mistreatment
- End-of-Life Decisions
- Epigenetics for Social Workers
- Ethical Issues in Social Work and Technology
- Ethics and Values in Social Work
- Ethnicity
- European Institutions and Social Work
- European Union, Justice and Home Affairs in the
- Evidence-based Social Work Practice
- Evidence-based Social Work Practice: Finding Evidence
- Evidence-based Social Work Practice: Issues, Controversies...
- Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Designs
- Families
- Families with Gay, Lesbian, or Bisexual Parents
- Family Caregiving
- Family Group Conferencing
- Family Policy
- Family Services
- Family Therapy
- Family Violence
- Fathering Among Families Served By Child Welfare
- Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders
- Field Education
- Financial Literacy and Social Work
- Financing Health-Care Delivery in the United States
- Forensic Social Work
- Foster Care
- Foster care and siblings
- Gay Men
- Gender, Violence, and Trauma in Immigration Detention in t...
- Generalist Practice and Advanced Generalist Practice
- Group Work
- Group Work across Populations, Challenges, and Settings
- Group Work, Research, Best Practices, and Evidence-based
- Harm Reduction
- Health Care Reform
- Health Disparities
- Health Social Work
- History of Social Work and Social Welfare, 1900–1950
- History of Social Work and Social Welfare, 1950-1980
- History of Social Work and Social Welfare, pre-1900
- History of Social Work from 1980-2014
- History of Social Work in China
- History of Social Work in Northern Ireland
- History of Social Work in the Republic of Ireland
- History of Social Work in the United Kingdom
- HIV/AIDS
- HIV/AIDS and Children
- HIV/AIDS Prevention with Adolescents
- Homelessness
- Homelessness Outside the United States
- Housing
- Human Needs
- Human Trafficking, Victims of
- Immigrant Integration in the United States
- Immigrant Policy in the United States
- Immigrants and Refugees
- Immigrants and Refugees: Evidence-based Social Work Practi...
- Immigration and Health Disparities
- Immigration and Intimate Partner Violence
- Immigration and Poverty
- Immigration and Spirituality
- Immigration and Substance Use
- Impact of Emerging Technology in Social Work Practice
- Impaired Professionals
- Implementation Science and Practice
- Indigenous Peoples
- Individual Placement and Support (IPS) Supported Employmen...
- In-home Child Welfare Services
- Intergenerational Transmission of Maltreatment
- International Social Welfare
- International Social Work
- International Social Work and Education
- International Social Work and Social Welfare in Southern A...
- Internet and Video Game Addiction
- Interpersonal Psychotherapy
- Intervention with Traumatized Populations
- Interviewing
- Intimate-Partner Violence
- Juvenile Justice
- Kinship Care
- Korean Americans
- Latinos and Latinas
- Law, Social Work and the
- LGBTQ Populations and Social Work
- Life Span
- Mainland European Social Work, History of
- Major Depressive Disorder
- Management and Administration in Social Work
- Maternal Mental Health
- Measurement, Scales, and Indices
- Medical Illness
- Men: Health and Mental Health Care
- Mental Health
- Mental Health Diagnosis and the Addictive Substance Disord...
- Mental Health Needs of Older People, Assessing the
- Mental Illness: Children
- Mental Illness: Elders
- Meta-analysis
- Microskills
- Middle East and North Africa, International Social Work an...
- Military Social Work
- Mixed Methods Research
- Moral distress and injury in social work
- Motivational Interviewing
- Multiculturalism
- Native Americans
- Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders
- Neighborhood Social Cohesion
- Neuroscience and Social Work
- Nicotine Dependence
- Occupational Social Work
- Organizational Development and Change
- Pain Management
- Palliative Care
- Palliative Care: Evolution and Scope of Practice
- Pandemics and Social Work
- Parent Training
- Personalization
- Person-in-Environment
- Philosophy of Science and Social Work
- Physical Disabilities
- Podcasts and Social Work
- Police Social Work
- Political Social Work in the United States
- Positive Youth Development
- Postmodernism and Social Work
- Postsecondary Education Experiences and Attainment Among Y...
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Poverty
- Practice Interventions and Aging
- Practice Interventions with Adolescents
- Practice Research
- Primary Prevention in the 21st Century
- Productive Engagement of Older Adults
- Profession, Social Work
- Program Development and Grant Writing
- Promoting Smart Decarceration as a Grand Challenge
- Psychiatric Rehabilitation
- Psychoanalysis and Psychodynamic Theory
- Psychoeducation
- Psychometrics
- Psychopathology and Social Work Practice
- Psychopharmacology and Social Work Practice
- Psychosocial Framework
- Psychosocial Intervention with Women
- Psychotherapy and Social Work
- Qualitative Research
- Race and Racism
- Readmission Policies in Europe
- Redefining Police Interactions with People Experiencing Me...
- Rehabilitation
- Religiously Affiliated Agencies
- Reproductive Health
- Research
- Research Ethics
- Restorative Justice
- Risk Assessment in Child Protection Services
- Risk Management in Social Work
- Rural Social Work in China
- Rural Social Work Practice
- School Social Work
- School Violence
- School-Based Delinquency Prevention
- Services and Programs for Pregnant and Parenting Youth
- Severe and Persistent Mental Illness: Adults
- Sexual and Gender Minority Immigrants, Refugees, and Asylu...
- Sexual Assault
- Single-System Research Designs
- Social Development
- Social Insurance and Social Justice
- Social Intervention Research
- Social Justice and Social Work
- Social Movements
- Social Planning
- Social Policy
- Social Policy in Denmark
- Social Security in the United States (OASDHI)
- Social Work and Islam
- Social Work and Social Welfare in East, West, and Central ...
- Social Work and Social Welfare in Europe
- Social Work Education and Research
- Social Work Leadership
- Social Work Luminaries: Luminaries Contributing to the Cla...
- Social Work Luminaries: Luminaries contributing to the fou...
- Social Work Luminaries: Luminaries Who Contributed to Soci...
- Social Work Regulation
- Social Work Research Methods
- Social Work with Interpreters
- Solution-Focused Therapy
- Strategic Planning
- Strengths Perspective
- Strengths-Based Models in Social Work
- Suicide
- Supplemental Security Income
- Survey Research
- Sustainability: Creating Social Responses to a Changing En...
- Syrian Refugees in Turkey
- Systematic Review Methods
- Task-Centered Practice
- Technology Adoption in Social Work Education
- Technology for Social Work Interventions
- Technology, Human Relationships, and Human Interaction
- Technology in Social Work
- Terminal Illness
- Terrorism
- The Impact of Systemic Racism on Latinxs’ Experiences with...
- Transdisciplinary Science
- Translational Science and Social Work
- Transnational Perspectives in Social Work
- Transtheoretical Model of Change
- Trauma
- Trauma-Informed Care
- Triangulation
- Tribal child welfare practice in the United States
- Unions
- United States, History of Social Welfare in the
- Universal Basic Income
- Veteran Services
- Vicarious Trauma Redefining PTSD
- Victim Services
- Violence
- Virtual Reality and Social Work
- Welfare State Reform in France
- Welfare State Theory
- Women and Macro Social Work Practice
- Women's Health Care
- Work and Family in the German Welfare State
- Workfare
- Workforce Development of Social Workers Pre- and Post-Empl...
- Working with Non-Voluntary and Mandated Clients
- Young and Adolescent Lesbians
- Youth at Risk
- Youth Services