A Day in the Life of Adult Protective Services - Final Report ... - CWDA

Next Steps
Follow-up
The CWDA Protective Services Operations Committee recommends
following up this project with:
• Further research: While a more in-depth study is beyond the scope of this
committee, CWDA would be willing to partner with an educational
institution to provide county APS data for a follow-up, empirical study of
types of victims, types of perpetrators, and/or types and effectiveness of
interventions. Such a study is needed to gain further insight into the causes
of abuse and plan prevention strategies more effectively.
• Development of an “All-County” 1 data collection system: Currently
only the number of reports, types of abuse and number of confirmed vs.
inconclusive allegations are collected. In order to study types of victims,
types of perpetrators, and types of interventions on an ongoing statewide
basis, an all-county data collection system is needed that could tap directly
into each county’s electronic case files where available.
• More training for county APS staff and multi-disciplinary team
members : This project points out that most adult abuse cases are
extremely complex, involving multiple issues and agencies. Since
universities do not currently offer specialized degrees in elder abuse,
statewide training of APS workers and their partner agencies is needed to
develop a pool of experts to handle these cases. Given the number of
victims with apparent cognitive impairments, additional training around the
issues of client competency and the client’s right to self-determination are
especially recommended.
• Increased funding for these crucial programs is needed in order to
address the widespread and growing elder and dependent adult abuse in
California. Few counties are able to fund the outreach activities necessary
to alert the public of the magnitude of this serious problem, and without
public awareness, many victims' needs will never be addressed.
• Support for federal action to combat adult abuse: This project points
out the magnitude of the problem state governments are facing as the “baby
boomers” age. It is imperative that the federal government put in place a
national action plan to combat abuse before that age wave hits.
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An “All County” data system would allow the sharing of common data elements from each
county’s separate and unique data collection software. It would not require the development
and mandatory use of a single statewide computer system.
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