Adult Protective Services and COVID-19

Important guidance is being shared by DHS for Minnesota APS programs. This guidance is from federal Health and Human Services, Administration for Community Living, APS Technical Assistance and Resource Center.

This information is being sent by DHS to APS supervisors. APS program implementation is through APS workers. Supervisor communication and guidance is critical for APS program staff always, and especially during time of state and national public health emergency.

Consistent with ACL guidance on in-person visits with vulnerable adults, consider seeking opinion from your agency's legal counsel on APS authority to expand contacts for intake and assessment response to maltreatment reports and EPS notifications.

Thank you for your partnership and your dedicated work helping protect Minnesotans in this challenging time.

Adult Protective Services & COVID-19

Preparing for and responding to emergencies to support vulnerable adults requires the work of many within and beyond the APS community. While APS staff are not medical first responders, clearly, they must play an important role. In this difficult time, APS workers place the highest value on the needs and safety of APS clients and those for whom a complaint has been made, and at the same time, to mitigate risk of COVID-19 spread. APS, like all of us, must attend to the health and safety of their clients, communities and themselves.  The Administration for Community Living (ACL) values the ongoing work APS is doing under challenging circumstances to ensure that vulnerable adults across the U.S. can be safe. ACL, in partnership with the APS TARC, has created the new document Adult Protective Services & COVID-19. Read the document at the link below.

Read APS & COVID-19