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"Assessment with No Determination" is an option for APS to engage the adult and their primary supports in assessment, planning, and service interventions to stop, reduce risk, or prevent maltreatment when final determination of responsibility for maltreatment against the adult themselves, a family member, friend, or support person does not further safety of the adult or stop, prevent, or reduce risks of maltreatment. "Assessment with Determination" is used to determine that maltreatment occurred and who was responsible in order to protect the adult, or other adults, who are vulnerable through the support of the criminal justice response or background study disqualification from employment in a service where the person responsible risks the safety of other vulnerable adults or children as result of their maltreatment behavior and history. Decisions made at the conclusion of an "Assessment with No Determination" are:
- No Determination – Adult protective services needed
- No Determination – Adult protective services not needed
- No Determination – Investigation Not Possible
- No Determination – Not a VA
At this time, "No Determination – adult protective services needed" and "No Determination – adult protective services not needed" are not available within the determination field in SSIS. Until the updates are made to SSIS, "No Determination – investigation not possible" should be entered for the determination on all allegations of self-neglect and the need for adult protective services should be documented in case notes.
National Center on Elder Abuse (NCEA), in collaboration with National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA), recently recognized LaToya Gaines with Hennepin County APS for her exceptional adult protection work to highlight how essential APS is for our communities:
We are delighted to recognize the outstanding life-saving work done in March 2022 by LaToya Gaines from Hennepin County Minnesota. She is a new investigator who, with compassion and patience, obtained a client’s agreement to go to the doctor.
LaToya Gaines was hired by Hennepin County APS in January 2022. She was still in her onboarding training phase and hadn’t even been certified for Defensive Driving yet to allow her to transport clients. Ms. Gaines was assigned a new client in March for allegations of self-neglect.
After meeting the client, the APS worker felt strongly that the client needed to see a doctor and scheduled an appointment at the individual’s clinic. On the day of the appointment, the client did not want to go in for the doctor’s appointment, but Ms. Gaines felt strongly that the client needed to see a doctor that day. After some time working with the client to establish rapport, Ms. Gaines was able to convince her to go in for the appointment. Ms. Gaines had to contact the APS Case Aide to come immediately to drive the client to the hospital because Ms. Gaines was not yet certified to transport clients. Once at the clinic, the client was determined to be so ill that she was transported to the Emergency Room of Hennepin County Medical Center and ended up being admitted to the Intensive Care Unit. The hospital social worker and Medical Director told APS that if the client had not gone to see a doctor, the situation would have been dire and possibly fatal.
We are recognizing the work of this employee because of her professional skills in determining that the client needed immediate medical care, her clinical skills in working compassionately and patiently in obtaining the client’s agreement to go to the doctor, and our worker’s quick thinking in coordinating transport with another member of our APS staff to make this happen in a less restrictive manner than calling an ambulance. It is these hands-on experiences that make Adult Protective Services so effective.
Congratulations to LaToya and Hennepin County APS on this well-deserved recognition for outstanding, person-centered adult protection work!
APS Outcomes -- Do you have a story to share of how your APS program or an individual worker improved the safety and dignity or an adult who is vulnerable to maltreatment, or whose engagement with the adult or their supports in assessment, planning, and service interventions stopped, reduced risk, or prevented maltreatment or reoccurrence? We would love to share your examples of how APS makes a difference. Send your idea to dhs.adultprotection@state.mn.us
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DHS Adult Protection Resource Specialists (APRS) support adult protective services (APS) workers and supervisors with policy clarification and case consultation regarding intake, assessment, service intervention, and assessment outcomes for the safety and dignity of adults vulnerable to maltreatment reported as having experienced maltreatment. Connect with your APRS today at dhs.adultprotection@state.mn.us or (651) 431-2609.
Tips for Using the APS Manual
The recently updated Minnesota Adult Protection Policy Manual was designed to use in the online format, including a table of contents and easy keyword search function. Here are a couple of tips to help navigate the online document:
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- To view the table of contents, adjust the view to show links for each manual section. If using Google Chrome, select the "menu" and "document outline" buttons on the top left of the page. If using Microsoft Edge, select the "contents" and "list view" buttons on the top left of the page. See the screenshots below (select circle, then star).
- To use the keyword search function - in both Chrome and Edge - press Ctrl+F and enter your keyword to quickly find what you are looking for in the manual. For example, if you enter "overrides" into the keyword search function, you can click through each instance "overrides" appears in the manual.
And as always, connect with your APRS at dhs.adultprotection@state.mn.us or (651) 431-2609 if you have any questions!
Data help policy makers and the public understand the nature and scope of an issue. In the case of adult protection, data provide a basis to understand if vulnerable adults are treated fairly and justly in our state. Data can impact program evaluation, benchmarks for quality and performance outcomes, budget planning and resource allocation, and inform evidenced based prevention and remediation/service response for vulnerable adults who have been maltreated.
“Without data, you're just another person with an opinion."
― W. Edwards Deming
The Vulnerable Adult Protection Dashboard provides annual state and county data on the number of reports, allegations, and investigation determinations to explain what happens after reports of suspected maltreatment are made to the Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center (MAARC).
The image below shows state fiscal year 2021 total number of reports, the source of the report, and referrals done at the MAARC that do not result in a report.
The blue bar in the graph shows the volume of referrals MAARC makes for callers not reporting maltreatment. These MAARC referrals include: DHS Adult Protection Unit for reporting and policy questions, LIAs for questions on a prior report, NAPSA for out-of-state maltreatment reporting, Counties for Child Maltreatment Reporting, Disability Hub, Veterans and Senior Linkage Line, United Way 211, web report site for mandated reporters, 988 (new suicide crisis number), and 911.
Data Source: Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center (MAARC)
APS Foundations
APS Foundations provides a basic introduction to the adult protection system in Minnesota for new APS workers and supervisors, or APS workers and supervisors seeking a refresher. The course focuses on fundamental elements such as APS statutes, definitions, MN Adult Abuse Reporting Center (MAARC), lead investigative agencies (LIAs), and the Adult Protection Service Cycle and Time Frames, from intake to case closure.
APS Foundations supports equity and consistency in service response and outcomes that safeguard and promote dignity for vulnerable adults regardless of their location in Minnesota, and the course addresses core competency training recommendations in the ACL Voluntary Consensus Guidelines for State APS Systems.
APS Foundations is offered online over two days in the same week, typically Tuesday and Thursday, from 9:00am - 2:30pm each day. Attendees will need to complete both days to receive a certificate of completion.
APS Foundations training dates are intended to precede SSIS Adult Protection Worker Training dates as much as possible so that APS workers have the option to attend policy-focused training (APS Foundations) and systems-focused training (SSIS Adult Protection Worker Training) sequentially.
Upcoming APS Foundations Dates (registration is for both days):
***APS Foundations is under construction***
APS Foundations courses are on hold while we work on a content update this summer. New content will include changes to the Vulnerable Adult Act (VAA) from the 2022 legislative session, enhanced content on equity and cultural humility in APS, and Minnesota's new APS Vision, Mission, Values. Watch the APS Newsletter for updates on sign-up through TrainLink this summer; anticipate mid-September, 2022 for next sessions.
Anticipate mid-September, 2022 for next sessions
Please contact us at dhs.adultprotection@state.mn.us if you have any questions.
SSIS Essentials eLearning
SSIS Essentials is a collection of six eLearning courses designed to provide caseworkers with an introduction to basic navigation and functionality of core SSIS functions. SSIS Essentials eLearning is offered through TrainLink. New workers are encouraged (not required) to take the online SSIS Essentials eLearning courses prior to taking SSIS Adult Protection Worker training.
Please visit the SSIS Essentials eLearning website for registration and TrainLink instructions, technical requirements, and more detailed information about each of the six SSIS Essentials courses.
SSIS Adult Protection Worker Training
The SSIS Adult Protection Worker course is a technical training designed to provide an overview of data entry as related to Adult Protective Services (APS) into SSIS. The training is offered in two half-day virtual classes and is designed for new adult protection workers, SSIS Mentors, and those seeking a refresher. New workers are encouraged to take the online SSIS Essentials eLearning courses prior to SSIS Adult Protection Worker Training. More information can be found on the SSIS Adult Protection Worker Training website.
Upcoming SSIS Adult Protection Worker Training:
- Sept 19 and 22, 2022 (Mon and Thurs) 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Oct 31 and Nov 3, 2022 (Mon and Thurs) 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Jan 9 and 12, 2023 (Mon and Thurs) 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Feb 27 and Mar 2, 2023 (Mon and Thurs) 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
- Apr 10 and 13, 2023 (Mon and Thurs) 9:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Please visit the SSIS Adult Protection Worker Training website for registration instructions, additional resources, and more detailed information about the course.
National Adult Protection Training Center (NATC)
COMING SOON! The NATC is scheduled to launch in September, 2022. The NATC will establish a library of free asynchronous e-learnings for APS professionals. The first courses for launch at the NATC will be the APS Core Competencies and topics related to the pandemic.
APS Technical Assistance and Resource Center (TARC)
APS TARC provides a variety of no-cost educational opportunities for APS professionals including webinars, briefs, and toolkits that align with APS Core Competencies in national standards. APS TARC offerings address a wide variety of topics including APS supervision, frauds and scams, interviews with experts, APS investigation, impacts of COVID-19 on APS, and more. Keep up to date with APS TARC offerings by joining their mailing list.
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Additional Practice Resources
Find information on adult protection policy, procedure, resources, and training information for mandated reporters and APS on the DHS Adult Protection: Policies and Procedures web page. Specific training resources for APS workers are included under the "Adult protection worker resources and training" drop down. These resources support APS workers meeting education requirements under 626.557 Subd. 9e.
Our goal for the DHS Adult Protection Newsletter is to share knowledge specific to adult protection work in Minnesota, answer common questions regarding adult protection work in Minnesota, and provide awareness of DHS Adult Protection training opportunities. Please contact us with any questions or concerns at dhs.adultprotection@state.mn.us or (651) 431-2609
For more information about DHS Adult Protection, please visit us online DHS AP: Program Overview
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