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Referral to Legal Services is an APS intervention to stop, reduce risk, and prevent maltreatment reoccurrence. Civil legal services may be one of the best kept secrets available to older adults in Minnesota. Across the state, over 20 organizations provide free legal assistance and access to justice for older adults, low income and marginalized communities. Many of these organizations receive federal Older Americans Act funding from the Minnesota Board on Aging (MBA) to provide education, outreach and direct representation for older and vulnerable Minnesotans.
The MBA’s legal services developer, Kirsten Olson, is currently working with State APS staff to help open the door to initiating conversations and facilitating working relationships between legal service organizations and APS professionals. The goal of these conversations will be to better educate legal services staff about the mission and work of APS, and APS staff about the program priorities and work of legal service providers. All legal service organizations receiving OAA funding are contracted to act as a resource and program partner providing services to older Minnesotans (60+). Other APS clients may be eligible based on income. The following are a partial list of circumstances for which APS clients can be referred to legal service attorneys:
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Access to public benefits, including SS/SSI/SSDI, Medicaid and Medicare, Veterans benefits, and unemployment compensation;
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Drafting advance directives and designating surrogate decision makers who will effectuate older adults' wishes if they become incapacitated;
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Issues related to guardianship with a focus on representation for older persons who are looking to preserve self-determination and terminate, limit or change the conditions of guardianship;
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Access to available housing options, including low income housing programs that allow independence in homes and communities; protections from housing eviction or nursing home discharge;
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Foreclosure or eviction proceedings that jeopardize the ability to stay independent in homes and communities;
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Ensuring elder rights protections for older persons transferring from long-term care facilities to home and community-based care; and
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Elder abuse, including consumer fraud and the financial exploitation of older persons.
Civil legal service organizations receiving OAA funding include:
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Southern Minnesota Regional Legal Services, serving Southern Minnesota and Ramsey County through offices in Rochester, St. Paul, Mankato, Winona,
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Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, serving the central portion of the state, including Hennepin County, with offices in Minneapolis, St. Cloud and Wilmar.
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Legal Aid Society of Northeastern Minnesota (recently reorganized as Justice North), serving the Northeast and Arrowhead region, with offices in Duluth, Brainerd, Pine City, Grand Rapids and Virginia
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Legal Services of Northwestern Minnesota, Inc., serving Northwestern Minnesota, with offices in Alexandria, Bemidji and Moorehead
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Anishinabe Legal Services, serving the Tribal Nations of Red Lake, White Earth and Leech Lake, with a main office in Cass Lake and clinical offices on the Red Lake and White Earth Nations.
People with legal needs or their supporters can complete intakes with legal service offices by calling in to one centralized number (1-877-MY-MN-LAW), going on-line to www.lawhelpmn.org, or visiting the website for the individual legal service providers.
In addition to these organizations, many other legal resources exist which can help provide information and access to attorneys. For example, if someone you are working with is looking for information about legal rights or have a question about a particular legal issue, the legal services state support website (www.lawhelpmn.org) provides free legal information about over a dozen different legal issues in multiple languages. If someone has questions about guardianship, conservatorship or supported decision-making, then the Center for Excellence in Supported Decision Making manages a guardianship information line and can answer questions and refer individuals for intakes with local counsel. These, and many other agencies across the state are available resources for individuals who may have legal needs or be experiencing neglect, exploitation or abuse.
For more information about any of these legal resources, to connect with a legal service provider in your area, or for consultations on Legal Services interventions, please reach out to the APRS staff at dhs.adultprotection@state.mn.us or (651) 431-2609.
On October 4, DHS and representatives from Tribal Nations in Minnesota who participated in the state’s CRRSA Adult Protection grant funding presented information to the Elder Justice Working Group. This group is part of the Elder Justice Coordinating Council. It was an opportunity for DHS to explain the agency’s government-to-government approach to support equity and development of Tribal Nation’s service capacity; as well as an opportunity for Tribal Nations participating in the CRRSA grant funds to demonstrate outcomes from federal funding and provide information to representatives from many federal agencies on their culturally appropriate service models and the benefits of federal funding to overcome service barriers to stop and prevent maltreatment of older adults and adults with disabilities. Tribal Nation’s person-centered, culturally appropriate approaches to adults vulnerable to maltreatment serve as a model for all APS programs.
Minnesota guests:
- Kari Benson, Director, DHS Aging and Adult Services; Angelo Flowers and Mary McGurran, Adult Protection, DHS
- Arielle Aude, Director of Human Servicers, Lower Sioux Community
- Cheri Goodwin, Executive Director, Uplifting our Relatives, Red Lake Nation
- Felecia Bellanger, Elder and Vulnerable Adult Program Supervisor, White Earth Nation
- Peter Charpentier, Community Support Services, Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe
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 image below shows 2020, 2021, and 2022 data regarding total reports and the breakdown of reports by Lead Investigative Agency (LIA).
DHS Adult Protection Resource Specialist (APRS)
DHS Adult Protection Resource Specialist (APRS) staff support 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 an APRS today at dhs.adultprotection@state.mn.us or (651) 431-2609.
Vulnerable Adult Protection Dashboard
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).
MN APS Foundations
MN APS Foundations is an online course offered by the MN DHS Adult Protection Unit and provides basic introduction to the MN adult protection system for new APS professionals, or APS professionals seeking a refresher. The course focuses on fundamental elements such as APS statutes, definitions, MAARC, MN APS Operational Plan, lead investigative agencies (LIAs), and APS case overview from intake to case closure. 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 offerings, so APS professionals 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):
November 28 & 30, 2023 (Tu & Th), 8:30a - 12:30p each day | Click Here to Register
MN 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.
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:
- Dec 4 and 7, 2023
- Jan 22 and 25, 2024
- March 4 and 7, 2024
- April 29 and May 2, 2024
- June 3 and 6, 2024
Please visit the SSIS Adult Protection Worker Training website for registration instructions, additional resources, and more detailed information about the course.
National Adult Protective Services Training Center (NATC)
The National Adult Protective Services Training Center (NATC) provides free training for APS professionals nationwide. NATC course topics include: APS Overview; Ethics, Values, and Cultural Responsiveness; Voluntary Case Planning; Trauma-Informed Practices; Case Documentation; and many more. To access, create a free account and click "Find Courses" to view available courses. Check out the NATC LMS User Guide if you need help creating an account or navigating the website.
The NATC is operated by NAPSA and is supported by the ACL. NATC training offerings are supplemental to MN APS Foundations training for APS professionals, and are one method to meet the MN APS statutory requirement of 8 hours annual training specific to adult protection duties.
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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.
The DHS Adult Protection Newsletter shares knowledge specific to adult protection work in MN, answers common questions regarding adult protection work in MN, and provides 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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