The APS TARC is funded by the Administration for Community Living (ACL) at the Department of Health and Human Services and is dedicated to enhancing adult protective services (APS) programs across the United States. From small county programs in rural areas to large state programs with multiple urban centers, we are here to assist you in any way we can. Our vision is to support APS programs in improving the safety and well-being of older adults and adults with disabilities who are victims of maltreatment. We help these victims by assisting the APS programs that serve them.

This blog will serve as a primary means to communicate the activities and technical assistance products of the APS TARC and will feature new information and resources. We have many exciting things planned for our Resource Center. These include webinars on promising & innovative practices, briefs on topics relevant to your work (whether as an administrator or an investigator), toolkits to help with challenging new issues, reporting on our APS evaluation work, and a listserv to help facilitate support and assistance among your peers.

Some of the topics we plan to address on this blog include:

    •  Front-Line Safety Tips
    •  Latest Research on Self-Neglect
    •  Temporary Emergency Placement
    •  Quality Assurance Tips
    •  Disaster Recovery Issues

As a complement to these blog posts, our Promising & Innovative Practices webinar series will highlight several state APS projects. These projects come from states with different models that tackle different populations and address varied forms of maltreatment. By addressing a variety of subjects and providing information on challenges, successes, lessons learned, and replicability, we will help you build a foundation for innovative practice. These webinars will be recorded and posted online and will be accompanied by a brief that summarizes their content.

Our toolkits will focus on a variety of policy and resource topics that can help you get new initiatives off the ground or help you refine functions that are already in place. To help you build a stronger program, we will include links to research and instructional publications, as well as sample policies and examples of materials from state programs.

Finally, technical assistance is available to all APS professionals on any issue. Our team of subject matter experts includes staff from varied backgrounds and includes collaboration with other organizations, such as the National Adult Protective Services Association. Use this contact form to reach out to us anytime we can help!

The last few years have been a busy time for adult protective services. We have seen the launch of various grants to state APS programs and other organizations to advance the field, and the formation of the first comprehensive, national reporting system for APS. There is a growing spotlight on APS as the populations of older adults and adults with disabilities increase, and we are here to help you.

We encourage you to send us feedback! You can contact us via our webpage. Also, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn for more information on what we’re up to and other happenings in the APS world.