Worker Safety 
 

By Chris Dubble, Owner, Pursuit of Discovery 

March 2025

Ensuring the safety of adult protective services (APS) professionals during home visits is of the utmost importance. Programs can enhance safety by updating their processes such as including key questions in the initial intake to help APS professionals identify potential dangers prior to the visit. Supervisors can also play a vital role by working with their teams to plan visits and discuss safety plans and providing support if an incident occurs.

Let's chat with Chris Dubble owner of The Pursuit of Discovery, a learning and development company, to learn more about protecting APS professionals in their important work and his No. 1 tip for safety.
 

How important is the information from the initial report regarding safety?

The questions asked of the reporter during the initial report play a critical role in ensuring the safety of APS professionals when they go into the community to see a client. Most initial report forms include standard safety questions, such as whether weapons or pets are in the home. However, I encourage anyone taking a report to add a broad, open-ended question to their standard script. Something like, “Is there anything that could affect our worker's safety if we send someone out to see Sam Smith?” allows the reporter to share anything they know that could be a safety concern.

If we ask direct questions about weapons or pets in the home, reporters typically share only that specific information with us. However, asking an open-ended question about safety allows the reporter to tell us other things, like that the front porch isn’t stable or that a neighbor has a history of incidents with law enforcement.
 

What is your top tip that APS professionals should remember for their safety when in the community? 

I have been teaching APS the same No. 1 tip for over 20 years: When in doubt, get out! In training several years ago, an APS worker added: When in doubt, don’t go out!

The bottom line is that every APS worker should feel empowered to leave 10 minutes too early rather than attempt to leave one second too late. If someone leaves 10 minutes too early, they can talk with their supervisor about how they could handle the situation differently next time. If someone attempts to leave one second too late, we have a crisis on our hands that needs to be immediately addressed.

Some of the common doubt indicators that should have APS workers leave are easy access to weapons, threats of violence, prolonged escalated behavior, sexually harassing behavior, hate speech, aggressive pets, environmental conditions that put the worker at risk, and evidence of illegal drug manufacturing or distribution.
 

What can supervisors do to support workers after a safety incident?

This is a great question because supervisors are vital in supporting workers after a safety incident.

Sometimes in APS, we can play the, “You think that is bad. Let me tell you about the case I had” game. Comparing stories is certainly helpful in the right context, but not after someone has experienced a threat to their own safety.

After an APS professional experiences a safety incident, it should be all about them and their experience. Supervisors should be present to listen to them and respond to them in a trauma-informed way. Supervisors should be person-centered and validate the person’s feelings about the incident, even if they differ from how other workers react to similar situations.

Finally, supervisors can also help to destigmatize getting support and help. They should let the APS professional know that asking for support and help is not only okay but is also encouraged on their team. The supervisor should also know about and encourage the use of employee assistance programs.

APS professionals must know that their supervisor and administration prioritize their safety and are prepared to support them after a safety incident has occurred. Safety must be prioritized in every situation APS professionals encounter.
 

The APS Blog is updated regularly with posts from contributing authors and new publications from the APS TARC.

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