| Popis: |
To provide baseline knowledge to aid in development of measurable outcomes and promote program evaluation in Adult Protective Services (APS), a review of quantitative and qualitative research published between 2005 and 2015 was conducted to examine outcomes of APS interventions in the United States. Balancing the need to protect clients with upholding their self-determination, APS investigates reports of abuse, neglect, exploitation, and self-neglect of vulnerable older adults and adults with disabilities, assesses situations, and offers services to reduce risk for abuse, neglect, and exploitation. In spite of APS’s vital role in protecting vulnerable adults, evaluation research that uses clearly defined and operationalized outcomes, which are necessary to examine program impact, is scarce. In addition to risk reduction and increased client safety, other possible outcomes of APS intervention include upholding self-determination for clients capable of making informed decisions. Thirteen published studies met the criteria. The majority were retrospective case reviews that relied on case records, data collected by APS workers, and case management systems. Eight studies used measures of risk reduction or continuation of abuse. Others identified outcomes related to case processes and included investigation outcomes (confirmed or not confirmed), recidivism, provision and refusal of services, and referral to the court or criminal justice system. Based on these findings and principles of program evaluation that encourage use of program theory and logic models, recommendations are provided that aim to encourage APS research that determines what works, for whom, and under what conditions. |
