Current through Register Vol. 47, No. 5, March 10, 2024
A. The
director of each county department with ten (10) or more screened in reports of
at-risk adult mistreatment and/or self-neglect in the prior state fiscal year
is required to establish an Adult Protection Team.
1. The county department may establish its
own Team or may coordinate with another contiguous county department(s) that is
required to establish a Team.
2.
The Team shall meet quarterly, at a minimum.
3. The county department shall determine the
level of decision making authority for the Team. The role of the Team may be
advisory only.
B. The
purpose of the Team shall be to:
1. Review the
processes used to report and investigate mistreatment and self-neglect of
at-risk adults;
2. Staff particular
cases or possible cases with Team members, such as those that:
a. Have proven difficult to resolve and Team
members may be able to identify solutions;
b. Are situations where early intervention by
other community systems may prevent mistreatment; and/or,
c. Are valuable for educating Team members on
APS program processes and requirements.
3. Facilitate interagency cooperation
regarding services to at-risk adults including the development of solutions and
action steps necessary to reduce risk and improve safety; and,
4. Provide community education on the
mistreatment and self-neglect of at-risk adults. The county department shall be
the primary training agency, but may utilize training provided by team members
or another designee. The county department shall:
a. Determine the topic to be presented, based
upon county department or community need;
b. Use materials developed by the county
department, the State Department, national associations, or other professional
adult protective services agencies;
c. At a minimum, provide five (5) training
activities per fiscal year, in any combination of the following:
1) A live presentation to a community or
professional group;
2)
Participation in a senior or community forum, such as:
a) Providing an article for a newsletter or
local community newspaper; or,
b)
Providing brochures or other written materials at a county department or other
community event.
3)
Sponsorship of a community Elder Abuse Awareness Day or similar
event.
C. The director of the county department or
the director's designee shall identify and recruit team members consistent with
professional groups as specified in Section
26-3.1-102(1)(b),
C.R.S., and other relevant community agencies.
D. Each Team member shall be advised of the
confidential nature of his or her responsibilities in accordance with Section
26-3.1-102(7),
C.R.S., and shall be required to sign a confidentiality agreement at least once
each fiscal year.
E. The Team shall
develop and adopt written by-laws or a Memorandum of Understanding that
minimally include the Team's:
1.
Purpose;
2. Structure, including:
a. Meeting facilitation. Teams that conduct
education to the community as part of the Team meeting shall adjourn to
executive session prior to staffing any case or discussing any APS client or
community member;
b. Frequency of
meetings; and,
c. Composition of
the Team.
3. Rules for
membership, including:
a. Member
duties;
b. Process for resignation
and causes for termination from the Team.
4. Process for handling potential conflicts
of interest.
F. The
county department shall review and update all team documents, such as by-laws
and confidentiality agreements when statute or rule changes occur that impact
the team's process or every five years, whichever occurs first.
G. The county department shall enter all Team
activities, including but not limited to cases staffed, training provided, and
confidentiality agreements, in CAPS within fourteen (14) calendar days of the
activity.
