A project supported by: WRMA’s Adult Protective Services Technical Assistance Resource Center (APS TARC) team
ACL contracts with WRMA
to support data collection, provide resource center to enhance effectiveness of adult protective service programs
Client:
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS)
Administration for Community Living (ACL)
Office of Elder Justice and Adult Protective Services (OEJAPS)
Service Areas
Areas of Expertise
Summary
In 2013, the federal government identified a need to collect annual, national data from adult protective services (APS) programs in 50 states, the District of Columbia, and five territories. WRMA developed the National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System (NAMRS) in response to this need, building on our experience with the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System (NCANDS) and using decades of subject matter expertise in protective services.
Since the initial NAMRS pilot project, WRMA has twice been awarded annual contracts to continue the work of the APS Technical Assistance Resource Center (APS TARC) to:
- support and improve collection of and report on adult maltreatment data through NAMRS;
- conduct research and evaluation to inform improved understanding of the APS system; and
- provide technical assistance to APS programs via use of data and subject matter experts.
Featured Work
The APS TARC is conducting the first-ever national evaluation of adult protective services programs. Click the button below to learn more about this important work.
The APS TARC has produced annual reports on adult maltreatment using NAMRS data. Click the button below to learn more about adult maltreatment as investigated by APS programs.
The APS TARC launched a series of podcasts to share promising practices and innovations from adult protective services and allied programs across the country. Click the button below to listen to the podcasts.
The APS TARC produces briefs that are short interviews with subject matter experts in the adult protectives services field. Read the interviews with experts by scrolling down on the Briefs page via the link below.
Details
Support of NAMRS
WRMA was responsible for designing and building the NAMRS system using a flexible architecture to collect both qualitative and quantitative data. Reporting to NAMRS is done on a voluntary basis and within two years, WRMA achieved 100% participation from 50 states, five territories, and the District of Columbia. WRMA provides technical assistance, training, and IT support for the program; produces annual reports and meets data requests; and conducts ongoing stakeholder engagement for system improvements and approval from the Office of Management and Budget for data collection under the Paperwork Reduction Act. Based on feedback from the states, the APS TARC provides a quarterly requirements register and an annual enhancements plan with potential system improvements. APS TARC staff further support system improvements through special projects to understand and improve state participation and provide technical consultations to address technology issues.
Research and Evaluation
Each year the APS TARC works with ACL to identify research projects to help develop innovative practices in APS. This work includes single-year research projects, including studies of the effects of COVID-19 and the opioid epidemic on APS programs. In contrast to the short-term projects, the APS TARC completed a multi-year evaluation of the national APS system seeking to understand policy, practice, and process outcomes.
Using predictive analytics to predict risk of adult maltreatment known to APS
ACL, in collaboration with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), launched a project to explore the use of predictive analytics to predict and prevent adult and elder maltreatment. The project, Predicting Risk of Adult Maltreatment (PRAM) leverages artificial intelligence, machine learning, and other “big data” tools to investigate patterns of risk and protective factors across multiple data sources to determine if there is an association with (reported) incidence of adult maltreatment. As a first step, NAMRS data were associated with additional, publicly available data sources to develop algorithms that identified community-level risk factors associated with increased risk of APS system involvement. The project continues to use existing data sources, where possible, including NAMRS and state and local APS data, Census data, and Medicaid Home and Community Based Services and Medicare payment data. In addition, the project will explore using data-driven risk scores to make decisions about case processing and quality assurance in APS. The team will develop and test algorithmic tools that can be tested by APS agencies. The goal of the project is to create and improve interventions to prevent and effectively intervene in adult and elder maltreatment, and as an outcome, improve disabled and older adults’ quality of life and health quality outcomes, and reduce health care expenses.
Provide Technical Assistance for Program Improvement
The national technical assistance program administered by WRMA provides assistance to state APS programs on a variety of topics from practice to policy. WRMA provides webinars, briefs, toolkits, a listserv, state and national conference workshops, and more to assist APS programs in enhancing their effectiveness. Our monthly webinars engage thousands of APS professionals on topics such as documentation skills and using data to improve APS services. Our subject matter experts include staff with a variety of state, local, and national expertise with decades of direct experience in APS. In 2021, our team shifted quickly to provide additional technical assistance to states receiving COVID-19 relief and related funding. States were required to quickly allocate funding for program improvement in a variety of areas from technology improvement to enhancing training systems and investigation supports. The APS TARC provided a rapid response by hosting listening sessions and webinars around topics and designed and implemented an operational planning template within a short time frame for states to use to report on their program improvement plans.
