Mandated Reporting of Abuse of Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities; Working with Adult Protective Services (2 credit hours)

Program Summary:  This course explores the advantages and disadvantages of mandated reporting for suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of older adults and adults with disabilities. It examines the reporting requirements for mandated reporters and the role of APS programs.  Important ethical principles are discussed and include self-determination, confidentiality, well-being, informed consent, the right to refuse interventions, the right to the least intrusive interventions, and the commitment to do no harm.

This course is recommended for social workers and it is appropriate for beginning and intermediate levels of practice.  This course does not qualify for NBCC ethics credit.

“Book  Open the Course Reading Here.

The reading includes the following NCEA publications:

  • Mandated Reporting of Abuse of Older Adults and Adults with Disabilities
  • Understanding and Working With Adult Protective Services
  • Adult Protective Services, What You Must Know
  • Red flags of Abuse

Publisher:  The National Center on Elder Abuse; The US Department of Health and Human Services

Course Objectives: To enhance professional practice, values, skills, and knowledge by exploring the role of adult protective services and the advantages and disadvantages of mandated reporting.

Learning Objectives:   Describe potential advantages of mandated reporting for suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of older adults and adults with disabilities.  Describe potential disadvantages of mandated reporting for suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of older adults and adults with disabilities.  Identify the impact of mandated reporting on the ethical principles of self-determination and well-being.

Review our pre-reading study guide.

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1: Which laws define who is a mandated reporter and what situations they are required to report on.
 
 
2: What federal legislation defines abuse of older adults and persons with disabilities?
 
 
 
 
 
3: What are some potential risks of mandated reporting as analyzed by Nina Kohn in Lisa Nerenberg's book, "Critical Topics in an Aging Society:  Elder Justice, Ageism, and Elder Abuse"?
 
 
 
 
4: According to Nancy Alterio's Expert Opinion, mandated reporting should be viewed as
 
 
5: The Expert Opinion of Leigh Ann Davis questions how mandated reporting impacts
 
 
 
 
6: Which ethical principles are explored in Leigh Ann Davis' Expert Opinion?
 
 
 
 
7: Research shows that mandated reporting increases the safety of APS clients.
 
 
8: For the following questions, please refer to Understanding and Working with APS:  The federal government provides
 
 
 
 
9: State APS laws differ with respect to
 
 
 
 
10: Individuals in doubt as to whether or not they are mandated to report ANE concerns should err on the side of
 
 
11: The NAPSA Adult Protective Services Code of Ethics stresses the rights of individuals served by APS including
 
 
 
 
12: Informing alleged perpetrators of APS reports is
 
 
13: APS is designed to
 
 
14: Alleged victims who have capacity retain the right to refuse any proposed APS service, treatment, or intervention.
 
 
15: APS can intervene without consent or authorization when removing victims from dangerous homes.
 
 
16: APS can intervene without consent or authorization when removing victims from dangerous abusers.
 
 

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After you log in, a link will appear here that will allow you to purchase this course.

 

Free State Social Work, LLC, provider #1235, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 9/6/2021 - 9/6/2024. Social workers completing this course receive 2 ethics continuing education credits.

Free State Social Work has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP NO. 6605. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Free State Social Work is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs.

Social Workers’ Ethical Responsibilities to Clients (NASW Code of Ethics, revised 2017)
  • 1.01 Commitment to Clients  Social workers’ primary responsibility is to promote the well-being of clients. In general, clients’ interests are primary. However, social workers’ responsibility to the larger society or specific legal obligations may on limited occasions supersede the loyalty owed clients, and clients should be so advised. (Examples include when a social worker is required by law to report that a client has abused a child or has threatened to harm self or others.)
  • 1.02 Self-Determination  Social workers respect and promote the right of clients to self-determination and assist clients in their efforts to identify and clarify their goals. Social workers may limit clients’ right to self-determination when, in the social workers’ professional judgment, clients’ actions or potential actions pose a serious, foreseeable, and imminent risk to themselves or others.

The NAPSA Code of Ethics can be found at napsa code of ethics.

The NASW Code of Ethics can be found at https://www.socialworkers.org/About/Ethics/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics-English.

G.M. Rydberg-Cox, MSW, LSCSW is the Continuing Education Director at Free State Social Work and responsible for the development of this course.  She received her Masters of Social Work in 1996 from the Jane Addams School of Social Work at the University of Illinois-Chicago and she has over 20 years of experience.  She has lived and worked as a social worker in Chicago, Boston, and Kansas City.  She currently practices in the area of hospital/medical social work.  The reading materials for this course were developed by another organization.