Articles related to adult protective services

In my last blog post about the confidentiality of adult protective services (APS) information, I described a five-step framework for determining when a department of social services (DSS) may release […]

*This post is co-authored with my colleague, Kristi Nickodem. For years, local stakeholders in North Carolina have been forming adult protective multidisciplinary teams (MDTs)—groups of professionals from different disciplines who […]

In North Carolina, each county department of social services (DSS) is responsible for receiving and evaluating reports of alleged abuse, neglect, or exploitation of disabled adults. See G.S. 108A-102 and […]

Navigating the legal requirements applicable to adult protective services (APS) court proceedings can be challenging, given the expedited nature of the cases, the different types of orders the court may […]

In state fiscal year 2022-2023, county departments of social services in North Carolina received 35,400 reports alleging the abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable adults. Fifty-six counties across the state […]

January recognizes the importance of knowing about human trafficking. The President has declared January Human Trafficking Prevention Month (see the proclamation here). The North Carolina Governor and the Chief Justice […]

Someone once told me that to get people really interested in a meeting you need to either make it free to attend or provide food. Well, thanks to funding from […]

Over the past few years, faculty and staff at the School of Government collaborated with public officials across the state to develop resources and tools related to the growth and […]

I previously published on this blog Guardian ad Litem Attorney Challenges in the Era of COVID-19, which explored the complications the current pandemic has posed for Guardians ad Litem (“GALs”) in Chapter 35A incompetency and guardianship proceedings. Given these challenges and other developments, GALs may see an increase in the number of Adult Protective Service (“APS”) petitions being filed under Chapter 108A. This could be good news for GALs and their clients in some situations; however, GALs also need to be aware of the potential risks that could go along with a rise in APS petitions.

READ POST "Will We See More APS Petitions During COVID-19? What GALs Need to Know (June 17, 2020)"

My colleague, Margaret Henderson, and I are excited to announce a new SOG resource – Human Trafficking of Minors and Young Adults: What Local Governments Need to Know. Youth are particularly vulnerable to traffickers. County and municipal staff in many departments have either spontaneous or deliberate interactions with youth that provide opportunities to lessen those vulnerabilities, identify indicators of trafficking, and intervene when appropriate. Download the bulletin on the School of Government’s website, here.

This 36-page bulletin is organized into three parts.