1 A Tutorial for Online Reporting of Abuse, Neglect, and Financial Exploitation of the Elderly and Adults with Disabilities 2 Navigation To navigate this tutorial, use your mouse or the arrows on your keyboard. 3 Part One: Who is eligible for Adult Protective Services (APS) Assistance? 4 Automatically eligible: Any person age 65 years or older 5 A person is not necessarily eligible simply because they receive: • Social Security (Retirement) • Supplemental Security Income (SSI) • Social Security Disability (SSD) • Any other disability benefit (i.e.: VA disability, private short term or long term disability, etc.) 6 Possibly eligible: Any person between 18 and 64 years of age with mental, physical, or developmental disabilities that substantially impair their ability to live independently or provide their own care and protect themselves. 7 Substantially impaired means: • The person is consistently or frequently unable to perform the activities of daily living necessary for basic adult functioning in the community; and • The person has a poor prognosis for improvement. 8 Activities of daily living include, but are not limited to: • Walking • Using the bathroom • Personal hygiene • Eating • Cooking • Cleaning • Shopping • Managing money • Taking medications • Obtaining support services 9 A person is not considered substantially impaired if: • The person is capable of protecting themselves from abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation; • The person can consistently perform activities of daily living or obtain services necessary for basic adult functioning; • The person has a good prognosis for improvement. 10 If you’re not sure whether a person qualifies for APS assistance, please call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-2525400 for additional assistance. 11 APS does not investigate chronic substance or alcohol abuse issues. 12 APS will investigate reports involving chronic substance or alcohol abuse when the abuse has progressed to a permanent condition that causes substantial impairment, such as organic brain syndrome, kidney failure, cancer, etc., and there are other factors that meet the definition of abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation. 13 Part Two: How to Use the Online Reporting Website 14 You can access the online reporting website at http://www.txabusehotline.org Please note that online reporting is not fully accessible at this time. If you need accessibility accommodations when making a report, please contact the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services by phone at 1-800-252-5400. 15 During this tutorial, online reports are referred to as E-Reports. We will be referencing the interactions captured in the video scenario about Donna. If you have not viewed the video, we highly recommend that you view it now (http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Training/A PS_Reporting/reporting_how.asp#Donn aVideo) 16 If you recall, the video scenario about Donna ended with the hospital social worker ready to make an Adult Protective Services report through the Texas Abuse Hotline website. In the tutorial that follows, you will learn how a report is made and more about reporting basics. 17 Welcome to the main page for the online reporting site. 18 To the left, there are several login options from which to choose. 19 If this is your first time to make an online report, you can create an account or login as a guest. 20 If you already have an account, use your existing user name and password. 21 You may choose to login as a guest if you do not already have and do not want to setup an account. If you choose to login as a guest, your information will not be stored for future use. 22 We recommend creating an account. 23 On the right, there is a link to Frequently Asked Questions about reporting. 24 There is a Helpful Hints link to assist in troubleshooting problems while reporting. 25 Technical information about the best computer settings to use for the website is located below the Helpful Hints. 26 It is important to note the E-Report system should NOT be used in emergency situations. 27 If you believe your report is an emergency, call 911 or local law enforcement. If the adult lives in a facility for individuals with mental health or intellectual disabilities, do not use this online system. These types of reports require an immediate response from a specialized APS division. 28 If you are unsure whether your report is an emergency or not, call the hotline to make your report. They will tell you if you should call 911 or contact law enforcement. 29 Create an Account Existing User Login To continue this tutorial, select your login option from the menu on the left. Guest Login 30 In order to create an account, you need to create a user name and password. 31 Provide a valid email address. 32 We will send a notification to this email address when the E-Report is received. 33 Select a security question and provide the answer to retrieve a lost or forgotten password in the future. 34 Enter your contact information. Use the phone number and address where you can easily be reached. 35 Provide information on your place of employment and the best days and times to reach you. 36 Once you successfully create your account, you will be redirected back to the home page. 37 After you log in, you will be prompted to review and update your profile information before starting the online report. 38 If your information needs to be edited, use the Update Profile button. 39 If your information is correct, select Submit a Report to begin. 40 Read the statements and acknowledge that your information does not require an emergency response. 41 Enter the characters from the security picture, then select the button labeled Report Adult Abuse. 42 Regardless of whether you create an account or login as a guest, you will be asked for your contact information. If you entered your personal information for your profile, you can use that. 43 Once you enter your information, you need to choose your relationship to the adult from the options in the drop-down menu. 44 When finished, select Next to continue. 45 Enter the information you have for the adult. We need as much information as possible. 46 If there is something you do not know, select the Unknown checkbox. 47 As you move through the page, be sure to enter information like language, race, ethnicity, date of birth, and social security number, when possible. 48 This information helps us search for any prior agency involvement with this individual. 49 Select the type of facility from the options available in the drop-down menu. 50 In the video, Donna lives in her own home. This is the case for most APS reports. 51 As mentioned earlier, if the adult lives in a facility for individuals with mental health or intellectual disabilities, do not use this online system. Call the Texas Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400. 52 It can take up to 24 hours for an E-Report to be processed. 53 We need additional information if the adult has a disability. Please provide as much specific information about their disability as possible. 54 If you have information about the adult’s disability benefits, include that here, too. 55 Next, tell us about the adult’s ability to care for themselves. This information is especially helpful when the adult is not 65 years old. 56 If the adult is unable to care for themselves, we need to know how in order to determine if they are eligible for APS assistance. 57 Provide as much detail as possible when explaining what help the adult needs to accomplish specific tasks. 58 In the video, Donna relies on her daughter for help with cooking, cleaning, and bathing. 59 When you finish entering information about the adult, select the Next button to continue. 60 Once you have entered all the information you have about the adult, you will be asked about the alleged perpetrator. The alleged perpetrator is the person who you believe to be abusing, neglecting, or financially exploiting the adult. 61 Sometimes, there isn’t a separate perpetrator, but the adult lives in a state of self-neglect. If this is the case, choose No as the answer to this question. 62 In the video, Cheryl is Donna’s unpaid caretaker, so Cheryl is responsible for Donna’s care. For this scenario, we will choose Yes and select the Add Alleged Perpetrator button. 63 Enter as much information as you have about the Alleged Perpetrator. 64 If the alleged perpetrator lives in the home with the adult, choose Yes to use the information you already entered about the residence. 65 Select their relationship to the adult from the drop-down menu. 66 If you don’t know the alleged perpetrator’s birthdate, you can estimate their age. 67 Specify whether the alleged perpetrator is a designated caretaker and if they are paid for their caretaking services. 68 A caretaker is someone whose actions or words cause a reasonable person to believe he or she has accepted responsibility to provide and care for the adult. 69 A paid caretaker is an employee of an agency who provides personal care services to an adult. A paid caretaker can also be an individual or family member who was privately hired and is paid to provide personal care services to the adult. 70 When you’re finished, select the Save Alleged Perpetrator button. 71 After you save the alleged perpetrator information, the website will send you back to the alleged perpetrator section. Depending on the situation you are reporting, you may need to add information about another alleged perpetrator. 72 If you have another alleged perpetrator to add, select the Add Alleged Perpetrator button. 73 In Donna’s scenario, Cheryl is the only alleged perpetrator. 74 Since there is no additional alleged perpetrator, select Next to continue making your report. 75 You will now be asked if there is anyone else who has knowledge of the situation. We like to have the name and contact information for at least one other person who knows about the abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation. 76 A caseworker may contact these individuals to get information on their perspective of the situation or to obtain additional information. These individuals can be critical to an investigation if the adult does not have the ability to communicate. 77 Sometimes there is not another person who has knowledge of the situation or you may not know if there is anyone with such knowledge. If this is the case, choose No as the answer to this question. 78 In the video, the EMT had first-hand knowledge of Donna’s home and physical condition, so he’d be a great person to contact for more information. For this scenario, choose Yes and select the Add Others With Knowledge button. 79 Enter as much information as possible for the other person who has knowledge of the situation. 80 If there is any information you do not know the answer to, select Unknown. Otherwise, you will be prompted at some point to enter information in all fields. 81 Select the relationship of the person with knowledge from the drop-down list. 82 When finished, select Save Others With Knowledge to continue. 83 After you save the others with knowledge, the website will send you back to this section, since there may be more than one other person with knowledge of the situation. 84 If there is another person with knowledge to add, select the Add Others With Knowledge button. 85 In Donna’s scenario, the EMT is the only other known person with knowledge, so select Next to continue with the report. 86 Now it’s time to report the details of the incident. Tell us what happened. Tell us everything you know. 87 Even with such a short video, there are plenty of details to report about Donna’s situation. 88 The social worker did a great job telling Donna’s story. He included all the details. 89 Also, note the use of names throughout the story. Using names prevents confusion. It is easier to understand who did what when names are used. 90 When you are finished entering information on this page, select Next to continue. 91 You will now be asked to provide any information you have about the adult's emotional state. 92 If you select Yes, you have concerns about the client’s emotional state, additional questions will appear. Answer them the best you can. 93 In this example, the social worker was not concerned about Donna’s emotional state, so he selected No. 94 When you are done entering information on this page, select Next to continue. 95 The information you are asked to enter next depends on the answers to these two questions. 96 Donna’s social worker selected Yes for both questions. 97 The social worker provided details about the specific medical treatment Donna received. 98 He also told us about Donna’s medications. 99 When you are done entering information on this page, select Next to continue. 100 This screen is for information about medical treatment received by the adult. 101 The information you are asked to enter depends on the responses selected for these three questions. 102 Donna’s social worker had concerns about her living conditions, so he selected Yes for the first question. 103 He selected Other Concerns from the list of choices, then provided details. 104 Donna’s social worker didn’t know if Donna needed help paying her bills, so he selected Unknown. 105 He also didn’t know about alcohol and drug abuse or domestic violence in the home, so he selected Unknown. 106 Then he detailed Donna’s support system and the refusal of outside help by both the adult and the caregiver. 107 When you are done entering information on this page, select Next to continue. 108 Next is the Discovery section of online reporting. This is where you tell us how you know about the situation you are reporting. 109 Just like previous sections, the information you are asked to enter depends on your answers to these two questions. 110 Donna’s social worker did an excellent job explaining how he knows about the situation. 111 Since the social worker has spoken to Donna about what happened, he selected Yes for the second question. 112 Then he gave details about Donna’s response. 113 Since the social worker had also spoken to Cheryl about the situation, he selected Yes for the third question as well. 114 Then, he gave details about Cheryl’s response and explained his concerns about Cheryl’s stress level. 115 When you are done entering information on this page, select Next to continue. 116 The Other Information screen provides an opportunity for you to tell us any other information you think might be important or helpful. 117 This also provides an opportunity for you to tell us if you’re concerned about another adult in the home or facility. 118 The next step in the reporting process depends on the answer selected for this question. 119 If you choose Yes, you have concerns about another adult in the home or facility, the next step is to enter information about that adult. 120 Since Donna’s social worker did not have concerns for another adult, he chose No. 121 When you are done entering information on this page, select Next to continue. 122 The last step in the reporting process is the Summary Page. 123 The Summary Page provides an opportunity for you to review all the information you have provided and check the accuracy of your reporting. 124 If you need to edit any information, select from the links on the left side of the page to return to a particular section. You can then make your changes. 125 If you doubt the content or accuracy of your report, call the hotline at 1-800252-5400. 126 If all the information is correct, select Finish to submit your report. 127 And you’re done! At this point, you can choose to enter another report, or log out of the online reporting system. 128 After submitting an E-Report, you will receive a confirmation email at the address you provided. 129 The email you are sent will contain a seven-digit confirmation number. Please save this number for your records. 130 This email is only to notify you that we’ve received your E-Report. 131 Once we receive your E-Report, it can take up to 24 hours to be processed. 132 Once your E-Report is processed, you will receive another email with an eight-digit call identification number. This email will tell you one of two things: 1. Your information was referred to the local office for investigation; or 2. The information was entered into the database and no further action is planned at this time. 133 If the email says no further action is planned, this means we were unable to recommend an investigation based on the information provided. 134 This happens when the information provided does not appear to meet the legal definition of abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation. It is also possible that the situation is not one that DFPS has the authority to investigate. We may refer it to another agency. 135 If you continue to have concerns, call the hotline at 1-800-252-5400 for a more immediate assessment. An Intake Specialist will talk to you about your concerns, gather the necessary information, and, if possible, recommend an investigation or refer you to other available resources. 136 You have reached the end of this online tutorial. We sincerely hope that it has helped you learn about the E-Reporting process. Thank you for helping us protect the unprotected. 137 The End 138