Listed you will find policy, procedure, and training information for mandated reporters and adult protective services (APS) regarding Minnesota’s system for reporting and responding to adults who are vulnerable who are suspected of having experienced maltreatment under Minnesota Statutes 626.557, known as the Vulnerable Adult Act.
DHS policy staff and Adult Protection Resource Specialists (APRS) are available to respond to questions or case consultation at 651-431-2609 or dhs.adultprotection@state.mn.us.
Minnesota Adult Protection Foundations: eLearning Courses – Minnesota Adult Protection Foundations: eLearning courses provide self-paced foundational trainings for adult protection professionals across Minnesota. The 12 online Foundations: eLearning courses can be taken in any order and reviewed at any time. The Foundations: eLearning courses align with national adult protection core competencies and Minnesota state adult protection policy.
The 12 Foundations: eLearning courses are prerequisite for the MN Adult Protection Foundations: Live Training
Click the links below to access each Foundations: eLearning course
Minnesota Adult Protection Foundations: eLearning courses were developed to complement existing National Adult Protective Services Training Center (NATC) training opportunities and support adult protection professional development.
Minnesota Adult Protection Foundations: eLearning courses support equity and consistency in service response and outcomes that safeguard and promote dignity for adults who are vulnerable, regardless of their location in Minnesota, and the courses address core competency training recommendations in the ACL Voluntary Consensus Guidelines for State APS Systems . The Foundations: eLearning courses support adult protection professionals meeting education requirements under 626.557 Subd. 9e (8 hours annual training specific to adult protection duties).
Minnesota Adult Protection Foundations: Live Training – Minnesota Adult Protection Foundations: Live Training is a 3-hour interactive online training facilitated by Minnesota DHS Adult Protection Unit Staff. The Foundations: Live Training reviews case examples and practical scenarios in order to apply foundational statutory definitions and Minnesota state adult protection policy principles covered in the Foundations: eLearning courses.
The 12 Foundations: eLearning courses are prerequisite for the Minnesota Adult Protection Foundations: Live Training
Below are dates and times for 2024 Minnesota Adult Protection Foundations: Live Training sessions. Please contact the DHS Adult Protection team at dhs.adultprotection@state.mn.us for assistance registering.
July 16 (Tuesday), 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
August 15 (Thursday), 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
September 24 (Tuesday), 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
October 24 (Thursday), 9:00 am – 12:00 pm
November 19 (Tuesday), 9:00 am – 12:00pm
Minnesota Adult Protection Foundations: Live Training supports equity and consistency in service response and outcomes that safeguard and promote dignity for adults who are vulnerable, regardless of their location in Minnesota, and the course addresses core competency training recommendations in the ACL Voluntary Consensus Guidelines for State APS Systems. The Foundations: Live Training supports adult protection professionals meeting education requirements under 626.557 Subd. 9e (8 hours annual training specific to adult protection duties).
National Adult Protective Services Training Center (NATC) - The NATC provides free self-paced eLearning courses for adult protection professionals nationwide. NATC course topics include APS Overview; Ethics, Values, and Cultural Responsiveness; Voluntary Case Planning; Trauma-Informed Practices; Case Documentation; and more. MN Adult Protection Foundations: eLearning courses were developed to complement existing NATC training opportunities.
To access NATC eLearning courses, create a free account and click "Find Courses" to view available courses. Check out the NATC LMS User Guide (PDF) if you need help creating an account or navigating the website.
The NATC is operated by NAPSA and is supported by the ACL . NATC training offerings are supplemental to MN Adult Protection Foundations: eLearning courses, and support adult protection professionals meeting education requirements under 626.557 Subd. 9e (8 hours annual training specific to adult protection duties).
APS Technical Assistance and Resource Center (TARC) - APS TARC provides a variety of free educational opportunities for adult protection professionals including podcasts, webinars, briefs, and toolkits that align with APS Core Competencies in national standards . APS TARC offerings address a wide variety of topics including ethics, frauds and scams, interviews with experts, implicit bias, trauma informed practice, and more.
Keep up to date with APS TARC offerings by joining their mailing list , and check out the APS TARC YouTube page for additional content.
APS TARC educational opportunities can support adult protection professionals meeting education requirements under 626.557 Subd. 9e (8 hours annual training specific to adult protection duties).
Public awareness materials are available via eDocs. eDocs is a document repository that contains forms and documents in multiple languages. The searchable document library (eDocs) allows clients, county and tribal workers, providers, employees and other stakeholders to easily access current versions of documents. A search for "Adult Protection" will yield numerous documents, including the MN Adult Abuse Reporting Center brochure, which is available in English, Hmong, Karen, Lao, Somali, Spanish, Pashto, and Vietnamese.
Adult Protection PSA videos to encourage reporting of suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable adults are available online. View all PSA versions on the Minnesota Adult Protection YouTube page.
APS public awareness toolkit provides downloadable content for multiple platforms to promote safety and well-being for adults who may be vulnerable or maltreated. The toolkit includes: flyers to print or email, poster, videos to post to social media channels, social media posts, and website content. All of these materials are free and available to use.
Adult protective services (APS) is an essential human service program administered by counties and tribes responsible for service response in appropriate cases for vulnerable adults who are reported to the Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center (MAARC). APS is also responsible for investigation of the reported allegation when the person or agency alleged responsible is not licensed by DHS or the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH). DHS provides training and offers policy guidance and consultation to APS.
Meet screening guidelines as vulnerable and potentially abused, financially exploited or neglected by a caregiver and have a case manager contracted with the agency.
Meet guidelines as vulnerable and potentially self-neglecting. If a person has a case manager contracted with the agency they can be referred to the case manager if APS decides the case manager can address the health and safety of the adult during the intake process.
Meet guidelines as vulnerable and potentially maltreated, whether or not the adult is temporarily safe because of short-term licensed services such as a hospital, transitional care unit or home care.
Each APS agency establishes service prioritization guidelines based on their resources and expertise. This means APS agencies may not accept adults meeting criteria as vulnerable and potentially being maltreated for APS assessment.
The Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center (MAARC) is the state centralized system for reporting suspected maltreatment of a vulnerable adult. MAARC is operated by DHS. MAARC is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for mandated reporters and the public. MAARC makes timely referrals to the agencies responsible to respond for protective services and investigation.
Mandated reporters are professionals, or professional's delegate, who are required under the state’s Vulnerable Adult Act to make an immediate report to MAARC if they suspect a vulnerable adult has been abused, neglected or financial exploited.
Phone reports can be made by calling the MAARC statewide toll-free number at 1-844-880-1574. Mandated reporters meet their reporting duty by making a web report at mn.gov/dhs/reportadultabuse/. Mandated reporters may refer to the MAARC Mandated Reporter Guide for information on using the web-based reporting system.
The MAARC online reporting system may occasionally be unavailable when system maintenance is being conducted.
Emergency: Call 911 before making a MAARC report if emergency response is needed from police, fire, or medical personnel. MAARC is NOT a replacement for 911.
Out of state maltreatment: Maltreatment that occurred in another state, and is not suspected to be occurring in Minnesota, must be reported to the state in which the maltreatment occurred. The National Adult Protective Services Association (NAPSA) has an APS map available online with information on reporting suspected abuse nationwide.
Mandated reporters are identified under Minnesota Statutes 626.5572.16 and are required to report suspected maltreatment of a vulnerable adult immediately to the Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center (MAARC). DHS offers Online Mandated Reporter Training on the state’s Vulnerable Adult Act, including who is a vulnerable adult, the definitions of maltreatment, and the reporting duties of mandated reporters. It is also available to any interested person.
The Social Services Information System (SSIS) is the statewide electronic records system used by APS. PartnerLink, the Minnesota Department of Human Services’ (DHS) website for county and tribal agencies, has information regarding SSIS Adult Protection Worker Training. PartnerLink materials include prerequisites, registration information, SSIS Adult Protection Worker class schedule, and training resources.
