7002 Accepting TERF Reports | APS-5500-MANUAL
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Georgia Division of Aging Services |
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Chapter: |
7000 TERF Case Management |
Effective Date: |
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Section Title: |
Accepting TERF Reports |
Reviewed or Updated in: |
MT 2021-01 |
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Section Number: |
7002 |
Previous Update: |
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Summary Statement
Adult Protective Services (APS), acting on behalf of the Division of Aging Services Director, shall receive calls regarding vulnerable adult victims of abuse who are in need of transition from an environment of abuse, neglect or exploitation (A/N/E) at the hands of their caregivers into a safe, stable and supportive setting. A determination shall be made to decide if assistance is needed through Temporary Emergency Respite Funds (TERF) Case Management which may include the extension of transitional housing and development of case management services.
APS Central Intake (CI) is responsible for receiving reports from Law Enforcement, Adult Protective Services (APS) Field Staff, Healthcare Facility Regulations (HFR) and emergency responders with GEMA (Georgia Emergency Management Agency) and the Department of Public Health (DPH).
Basic Considerations
APS will continue to accept for investigation reports of suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of disabled adults or elder persons who are not residents of long-term care facilities (note “specific limited situation”, in section 2009); as defined in the Disabled Adults and Elder Persons Protection Act (O.C.G.A. §30-5-1, et seq.) and who meet criteria for adult protective services.
TERF placement calls shall only be accepted from Law Enforcement, APS, HFR, GEMA, DPH and TERF Administrative Agency
The TERF Placement Agency is a contracted provider engaged to answer daily, after hour, weekend and holiday calls for the expressed purpose of locating emergency respite placement.
Procedures
When Central Intake receives a call regarding placement of a vulnerable adult through the use of TERF funds, they shall proceed as follows:
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Proceed with collecting information regarding alleged victim, reporter, other individuals involved, and nature of incident.
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Document information collected in the DAS Data System (DDS).
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TERF Placement Agency and TERF Supervisor will be notified of new referral.
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TERF Supervisor shall decide if the referral meets the criteria for TERF case management or if it should be sent to APS for investigation.
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Cases that meet criteria for APS Investigation will be processed and sent to the field for assignment (Refer to 2002 Accepting APS Reports)
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Cases that do not meet APS criteria for Investigation, the Intake decision shall be marked as “Meets Criteria – TERF” with no resolution indicated
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Intake status shall remain as Pending until the initial TERF assessment has been completed
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The TERF Supervisor has 2 days to:
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indicate allegations in the DDS;
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assess to determine resolution based on pre-case management interventions;
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TERF Case Management
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Family Involvement
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DBHDD
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Other
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mark intake as “Complete”.
| Case with resolutions other than “TERF Case Management” will be marked as completed and no further action taken. |
Special Considerations
In the case of emergencies (Natural Disasters, Pandemics, or unexpected or unforeseen conditions), TERF policy and procedures may be modified to accept referrals from entities outside of the AART and Public Guardianship Office. Outside agencies such as Department of Public Health (DPH) and their facilities and Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA) can make referrals for at-risk vulnerable adults who meet TERF criteria.
When a call or request for TERF Placement is made by DPH/DPH Facility or GEMA:
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TERF Placement Agency and/or Central Intake will gather necessary information from the referral source regarding the need for placement.
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TERF Administrator and/or Central Intake will notify the TERF Supervisor of the pending referral immediately.
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The TERF Supervisor will contact the referral source within 30 minutes of the notification to staff the case with the referral source.
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The TERF Supervisor will determine whether or not the referred client is one that can be served within a TERF placement facility and update the TERF Administrator of the approval. When needed, the TERF Supervisor will consult with DAS Management for guidance and next steps.
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The TERF Supervisor will work with the referral source to coordinate placement and continued services for the referred client in accordance to TERF Case Management services.