Maryland Adult Protective Services

Individuals who report a case of harassment or neglect do not have to worry about their safety as they are protected by law by Section 14-309 of the Family Law Article. It says that, if you are reporting an abuse out of your civil and moral duty to the city and country or take part in investigating or providing judicial services then you are safe from getting any penalty that might otherwise happen if the program finds out that you have known about the abuse but did not report.

According to law, a vulnerable adult is someone unable to protect on his own. It could be someone who has a mental or physical disability that unfits to fulfill their daily needs.

The Maryland Department of Human Services administers the Maryland Adult Protective Services (APS) Program. The purpose of the program is to assist vulnerable adults from abuse and neglect, who are unable to protect themselves in the state of Maryland. The program ensures the safety of the adults and their rights of self-determination, freedom. The program engages with the families and friends of the abused adults who are being subjected to exploitation and harassment.

The job of the APS program is to help vulnerable adults by investigating any alleged harassment cases. The physical and mental health of the vulnerable adult is the top priority for the Maryland Adult Protective Services (APS). The main objective of the program is to help vulnerable adults strengthening their self-maintenance while living in the same community. The program analyzes the situation of these adults and comes up with different remedies to help ease their pain and get them out of challenging experiences they are suffering in their lives. However, the safety of vulnerable adults is extremely important to the Maryland Adult Protective Services.

Abuse can be of many types so it’s important to look out for different signs of abuse. It can be behavioral which includes depression, feeling helplessness, feeling of shame, and guilt. It could be physical which includes marks of bruises, burns wounds, and cuts on the body, appearing dehydrated and undernourished, unhealthy, and unhygienic. Someone with unusual marks on their body can be going through physical abuse as well. Other types of abuse include social and financial abuse signs of which can be distancing from everyone, no social life, less or no conversation with anyone, drug abuse, bills not paid, different signature on a check, unusual change in spending, and suspicious bank activities.

The Maryland Adult Protective Services (APS) then investigate the reported case and determine services that can be helpful to the vulnerable adult. The main service includes providing security to the adult. The APS program also deals with the court work including filing petitions that are necessary for the appointment of a legal guardian for the vulnerable adult.

If you are working in the banking sector and come across a case of harassment or financial exploitation of a vulnerable adult, you are required by law to report the incident to the Department of Human Services. You do not have to relate to the individual to report abuse. Whether you are a police officer, working in a health care facility, or a social worker if you see an adult being manipulated or abused you are required to report the abuser to the social services in your area.

Regardless of where you live there are certain fundamental principles of Adult protective services that are observed by the social services department in the United States. Those principles include the program to protect and preserve the right to self-determination of the client, providing services that are least restrictive in manner. It also includes providing services in a community-based facility rather than in an institution and preserving the family bondage as much as possible. The program also makes sure that the staff is treated in a way that they do not indulge in victim-blaming or provide any inadequate or low-standard services.

To learn more about the Maryland Adult Protective Services or to report abuse you can call the social services office at the following number – 1-800-91-PREVENT (1-800-917-7383)

Also Discover: Maryland Social Services to Adults (SSTA) Program