A dissertation submitted to the Fuculty of Arts in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in the Department of Sociology at the University of Zululand, 2001. / The purpose of this study is to investigate the role played by the Protective Services Unit in controlling crime in the community of the University of Zululand. In assessing the major impact of crime as a form of deviance in the university community, the theories of Emile Durkheim, Karl Marx, Robert Merton and Llyod Ohlin had a tremendous influence in this study. Other sociological theories used are also considered as contributory to this research. For purpose of collecting data, survey questionnaires were administered to solicit information from 110 respondents, which included students, administrative staff, academics and general workers. To put the role of the protective services unit and crime control in the university community into context, chapter three of this research contains the hierarchical structure of the protective services department, the mission statement of the protective services, and some of the policies and procedures of the protective services department. The hypothesis that were formulated for statistical testing revealed that lack of co-operation from members of the university community, hinders the role of the protective services in controlling crime. The findings of this research also revealed that lack of paramilitary training among the protective services officials results in their inability to control crime effectively. It was also found in this research that lack of legal knowledge among members of the protective services department hinders their performance on crime control. Furthermore, this research showed that the present structure of the protective services unit has an effect on the worker's performance. In the light of the findings of this study, the following recommendations were made: The establishment of a university task team that would review strategies for effective crime prevention on campus. Secondly, the established task team could also explore the feasibility of developing resources to assist those who have been victims of crime. Thirdly, it could also be appropriate for the task team to review the physical environment of the whole campus. The establishment of a protection brochure for students and staff members of the University of Zululand could also be considered. The present Government of South Africa could also consider the establishment of a Campus Security Act. Lastly, another step might involve establishing a paid student dorm patrol.

The purpose of this study was to examine perceptions of Texas Adult Protective Services (APS) case managers (CM) in regard to their relationships with the law enforcement community and area courts. The sample consisted of 138 Texas APS CMs. The survey measured respondents' perceived strengths and weaknesses of their relationships with both the law enforcement community and with area courts. Items also included respondents' interest in receiving additional training and their perceptions of level of job-readiness of newly hired APS CMs. Data were analyzed quantitatively using SAS. Findings of the survey revealed high ratings of perceived teamwork on the part of the CM are associated with high relationship ratings with both area courts and law enforcement. Findings also revealed that high ratings of perceived autonomy on the part of the CM are associated with lower relationship ratings with law enforcement personnel but not with area courts.

A sample of APS workers, law enforcement officers, criminal justice and social work students were surveyed. Participants were asked how much knowledge they believed professionals working in their respective fields had about elder abuse and how much those same professionals needed to know. The differences between needed and possessed knowledge, also referred to as level of anomie, was compared across groups. Students in both groups believed those working in their fields had significantly less knowledge than they needed on all elements of responding to elder abuse. APS workers and law enforcement officers felt those in their fields had enough knowledge on some elements of responding to elder abuse but not others. APS workers had the least total anomie, and criminal justice students had the most. All groups experiences significant levels of anomie on some elements of responding to elder abuse and neglect, suggesting more training is needed.

Abstract Background: The aging population is a rapidly growing demographic. Isolation and limited autonomy render many of the elderly vulnerable to abuse, neglect and exploitation. As the population grows, so does the need for Adult Protective Services (APS). This study was conducted to examine current knowledge of Georgia older adult protection laws and to identify training opportunities to better prepare the APS workforce in cases detection and intervention. Methods: A primary survey was developed in partnership with the Georgia Division of Aging Services’ leadership to identify key training priority issues APS caseworkers and investigators. A 47-item, electronic questionnaire was delivered (using Psychdata) to all APS employees via work- issued email accounts. Descriptive analyses, t-tests, and chi-square analyses were used to determine APS employees’ baseline knowledge of Georgia’s elder abuse policies, laws, and practices as well as examine associations of age, ethnicity, and formal education level with knowledge. A p-value of <0 >.05 and 95% confidence intervals were used to determine statistical significance of the analyses performed. Results: In total, 92 out of 175 APS staff responded to the survey (53% response rate). The majority of respondents were Caucasian (56%) women (92%). For over half the survey items, a paired sample t-tests revealed significant differences between what APS staff reported as known and what APS staff members indicated they needed to know more about in terms of elder abuse and current policies. Chi-square tests revealed that non-Caucasians significantly preferred video conferencing as a training format (44% compared to 18%), [χ2 (1) = 7.102, p < .008] whereas Caucasians preferred asynchronous online learning formats (55% compared to 28%) [χ2 (1) =5.951, p < .015]. Conclusions: Results from this study provides the Georgia Division of Aging with insights into specific content areas that can be emphasized in future trainings. Soliciting input from intended trainees allows public health educators to tailor and improve training sessions. Trainee input may result in optimization of attendance, knowledge acquisition, and intervention practices regarding APS service delivery. This in turn can enhance APS staff efficiency and response to cases of violence against older adults.

No description available.

Thesis (M.S.)--Boston University

No description available.

This descriptive study with quantitative aspects examined the phenomenon of elder abuse through the systematic review of 60 cases of elder abuse. Cases were randomly selected from the files of an Adult Protective Services agency in the North Central Texas area. Research questions examined the characteristics of the victims and abusers, types and duration of abuse, descriptions of abusive situations, the reporting and verification of abuse, case management strategies utilized by caseworkers, and the consequences of those strategies. The results of this study point to the probability of the elderly abuse victim being 75 years of age or older, female, white, and widowed. There did appear to be some connection between race and type of abuse with white victims more likely to experience physical and financial abuse. Approximately half of the elderly abuse victims had severe limitations in physical and/or mental functioning leading to some degree of dependence upon their abusers. However, eighty percent of the elderly victims resided in their own homes and half of these individuals were functionally independent. This study provided descriptions of the various types of abuse that were observed: physical, financial, emotional, passive neglect, and active neglect. Financial abuse was noted most frequently, and multiple types of abuse were noted in most cases with the combination of physical, financial, and emotional abuse being observed most frequently. Fifteen different categories of case management strategies were examined, averaging four different assistance strategies per case. Legal services appeared to be the most often refused form of assistance. This study also found no evidence that those who abuse the elderly are being prosecuted.

Hoarding in the community involves substantial cluttering and impaired functioning, often exposing the hoarder to extensive health and safety risks. This research, based on Functionalism social theory, explores the three elements of hoarding—relentless acquisition, intense possessiveness of objects, and a reluctance to discard possessions—as a sociocultural phenomenon. The mixed methods methodology entailed a quantitative study involving a survey completed by 134 adult protective services workers throughout Virginia and a qualitative study of five randomly-selected adult protective services workers who volunteered for in-depth interviews.Findings revealed that adult protective services workers come in contact with very severe cases of hoarding, with over two-thirds of the cases cited having extremely hazardous, unsafe, and cluttered living conditions. Similar to other research studies, hoarding was most prevalent among elderly women and the most common objects hoarded included printed materials such as newspapers, magazines, and junk mail. Factor analyses resulted in three factors with high loadings and correlations, particularly the factor that associates hoarding with a relentless need or desire to acquire more possessions. Content analyses of the qualitative data found that workers recognized several ways in which hoarding was functional, including emotional attachment to possessions, reducing stress, and providing meaning and identity. The mixed methods approach demonstrated that adult protective services workers tend to ascribe mental illness explanations to many hoarding cases, often equating hoarding to an addiction, although other published research finds only a nebulous connection between mental illness and hoarding behavior.This research corroborates other studies that find that belief systems underlie hoarding behaviors, particularly how hoarders' possessions provide comfort and security; possessions are considered functional, valuable, and irreplaceable; and that the owner is responsible for maintaining control over possessions. The findings of this study have implications for social work practice and treatment models.

U.S. Child Protective Services Agencies (CPSA) have had mixed success in achieving stable, permanent placements for foster care children. To address the adverse effects of unstable placements on foster care children's emotional well-being and physical development, the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997 was enacted to better ensure permanency, safety, and well-being of children in foster care. Using Stone's policy paradox as the framework, the purpose of this qualitative document analysis was to explore whether policy constructs contributed to the success or failure of promoting permanency for foster care children. Data was used from 2 states, representing those most and least successful in terms of decreasing foster care populations during federal fiscal years 2011 to 2014. Data for this study consisted of publicly available documents, including statues, policies, and official publications. These data were analyzed using an inductive coding approach and then subjected to a content analysis procedure. Key findings indicated the states differed in 3 critical policy areas: incentives to achieve progress towards reunification; facts used to change behaviors among policy actors to achieve the goal of recruiting adoptive and foster care parents; power in terms of how authority was delegated to service providers. The findings of this research may enhance policymakers' and advocates' knowledge of policy issues critical to achieving permanency for children. It is recommended that future policy changes focus on the needs of the children and the alignment of statutes, policies, and publications so they promote adequate incentives, utilization of factual information, and consistent policy interpretation at the federal and local levels.