Ky.gov
Effective: 6/14/2023

7.3 APS Prevention Planning

Legal Authority

Introduction

​​​​The purpose of the adult protective services (APS) prevention plan is to identify behaviors/risks that the adult will address to prevent reoccurrence of abuse, neglect, or exploitation. The prevention plan identifies non-imminent safety and/or risk factors and early warning signals/signs. It is intended to help the adult victim prevent a high-risk situation, interrupt the situation early, or if unable to prevent, escape the situation. The prevention plan is primarily utilized during an investigation; however, it may also be used during an on-going case when situations arise that require attention before a case plan meeting can be scheduled. The prevention plan must be renegotiated every forty-five (45) working days if the tasks on the plan continue to be necessary and have not been included on a case plan.


Practice Guidance

The preferred method for completing the prevention plan is through the TWIST offline application, which can be accessed with or without an internet connection.

An adult always maintains the right to refuse services and a prevention plan. Exceptions to this right include court orders, a court appointed guardian, and diminished decisional capacity. If the SSW believes that the adult does not have decisional capacity at this time, the SSW may seek court intervention through a safety and risk consultation.


Procedure

The SSW:
  1. Utilizes the prevention plan to address non-imminent safety and/or risk factors and provide the initial assistance and direction for such protection and prevention strategies to guard against future abuse, neglect, or exploitation; 
  2. Negotiates the prevention plan with the adult and any other individual that the adult requests participate, and informs the adult that: 
    1. The plan can be renegotiated prior to the expiration date or at any time to address continued risk factors; 
    2. If risk factors are mitigated prior to the forty-five (45) working days the plan can be discontinued; or 
    3. The plan will expire within no later than forty-five (45) working days of negotiation. 
  3. Ensures that the prevention plan: 
    1. Includes services that can assist the adult in preventing abuse, neglect, or exploitation and maintain tin he current setting; and 
    2. Includes clear and concise tasks with start and end dates to expire no later than forty-five (45) working days from negotiation. 
  4. Includes monitoring by those who have assigned tasks; 
  5. Does not include monitoring of any portion of a prevention plan without all participants' explicit knowledge and written or verbal consent; 
  6. If the adult agrees to a written prevention plan: 
    1. Ensures that the prevention plan is signed and dated by all involved parties; 
    2. Informs the adult that this will be documented in the digital file and will be filed in the hard copy case file; and 
    3. Ensures that all parties involved in the plan receive a copy by using the individual's preference of; email, text, picture, and/or hard copy mailed. 
  7. If the adult requests to complete a verbal prevention plan, notifies the adult that the agreed upon tasks will be documented in the digital file as a part of the case record. 
  8. Informs the adult by phone that the prevention plan is discontinued within forty eight (48) hours of the decision to discontinue the plan, if it is determined that the plan will be discontinued prior to the expiration date on the prevention plan.

Contingencies and Clarifications

When completing prevention planning for adults receiving services through an alternate care facility (nursing home, supports for community living (SCL), acquired brain injury (ABI) facility, residential, day programming, etc.) please consider the following:

  • The prevention plan should not include any directives or mandates to an agency, unless the administrator of the agency agrees to the tasks, and signs the plan as a participant, even if the adult wishes for these actions to be included. 
  • If an adult requests that actions be included in a prevention plan that cannot be mandated, the SSW should work with the adult to find alternate service providers to achieve the adult's wishes.

For families who do not have access to email or the ability to receive a copy of the signed aftercare plan by text, the SSW should complete the appropriate plan using the template linked within this SOP. The hard copy should be left with the family. The SSW should take a picture of the signed plan with their tablet and upload into TWIS.

Documents

Revisions

​6/14/23  The prevention plan must be renegotiated every forty-five (45) thirty (30) working days if the tasks on the plan continue to be necessary and have not been included on a case plan.

6/14/23 

  1. If risk factors are mitigated prior to the forty-five (45) thirty (30) working days the plan can be discontinued; or 
  2. The plan will expire within no later than forty-five (45) thirty (30) working days of negotiation.