APS Magazine - Winter 2023

Getting

Know

Adult

is dedicated to serving vulnerable adults. We investigate reports about abuse, abandonment, neglect, exploitation and self-neglect of vulnerable adults in Washington State. We collaborate with other agencies to offer protective services as needed. Our goal is to promote lives free of harm while respecting individual choice.

Photo removed by request

Happy New Year!

In 2022, we focused efforts on retention and recruitment, including; working with human resources to pilot modified required education/experience for the social services class to equivalent education/experience which increased our candidate pools; utilizing region-wide single postings to fill multiple positions; hiring administrative staff under the grant to support regional hiring activities, creating intraining units which allowed for the ability to hire individuals in at the SSS1 and SSS2 level; creating case-aid positions to support investigative work; adjustments to the training calendars for staff academy, supervisory academy, forensic interviewing; finalizing a memorandum of understanding with labor for short-term compensation of supervisors supporting investigation activities; and successful bargaining proposals. In addition, we hired a workforce development specialist under our grant to continue focus on recruitment, retention and hiring activities.

With these efforts, and many others, we have seen a decrease in our vacancies across the state, with the ability to fill positions more quickly. In many areas we are fully staffed, and our most recent statewide vacancy rate average is slightly below twenty-percent (20%), with some areas below fourpercent (4%), well below the forty-percent (40%) experienced earlier in the year.

We continue to support telework through providing technology enhancements and equipment such as portable scanners, voice to text through iPhones and laptops, TIVA system enhancements, resource maps, and much more.

In addition, we successfully procured a contract with Public Consulting Group (PCG) to assist in closing investigations aged over 90 days. The project goal included reducing high caseloads and eliminating caseloads for non-case carrying positions.

In early spring myself and the deputy director conducted 16 staff listening sessions across the state to hear directly from you on ways that we could continue to improve. We also recently concluded our 2022 all staff roadshows to share information, answer questions, and provide updates on important initiatives.

In May, a group of APS staff were convened to provide recommendations to APS leadership in response to

APS practices, workload, and rollback of the temporary contingency plan. Some recommendations were immediately implemented such as modification and continuation of the temporary emergency contingency plan; reviewing chapter for policy versus procedure; and review of intake practices for consistency. Other recommendations are currently being reviewed and discussed, such as changes to the TIVA assignment tool and other ideas generated by staff will be incorporated into upcoming workgroups.

In 2023, we have workgroups planned to focus on recommendations generated through the workload workgroup, prior listening sessions, and recent roadshows. These recommendations will be utilized as a foundation for discussions. Workgroups that have been scheduled include Policy - Intake and Investigation Workgroup, TIVA2 System Enhancements Workgroup, APS Academy Redesign Workgroup, and Core Competencies, Hiring and Recruitment Workgroup, to name a few. These workgroups will conduct critical work for applying these ideas into practice. In the future we plan to convene a focus group to look at self-neglect and recommendations from the overall program evaluation by UW when complete.

Ideas that are not addressed through a particular workgroup or other project will be further evaluated for opportunities to incorporate into APS practice. We will continue to highlight these ideas in ongoing discussions and communications.

In early December your leadership gathered for a full day workshop to share accomplishments and set goals for 2023. Those will be shared with you at upcoming discussions and in future magazine editions.

To view a list of some of the accomplishments for 2022, click the link below:

First, I want to acknowledge the challenges faced in 2022 and share with you some of the initiatives that were focused on throughout the year and some exciting things to look forward to in 2023.

Kathy Morgan is the director of Washington’s Adult Protective Services

2022 APS ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Reaffirming Our Commitment and Dedication to the People We Serve

I wanted to express my sincere appreciation and admiration for the work that every one of you does for Adult Protective Services.

Your dedication, compassion, and professionalism are truly admirable, and I have no doubt that the clients we serve are better off as a direct result of your care and support.

Whether we are working with clients, family members, or community partners, we should always aim to exceed their expectations and meet their needs in a timely and efficient manner.

As you know, our work can be challenging at times. We are often called upon to address complex and sensitive situations, and the work demands can be overwhelming. Yet, despite these challenges, you consistently rise to the occasion, bringing your best selves to work every day and making a real difference in the lives of those we serve.

One of the keyways in which we reaffirm our commitment to serving vulnerable adults is by consistently striving to deliver the highest level of service possible.

We also recognize that many of the individuals we serve may be facing significant challenges in their lives. That is why we are committed to treating all our clients with dignity and respect, and to provide them with the support and resources they need to overcome these challenges and achieve their goals.

You play a crucial role in helping us to achieve these goals. That is why we are committed to supporting and empowering our team by providing you with the training and resources you need to succeed in each of your important roles. We believe that by investing in our workforce, we can create a positive and supportive work environment that

enables everyone to thrive and contribute to the success of APS.

I also want to acknowledge the hard work and sacrifice that goes into this job. Many of you put in long hours and go above and beyond to provide the best possible care to our clients.

Your commitment to this work is truly inspiring, and I am proud to be a part of such a dedicated and compassionate team.

Thank you for everything that you continue to do in helping to transform lives and make Washington a more fair, compassionate, and equitable place for all.

Keep up the great work!

Paula Hughes, M.Ed., CDE is the deputy director of Washington’s Adult Protective Services

EMPLOYEE SPOTLIGHT

Recognizing Excellence in Our Workforce

Region 1 is excited to spotlight our new Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Program Manager, Kara Barnes, who joined us in late September. Kara’s background is in mental health counselling working with adults and adolescents in outpatient settings. As with many of our APS investigators, Kara was experiencing a high caseload and was putting in long hours at the onset of the pandemic due to retention issues at the agency she worked. Kara found her stamina and motivation were also plummeting and she was beginning to experience burnout for the first time and wondered if she could make it another year in the social services field. Kara is still climbing her way out and relearning how to take care of herself but found her experience to be an unforgettable lesson that is informing her work in R1 – nothing can take the place of a person’s wellness. No job success, no amount of

recognition or feelings of productivity at work will rescue a person if their physical and mental health decline.

Kara has been focused and eager from her first day with APS to provide interventions such as the Workday Wind Down that demonstrates time management and stress reduction skills. She has also started having conversations about burnout and compassion fatigue and working with employees individually to improve their productivity at work by taking intentional breaks during the workday and connecting them to mental health resources in their communities. Kara reminds us of the importance for those in the social services field to recognize that our capacity to serve the vulnerable populations is only as great as our capacity to take care of our own wellbeing.

Kara is honored to be sharing this message with the amazing folks in R1 APS, but we are the fortunate ones to have Kara’s experience and passion for helping our dedicated APS staff in Region 1.

Michael Ashby joined the Mt Vernon team stationed in Bellingham in October 2022. Mike came to APS with over 30 years of law enforcement experience including six years as a Chief of police for Nooksack. Mike has experience as a hostage negotiator, a master level defensive tactics instructor, a detective, and an

Olympic National Park

instructor at the Criminal Justice Training Commission (CJTC). Mike was chosen to travel to Sakhalin, Russia and teach at the Russian national academy, on an instructor exchange program.

Mike sits on several law enforcement boards dedicated to improvement of police accountability. In 2021, with the help of legislators, he promoted payment for police body cameras in several police departments into the Washington State budget. Mike sat on the “Certification Panel” at the CJTC, which reviewed officers terminated from employment for possible de-certification from further law enforcement employment.

Mike is married and his wife is an attorney in Vancouver BC. Their son is in his final year of medical school at University of Washington. When asked how he feels about working at APS so far, he stated he enjoys the opportunity to give back, and continue in a helping profession. In his spare time, he collects antique Japanese swords, between the 12th and 16th century. He also enjoys nature walks with his wife.

Mike has been an excellent addition to the APS investigative team. We value his experience and expertise and can’t wait to get him out in the field!

One of Denise Rammell’s many attributes is her passion for helping people, demonstrated by supporting Adult Protective Services for 15 years. Denise has never let her eye stray too far from the field and always finds an excuse to get out into the field to support the community and our agency by coaching new and senior staff. She’s no stranger to hard work and has taken on several projects this year to support APS in moving forward against the many challenges.

Currently leading the PCG project, with the support of the SHPC team, Denise has worked hard to maintain high-quality reviews and support the region’s goals. She is the first to advocate for vulnerable adults in our community and staff. Whether it is working long hours to support projects, supporting staff in the field, answering questions of new hires, or even carrying cases herself, Denise has worked very hard to support all areas of the region.

Denise has a theme song she reminds us of all of, “Don’t stop believing,” she carries this mantra and reminds us all to be compassionate and candid leaders as we work through complex issues.

Michael Ashby is an Investigator in Region 2’s Bellingham office in Washington’s Adult Protective Services

Kara Barnes is the Critical Incident Stress Management Program Manager for Region 1 in Washington’s Adult Protective Services

Denise Rammell is a Social Health Program Consultant in Region 3’s Tumwater office in Washington’s Adult Protective Services

Updates & Information

Grant work continued through the fall and major objectives and projects are listed below

Elder Justice Act – Grants to Enhance Adult Protective Services

• Risk screening tool: The alleged victim risk screening tool was developed under the 2019 Elder Justice Act Grant to Enhance Adult Protective Services from the Administration for Community Living. The development and deployment of this specific tool is a main objective of this APS grant. Over the course of two weeks (the last week in November and the first week of December), there was a series of 4 webinar training sessions on the use of the risk screening tool for APS staff. The tool went live in TIVA2 December 16, 2022, and is required for all investigations. The tool was developed over the span of 2 years and will serve as a way to standardize the review of concerns for alleged victims that the program can address in order to improve outcomes for the vulnerable adult population. The recorded training webinar can be accessed on WSLC: risk screening tool webinar

• Forensic interviewing: Forensic interviewing training cohorts continue each month. If you have not yet attended a training, please discuss with your supervisor. The University of Washington is currently working to enhance the training to include content focused on alleged perpetrators and additional special circumstances in interviewing. The development of this enhances training has just begun and is expected to be completed in the fall of 2023.

• Self-Neglect Report: ADvancing States has completed their work on the self-neglect project for Washington. Their work included a final report with recommendations on how Washington can improve the outcomes of individuals experiencing self-neglect. Kathy Greenlee presented to Washington staff on her report findings and recommendations on December 20. A recording of Kathy’s presentation is available here.

• Fraud Findr: The program has submitted a Data Use Agreement between the Fraud Findr (FF) and the program. Once the agreement is finalized, the program will begin a 3-month pilot test of the software with 6

Cape Disappointment Lighthouse

Information

frontline APS staff to test its viability as a solution to support FE investigations moving forward. FF is a cloudbased tool to support financial exploitation investigations and works by taking into account normal spending and accrual data for specific alleged victims and highlighting discrepancies that may be of interest or may be worth reviewing more closely. More information regarding the tool and the pilot test will be coming after the first quarter of 2023.

COVID Response and Relief Act

• Mental health first aid: Training in mental health first aid continues to be offered monthly to all APS staff. The is one-day training facilitated by APS staff who are certified trainers.

• Goods purchases: Each region continues to utilize grant funding to make direct goods purchases to support alleged victims. Recent purchases include: a shower bench, household cleaning supplies, a pill box, and a prepaid cellphone.

• Marketing: There is now a page on the APS SharePoint for all marketing and outreach materials. This is under the resources tab and is called marketing materials. There you can find all the materials that were developed in partnership with NAPSA and materials developed internally.

American Rescue Plan (I & II)

TIVA 2 Updates: Oct. - Jan. - and beyond!

• The latest TIVA2 version released in midDecember, 2022.

• APS Risk Screening Tool is live in TIVA2.

• Intake will be able to link AVs and APs before assigning investigations.

• Supervisors and above have ability to do batched investigation transfers in addition to doing them one at a time.

• TIVA2 Improvements Workshop planned for Spring 2023.

• Forensic interviewing: Based on feedback from staff who attended forensic interviewing for alleged victims training, APS is partnering with the University of Washington Alliance to enhance forensic interviewing to include forensic interviewing of alleged perpetrators.

• Program evaluation: The program evaluation being completed by the University of Washington continues. In October, the evaluation team interviewed 6 APS staff as a pilot group to gather information on multiple aspects of the program. In November the first round of staff surveys went out to a group of around 200 staff members. The evaluation team is compiling all the information gathered from both of these sources and will be anonymizing and providing results to leadership.

It is with great enthusiasm and excitement to share that each region of APS now has a Critical Incident Stress Management (CISM) Program Manager to provide support. If you are not familiar with the CISM Program, it was established to promote the well-being of APS staff. We offer confidential support to all staff that not only includes critical incident debriefing and crisis intervention but also provide stress management, and short-term consultation to discuss challenges and stressors on and off the job.

Let me introduce you to our statewide team

INTRODUCING THE Critical Incident Stress Management TEAM

Region 1

Kara Barnes is the newest addition to the APS CISM team. She graduated with a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Gonzaga University and has since worked at community mental health agencies in the Spokane area as an adult outpatient therapist and an adolescent intensive outpatient therapist. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she learned firsthand the impact that the pandemic has had on social service workers. As a result, Kara became passionate about prioritizing wellness in the workplace after her experience with high caseloads, low retention, limited contact with coworkers, transitioning to teleworking, and unavoidable changes as new information about the virus came daily. So, in her new role, she has been very excited to be on the frontlines of “helping our helpers”.

Region 2

Rebeca Estrada is a licensed psychologist and has been working in the field of mental health for over 20 years. She has a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Gonzaga University and a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from the University of Denver. Throughout her years of clinical work, she has felt privileged to work with diverse adolescent and adult clientele in various clinical settings to include outpatient community mental health, psychiatric inpatient, corrections, and hospital settings. Her experience has included providing individual, group, couples, and family therapy, and also has extensive experience with crisis response. In her management roles, she enjoyed working with staff to help them develop their skills and build on their strengths. After being in in the field for so many years, she is passionate about helping those that help others, especially since those in social services tend to put others before themselves.

Region 3

Chrystal Morisette is excited to take part in the mission of transforming lives. Her journey into the field of psychology was inspired by her passion and desire to provide support to people in service. Chrystal has a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from Saint Martin’s University, a License in Mental Health Counseling, and a License in Marriage and Family Therapy. She has worked with a variety of demographics, including youth and families at risk, psychiatric patients, and members of the armed forces and their dependents. Chrystal is honored to serve APS employees, so they can continue to pursue the collective mission to serve vulnerable adults.

If you have any questions about the CISM Program or would like to request services, please don’t hesitate to contact us via email, Teams, or by phone.

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Regional Success Stories

A

little compassion and professionalism can go a long way in transforming the lives of Washington’s vulnerable adults

Region 1

In October, we received an email from a client’s family member regarding what they described as life-saving action on the part of APS with an investigator who demonstrated tenacity, resourcefulness, and concern for their older family member who had only recently declined in their ability to care for themself. APS became involved with this person when a concerned neighbor called about an older adult in their apartment complex who had lost a tremendous amount of weight in a month’s time. The older adult appeared to have some

new cognition deficits, extreme paranoia, was no longer able to care for themself, and potentially in need of medical attention due to dehydration and lack of adequate food intake.

APS intake called for a medical welfare check, which the client refused to be transported for evaluation. The investigator was able to ease the client’s paranoia by building rapport during the initial interview, and discovered the paranoia was dramatically impacting their health. The investigator made a referral for a designated crisis responder to evaluate the client for grave disability. This referral resulted in the client being transported and placed on

Mount Saint Helens and Mount Rainier

a mental health hold. This could have been the end of our investigator’s involvement, but our investigator took steps to ensure someone was caring for the client’s three cats while they were hospitalized.

The client’s concerned family member, and power of attorney (POA), who lived across the country, along with a long-term friend of the client who had recently moved a few states away, also relied heavily on the APS investigator for resources and support. The APS investigator was needed to act as a local conduit for the family member, and friend, as they experienced communication challenges with the local mental health provider along with addressing their concerns when phone calls to the client went unanswered after they had been discharged from the hospital.

The APS investigator remained involved helping to resolve the communication barriers with the mental health provider, reassuring family about the status of the client, and providing local resources for alternative living settings.

A great client success story, thanks to the thorough and professional work by the investigator!

Region 2

An investigator had been working with an older couple for a few months who lived in an area that was disrupted by flooding last year and were unhoused and living out of their car. One partner was caring for the other who had severe cognitive impairment. The caretaker couldn’t work as they couldn’t leave their partner alone for any period for fear they would wander off.

The investigator worked diligently with HCS and the geriatric transition team to overcome multiple obstacles to get assistance for these older adults.

We finally got word that the spouse who was under the other’s care was approved for a memory care facility and was subsequently went into an adult family home nearby where their spouse could still visit. The partner who was previously providing care also received assistance from APS with their dogs, as they could no longer care of them, by contacting the Humane Society and assisting in getting the surrender fees waived.

Region 3

Ateam in region 3 went above and beyond in supporting a client in a complex and unusual case. The client had been sent to another state by family members with limited money and no place to live. The other state contacted Washington as they were sending this individual back on the next flight. A supervisor and investigator did not hesitate to drop everything to coordinate the arrival, meeting the individual at the airport upon landing and transport from the airport. They coordinated with the Port of Seattle for arrival and logistics upon landing. They coordinated and worked with HCS for an expedited assessment and eligibility determination. Then within just one day, they assisted the client in finding an Adult Family Home, as the home he had lived in prior was no longer a viable option.

In addition, COVID-relief funds were utilized to purchase essential items, including a phone that the client received assistance with setting up and adding important contact information. Thanks to the hard work and dedication by this APS team and the collaboration and teamwork with HCS, a vulnerable adult was safe and had a successful outcome in rapid time.

Do you have any success stories that you would like to share with the rest of the APS workforce? We would love to read them!

Contact your supervisor and send in your submission(s) anytime. your story may just be published in the near future.

GETTING TO KNOW ONE ANOTHER

Understanding how our unique experiences contribute to a stronger and more diverse workforce

Victoria Gawlik Morse, MPH APS Grant Director

Victoria Gawlik Morse is a force to be reckoned with in the field of public health and advocacy for vulnerable adults. Currently serving as APS Project Administrator and informally as APS Grant Director, Morse has been with the organization since February 2020. Before joining APS, Morse held various positions, including Project Consultant, Prevention Program Manager, and Quality Improvement Consultant, all focused on improving outcomes and success for multiple programs and projects.

Victoria’s journey to the field of public health and advocacy began with her master’s degree in epidemiology and biostatistics. During graduate school, she participated in a leadership development program where she had the opportunity to solicit feedback and overhaul the core curriculum for all MPH students, giving Victoria her first taste of continuous quality improvement methodologies. This experience sparked a passion in Morse for empowering people to improve the systems they exist within. It

led her to seek positions where she could have a similar impact, particularly with a focus on raising marginalized voices.

Her background in prevention and her personal experience as a Black woman who has faced marginalization uniquely qualify her for her role at APS. While the organization is primarily reactive in nature, responding to instances of adult maltreatment, Victoria believes there is a role for APS to play in the broader goal of preventing such abuse from occurring. She is committed to advocating for the vulnerable adults in her state and ensuring their voices are heard. One of the things that sets APS apart from other organizations is its commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Victoria is proud to be a part of an organization that values these principles and works to ensure that all individuals are treated with respect and dignity. She is particularly proud of the work that APS has done to increase diversity in its workforce, noting that it has positively impacted the organization as a whole.

When describing her personal philosophy, Morse emphasized the importance of empathy and understanding. She believes that by listening to and truly understanding the experiences of others, we can create meaningful and lasting change.

This philosophy is evident in Morse’s work at APS, where she is dedicated to ensuring that the needs and concerns of vulnerable adults are heard and addressed.

Outside of work, Victoria is an avid gardener and loves tending to her rose garden in her free time. She also enjoys staying up to date on the latest educational podcasts, with Cautionary Tales being her current obsession. Victoria also loves to get out and explore the parks and waterways of Washington with her husband and their three energetic dogs - Douglas, Finnegan, and Stella. Victoria’s love of adventure also extends to her travels. Although COVID-19 put a temporary hold on her plans, she and her husband hope to use their COVID travel credits to go on their long-awaited honeymoon to Ireland soon. Victoria is also a new mom to a daughter (Violet) born in April 2022. She enjoys the challenge of learning to be a parent while introducing her daughter to all her favorite things. She is grateful to have the support of her mom, who helps with childcare five days a week as she navigates this exciting new chapter in her life.

One of the things that Victoria finds the most joy in is connecting with her people. “If I’ve had a hard day that was triple stacked with meetings, and I was unable to get any actual work done or if my daughter decided it was a good night to wake up every 30 minutes resulting in less than 3 hours of total sleep,” says Victoria. “I know that I can handle it because when I sign off at the end of my day, I have those strong connections I know I can lean on.” “In the words of Amy Poehler, “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.”

Victoria Gawlik Morse is a dedicated and compassionate advocate for vulnerable adults, bringing a unique blend of experience and understanding to her work with APS. Her commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and her personal philosophy of empathy and compassion make her an invaluable asset to APS and the people who we serve.

Headquarters Spotlight POLICY & PROCEDURE

Arielle

Arielle Finney

is the Senior Policy Advisor for Washington’s Adult Protective Services

Finney started her career in social services with the Area Agency on Aging as a case aide and later a case manager. She came to APS in 2017 and has worked as an investigator, supervisor, headquarters trainer, and, most recently, in policy and legislative work. Arielle is eager to modernize APS policy and procedure, improve outcomes for investigations, expand understanding of statewide requirements, and promote consistency statewide. Arielle spent many years of her life as a caregiver for her brother, who

had developmental disabilities. She says her personal experiences impacted her perspective of service delivery and gaps in services for Washington residents. She is passionate about person-centered approaches, person-centered language, and equity of services for our vulnerable populations.

When Arielle is not working, she is outside working on her hobby farm. She competes in agility trials with her dog, Freya, and often spends evenings practicing for upcoming competitions. Arielle enjoys hiking, horseback riding, gardening, cooking, and reading. Arielle reports that she has more hobbies than she has time.

Mt. Baker from Puget Sound

Coffee Break with Kathy

Grab

a cup of coffee and call-in to chat with APS Director Kathy Morgan!

This casual chat is the perfect opportunity to learn about what’s new with APS and ask any question you’d like! Want to learn more about employee engagement, training, roadshow updates or Kathy’s favorite restaurant? Ask away! She’s happy to chat about anything.

Quarterly Staff Updates: 2023 Dates

Tuesday, January 24th

Tuesday, April 25th

Tuesday, July 25th

Tuesday, October 24th

Let us know!

D o you have photos, content ideas, or success stories for the next quarterly APS Magazine? Let us know! Send your thoughts to jesse.dixon@dshs.wa.gov