Protecting Vulnerable Adults

Connecting back with November as National Caregiver Month, we want to encourage schools to recognize a lesser-known role in mandated reporting of abuse. Typically, schools have a policy or even handbook language to address roles as mandated reporters for child abuse, but it is also important to protect vulnerable adults.

Vulnerable adults are people 18 or older who require assistance to provide for their own care. Encountering situations where vulnerable adult exploitation or maltreatment is suspected may be incidental to school operations, but it is important to know what to do. Additionally, Minnesota law requires that educators report maltreatment of vulnerable adults to the Minnesota Adult Abuse Reporting Center. Adding policy or handbook language to address this reporting requirement builds the procedural readiness of the school, but training your staff is crucial to ensuring that they know how to recognize and report these situations.