Characteristics of Adult Protective Services Social Workers

Profiles of victims and perpetrators of elder abuse appear in the literature, but no profile of adult protective service (APS) workers has previously been developed. This paper compares data on demographics (age, race, gender), employment history, professional preparation, continuing educational needs, and sources of stress on the job gathered from a survey of 580 public service social workers in North Carolina, 218 of whom reported primary or secondary responsibility for APS and 232 of whom reported incidental or no responsibility for APS.