Vulnerable Adult Act Requirements for Child Foster Care

When a child in placement, or an individual already 18 is placed in a child foster care home, the foster home must have policies and procedures in place to meet the requirements for caring for vulnerable adults. For clarification purposes, the definition of a vulnerable adult is found in Minnesota Statutes, section 626.5572, Subd. 21 and includes the following part:

(a) "Vulnerable adult" means any person 18 years of age or older who:
(1) is a resident or inpatient of a facility.

The definition of facility is found in Minnesota Statutes, section 626.5572 Subd. 6 and includes the following part:

(a) "Facility" means a facility or service required to be licensed under chapter 245A.

However, as a child foster care provider you are only required to comply with vulnerable adult act requirements when actually providing services to an individual age 18 or older.

Requirements

Along with completing and documenting all license holders having completed the vulnerable adult training, the following policies & procedures must be developed:

Program Abuse Prevention Plan

The program abuse prevention plan (PAPP) is a general assessment of the population served, physical plant, and the environment services are provided in, with specific measures to be taken to minimize the risk of abuse to persons receiving services within the control of the license holder and the location of their home. To ensure all assessment areas are addressed completely, utilize the Program Abuse Prevention Plan form located on the For Foster Parents page.

The PAPP must be reviewed at least annually, and updated to reflect any substantiated maltreatment findings. A copy of the PAPP must be available in an easily seen location. The adult and their legal representation (if they have one) may request a copy of the PAPP.

Individual Abuse Prevention Plan

The individual abuse prevention plan (IAPP) is an assessment of each adult placed in the foster home, and is required to address the following:

  • an assessment of the person’s susceptibility to abuse by other individuals, including other vulnerable adults, and the person’s risk of abusing other vulnerable adults.
  • statements of specific measures to be taken to minimize the risk of abuse, including self-abuse, of the person and other vulnerable adults
  • specific actions the program will take to minimize the risk of abuse within the program, and identify referrals that will be made when the vulnerable adult is susceptible to abuse outside the control of the program, if specific measures are not identified in the program abuse prevention plan.
  • document if no additional measures are needed in addition to those identified in the program abuse prevention plan.

An IAPP must be developed for each new person admitted to the program. The IAPP must be reviewed at least annually and updated if needed. The vulnerable adult must participate in the development of the IAPP to the full extent of their abilities. If applicable, the vulnerable adult’s legal representative must be given the opportunity to participate with or for the person in the development of the plan.

Maltreatment of Vulnerable Adults Reporting Policy

A policy must be created by the license holder that allows for, but not mandating internal reporting of alleged or suspected maltreatment. The policy meets the requirements identified for optional reporting in Minnesota Statutes, section 626.557, subd. 4a. The Department of Human Services has created a reporting policy template (PDF) for use by license holders. The template includes policy posting and training requirements.