Adult Protective Services: A Report of Community Satisfaction Survey Results

The survey measured changes in opinions held by four Texas Department of Family and Protective Services Adult Protective Services (APS) stakeholder groups: judiciary, law enforcement, community partners, and community board members. Community partners and community board members indicated increased satisfaction on all measures. Members of the court system and law enforcement officers reported mixed satisfaction levels. The responses of law enforcement officers indicated the lowest levels of satisfaction with APS progress.

The survey was mailed to 349 judiciary members, 601 law enforcement agents, 1,124 community partners, and 245 APS community board members. Of the 2,139 surveys sent, 452 were returned. Each groups response rate was between 16% and 21%. Progress was measured by the combined Likert scale scores of Strongly Agree and Agree responses. The 2006 judicial responses indicated that APS has improved in seeking appropriate and timely court actions and provides better documentation for legal actions requested. The 2006 law enforcement agent responses indicated APS caseworkers are unsure about how and when to engage law enforcement in a case.