WHAT WE DO

The Institute on Protective Services provides specialized education, curriculum development, and expert consultation to protective services task force groups, human services professionals, law enforcement, EMS, medical professionals, and financial institutions. Our trainers are also available to speak at regional, state, and national conferences and workshops. 

Our services are designed to strengthen the skills and effectiveness of these individuals and organizations to identify, investigate, and resolve cases of abuse involving older adults and adults with disabilities. In addition to customized training programs, we offer Train-the-Trainer courses to build internal training capacity and provide technical assistance to enhance existing training efforts. 

Education and Professional Development:

Available training topics:

• Compassion Resilience/ self-care
• Substance Use Disorder and Older Adults
• Adult Mental Health First Aid
• Older Adult Mental Health First Aid
• Trauma 101
• Person-centered Best Practices in Investigations, Interviewing and Service Planning
• The Psychology of Scams and Why they Work
• Financial Exploitation
• Cryptocurrency
• Imaged-based Sexual Abuse
• Custom training topics to meet the needs of your organization

We also present at regional, state and national conferences to share knowledge, best practices and emerging trends. Customized training topics are available to fit your organization’s unique needs.

EXPERT CONSULTATION

The Institute on Protective Services is able to offer expert consultation to your agency or company in the following areas:

• Complex Vulnerable Adult and Older Adult Victimization Cases*
• Ethical Issues in Working with Vulnerable Adults and Older Adults
• Positive Organizational Culture in Long Term Care
• Prevention of Incidents of Abuse and Neglect in Long Term Care Facilities
• Workforce retention and Burnout Prevention

*The Institute receives funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Aging to provide complex case consultation for the Area Agencies on Aging and Law Enforcement on cases of abuse, neglect and theft involving older adult victims. 

Please contact the Institute Director, Caroline Burnell, at [click-for-email] to discuss how the Institute can support your work.

FLEXIBLE LEARNING OPTIONS

In addition to our comprehensive contract trainings, the Institute on Protective Services also offers a variety of flexible learning opportunities designed to give agencies and facilities a preview of the expertise we provide. These include short “lunch and learn”  sessions (20–30 minutes) tailored to organizational needs, interactive webinars on emerging protective service topics, and other customized mini-trainings that can be delivered virtually or on-site. These offerings are a great way for staff to engage with current best practices in a convenient format while experiencing the high-quality instruction our team delivers. By providing accessible entry points, we help organizations strengthen awareness and build capacity, while also giving them a taste of how our full trainings can support their long-term goals.