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There is increased congressional awareness of, and attention paid to, elder abuse, yet the need for resources, research, and capacity-building support is especially acute in Adult Protective Services (APS), the nation's direct victim-services system. And there are still very limited resources for those dealing with elder abuse. The Elder Justice Act (EJA) was enacted into law, but hasn't been funded. With caseloads in APS increasing by leaps and bounds, strategies and actions are needed to build up the APS system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses challenges facing U.S. Adult Protective Services (APS) programs established by state laws to receive reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation of elders and of young persons with disabilities. APS evolved from Social Security Act amendments in 1962 authorizing states to establish protective services for persons with physical or mental limitations unable to manage their affairs. With no national infrastructure, it is stated that APS rely solely on state funding decisions. INSET: Case Scenario.

Sexual abuse, the fasters growing type of abuse complaint, often raises issues concerning the credibility of individual allegations. This paper discusses historical, developmental, and societal factors affecting children's credibility and recommended assessment methods that maximize a child's capacity to relate his or her experience. Clinical factors leading to false allegations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The clinical impact of Tarasoff (1976) has meant an increased emphasis on violence as a topic in treatment and a concern for therapists. This paper discusses the limits of confidentiality and the management of dangerous patients both before and after the landmark decision of Tarasoff. The existing research surveys on therapists' responses to Tarasoff arc reviewed. Some of the clinical implications of recent court cases such as Jablonski are described. Recommendations for the management of threatening patients are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes common forensic evaluations requested of juvenile court mental health evaluators. There has been a legal shift toward criminalization of juvenile court, with a greater emphasis on rights, abandonment of the rehabilitative model, and greater movement of adolescents into the adult criminal court. A resulting shift has been the redefinition of juvenile court forensic evaluations toward the specificity of adult forensic work. The challenge for evaluators is to refine their knowledge of the forensic standards and bring knowledge of development, assessment, and diagnosis in juveniles and interview techniques appropriate to juveniles to improve the evaluation and forensic reports.