Subject to an appropriation, the department may develop, maintain, and coordinate the services of one or more multidisciplinary adult protection teams in each of the districts of the department. Such teams may be composed of, but need not be limited to, representatives of appropriate health, mental health, social service, legal service, and law enforcement agencies.

1. (1) The department shall utilize and convene the teams to supplement the protective services activities of the adult protective services program of the department. This section does not prevent a person from reporting under s. 415.1034 all suspected or known cases of abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a disabled adult or an elderly person. The role of the teams is to support activities of the adult protective services program and to provide services deemed by the teams to be necessary and appropriate to abused, neglected, and exploited disabled adults or elderly persons upon referral. Services must be provided with the consent of the disabled adult, or elderly person or that person's guardian, or through court order. The specialized diagnostic assessment, evaluation, coordination, and other supportive services that an adult protection team must be capable of providing include, but are not limited to:

   1. (a) Medical diagnosis and evaluation services, including provision or interpretation of X rays and laboratory tests, and related services, as needed, and documentation of findings relative thereto.
   2. (b) Telephone consultation services in emergencies and in other situations.
   3. (c) Medical evaluation related to abuse, neglect, or exploitation as defined by department policy or rule.
   4. (d) Psychological and psychiatric diagnosis and evaluation services for the disabled adult or elderly person.
   5. (e) Short-term psychological treatment. It is the intent of the Legislature that short-term psychological treatment be limited to no more than 6 months' duration after treatment is initiated.
   6. (f) Expert medical, psychological, and related professional testimony in court cases.
   7. (g) Case staffings to develop, implement, and monitor treatment plans for disabled adults and elderly persons whose cases have been referred to the team. An adult protection team may provide consultation with respect to a disabled adult or elderly person who has not been referred to the team. The consultation must be provided at the request of a representative of the adult protective services program or at the request of any other professional involved with the disabled adult or elderly person or that person's guardian or other caregivers. In every such adult protection team case staffing consultation or staff activity involving a disabled adult or elderly person, an adult protective services program representative shall attend and participate.
   8. (h) Service coordination and assistance, including the location of services available from other public and private agencies in the community.
   9. (i) Such training services for program and other department employees as is deemed appropriate to enable them to develop and maintain their professional skills and abilities in handling adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation cases.

   10. (j) Education and community awareness campaigns on adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation in an effort to enable citizens to prevent, identify, and treat adult abuse, neglect, and exploitation in the community more successfully.

       ¹(2) The adult abuse, neglect, or exploitation cases that are appropriate for referral by the adult protective services program to adult protection teams for supportive services include, but are not limited to, cases involving:

   11. (a) Unexplained or implausibly explained bruises, burns, fractures, or other injuries in a disabled adult or an elderly person.
   12. (b) Sexual abuse or molestation, or sexual exploitation, of a disabled adult or elderly person.
   13. (c) Reported medical, physical, or emotional neglect of a disabled adult or an elderly person.

   14. (d) Reported financial exploitation of a disabled adult or elderly person. In all instances in which an adult protection team is providing certain services to abused, neglected, or exploited disabled adults or elderly persons, other offices and units of the department shall avoid duplicating the provisions of those services.

       ¹Note.--Section 6, ch. 98-182, purported to amend paragraph (c) of subsection (2), but did not set out in full the amended paragraph to include flush left language at the end of the section. Absent affirmative evidence that the Legislature intended to repeal the omitted material, it is set out in full here, pending clarification by the Legislature.

History.--s. 32, ch. 89-294; s. 48, ch. 90-306; s. 109, ch. 95-418; s. 6, ch. 98-182.