Adults and youths with disabilities experience violent crime, including sexual assault, two to three times more often than people without disabilities.
And sometimes the abuser is the very person charged with caring for the person with the disability—a nursing home assistant, home healthcare provider, physical or occupational therapist, volunteer, teacher’s aide, or even a family member. Disabilities, including everything from Alzheimer’s Disease to mental retardation, autism, speech or hearing impairments, developmental delays, or mental illness, can challenge the skills or patience of the provider and put the person at risk.
People with disabilities may have limited communication skills and are often less able to defend themselves. Or, they may be afraid to complain or report when they are mistreated for fear the abuser will retaliate or abandon them. They feel trapped and the abuse may continue, even escalate. Which is exactly why you need to do everything possible to keep this from happening.
Praesidium helps programs that serve adults and youths with disabilities proactively manage their risk of physical and sexual abuse. Click on the links below to learn more about the services Praesidium can provide to your organization.
- TrainingDoes the training you provide employees and volunteers work to change behavior, or does it just provide a “check in the box” every two or three years? Does it engage the learners? Are you certain it covers the correct content? Do you reliably track and ensure completion? Praesidiumprovides a complete training delivery system for organizations, including customized online courses, onsite workshops, DVD programs, mini-minders and just-in-time videos. Learn More
- Armatus® Online TrainingArmatus online training delivers expert content to all of your employees and volunteers, accessible anytime at their convenience, at home or on the job.They learn what they need to know to keep those in your care, and your programs, safe—no excuses or delays, no need to worry about dates, times, or locations, reaching new or temporary employees, or scheduling trainers. All they have to do is “log-on”. Learn More
- Policy DevelopmentPolicies define the bandwidth of acceptable behavior in your organization—what’s permitted and what’s not—and inform and empower employees and volunteers to take action before an incident occurs. Praesidium reviews your existing policies and helps develop new policies that permit you to accomplish your mission while prohibiting behaviors most commonly associated with abuse. Learn More
- Risk Assessment and Accreditation ®Now your organization can publicly demonstrate that it meets the highest standards of abuse prevention in the nation. Using Praesidium’s proprietary risk management system, our team of Safety Analysts comes on site to evaluate your practices in eight key organizational operations. You receive a detailed report outlining strengths and potential exposures in each program and a prioritized action plan to close any gaps. Once you’ve closed the gaps, you earn Praesidium Accreditation®, proof to your stakeholders, the community, and your insurance underwriters of your demonstrated commitment to safety. Learn More
- Screening and Selection ServicesDeciding who has access to those you serve is one of the most important decisions you can make, but many organizations still rely only on a simple background check to screen employees and volunteers. Read on to learn the surprising truth about background checks and how Praesidium’s screening and selection services can help overhaul your hiring process. Learn More
- Background ChecksPraesidium’s background check services help you take the first step in effectively screening employees and volunteers. Learn More