Using administrative data from adult protective services: opportunities and considerations.

Area of Science:

• Social Work Research
• Public Health Data Analysis
• Administrative Data Science

Background:

• Federal agencies support data systems for adult protective services (APS).
• Researchers and practitioners increasingly use APS administrative data to study adult maltreatment and response systems.
• Limited guidance exists on effectively using APS administrative data, leading to inconsistent research findings and quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review practical considerations for organizing and analyzing APS administrative data.
• To provide guidance for improving the quality and consistency of APS research.
• To address methodological challenges in using APS administrative data.

Main Methods:

• Review of practical considerations based on multi-state experience.
• Discussion of data organization and analysis techniques for APS administrative data.
• Examination of issues including data limitations (time-limited, erroneous, missing) and analytical approaches (metrics, multilevel structures).

Main Results:

• Identified key challenges in APS administrative data, including data quality and structure.
• Provided practical strategies for addressing data limitations and analytical complexities.
• Highlighted the importance of methodological rigor in APS research.

Conclusions:

• Improved analysis of APS administrative data can strengthen quality assurance processes.
• Methodological guidance is crucial for advancing research on adult maltreatment and protective services.
• Addressing data challenges enhances the utility of administrative data for APS practice and research.