Social Services
Our mission is to promote the safety, financial security, and social health of our Indian people through Adult Protective Services of elder and vulnerable adults, Individuals Indian Money Accounts, High School Seniors Expense Accounts, Transitioning Services, and Victims Advocacy.
Services
Our services are available to any graduating high school senior who is a Tribal member.
The deadline to submit your request is April 15, 2023.
High School Senior Expense Application
OMB form 1035-0004, Individual Indian Money (IIM) Senior Expense Form
- Instructions for Disbursement of Funds and Change of Address
A minor child who is a current client with Children and Family Services (CFS), about to turn 18 years of age, and meets the criteria can be transitioned to a Supervised IIM Account Holder Social Worker.
The victims’ advocate is a first responder to victims. They stay with the client throughout something by making regular home visits, ensuring their needs are being met by following up, and staying connected with the victims’ family.
We contact local and outside agencies for:
- Personal advocacy and accompaniment to victims of crime by providing emergency and non-emergency medical care, law informant interview accompaniment, intervention, transportation assistance, and personal advocacy.
- Emotional support or safety services for victims with limited support, which include crisis intervention crisis response, individual counseling, emergency financial assistance.
- Assistance with shelter and housing services, which includes emergency shelter assistance, transitional housing, or relocation assistance.
- Assistance with justice system advocacy, which includes victim impact statements, assistance with restitution, civil legal assistance, accompaniment for legal interviews, and criminal advocacy accompaniment.
- Information and referral, which includes information about justice system and victim rights, referrals to victim programs, and referrals to supports and resources.
- Community Awareness
Our Victims Advocate grant is to provide support to our community to improve services for victims of crime and educate the public regarding the signs of abuse and the process for reporting abuse or exploitation of elderly. The grant supports a range of activities including needs assessment, strategic planning, program development and implementation, program expansion, and other activities to address the victim service needs of our tribal members and vulnerable adult victims. We provide assistance to victims by warm referrals, transportation, and plan for sustainability by evaluating the program based upon victims’ responses and measured success.
Adult Protective Services investigates allegations of abandonment, abuse, exploitation, and financial exploitation, neglect, self-neglect of elders 55 years of age and older and vulnerable adults 18 years of age and older who reside within the boundaries of the Colville Reservation.
Anyone including but not limited to healthcare personnel, educational personnel, child care personnel, mental health personnel, and law enforcement. Social workers are required to report knowledge or reasonable suspicion of abuse of elders and/or vulnerable people.
Adult Protective Services does not have the authority to:
- remove a client against his or her own will
- detain or arrest an individual
- be a guardian
- act as an emergency response (such as law enforcement or EMT)
- force people to accept services
Policies & Resources
Offices
Nespelem (Main Office)
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Location:
LCGC Office SE 326
21 Colville Street
Nespelem, WA 99155
- Phone: 509.634.2397
Inchelium Office
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Location:
LRCHS Health Center
39 Short Cut Road
Inchelium, WA 99138
- Phone: 509.722.7023
Omak Office
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Location:
Behavior Health Office
507 Benton Street
Omak, WA 98841
- Phone: 509.422.7713
End Elder Abuse
Report concerns of abuse anonymously
- Call 509.634.2397
- Visit letsendelderabuse.com
- Email aps_intakes@bia.gov
You can report suspected elder abuse by phone, email, or written note faxed, mailed or dropped off at the main office.
A completed form is not necessary. We will follow up on all concerns.
- Tribal Police 509.634.2472
- State Adult Protective Services 800.562.6078
Abandonment means action or inaction by a person or entity with a duty of care for an elder or a vulnerable adult that leaves the elder or vulnerable person without the means or ability to obtain essential services.
Abuse means a nonaccidental act of physical or mental mistreatment or injury, or sexual mistreatment, which harms a person through action or inaction by another individual.
Exploitation means the illegal or improper use of an elder or vulnerable adult or that person’s income or resources, including trust funds, for another person’s profit or advantage. Exploitation includes the imposition on the elder’s time resources, such as leaving children or other persons in the care of the elder or vulnerable adult for extended periods or under circumstances in which the elder or vulnerable adult cannot adequately care for such children or other persons.
Financial exploitation can include sudden changes in bank account or banking practice, including:
- An unexplained withdrawal of large sums of money;
- Adding additional names on bank signature cards;
- Unauthorized withdrawal of funds using an ATM card;
- Abrupt changes in a will or other financial documents;
- Unexplained disappearance of funds or valuable possessions;
- Bills unpaid despite the money being available to pay them;
- Forging a signature on financial transactions or for the titles of possessions;
- Sudden appearance of previously uninvolved relatives claiming rights to a vulnerable adult’s possessions;
- Unexplained sudden transfer of assets to a family member or someone outside the family;
- Providing services that are not necessary;
- Individual’s report of exploitation.
Neglect means a pattern of conduct or inaction by a person or entity with a duty of care for an elder or vulnerable adult that results in the deprivation of essential services to the elder or vulnerable person.
Self-neglect means when a vulnerable adult fails to provide adequately for themselves and jeopardizes his/her well-being. Examples include a vulnerable adult living in hazardous, unsafe, or unsanitary living conditions or not having enough food or water.
Elder means any person who is fifty-five (55) years of age or older.
Vulnerable adult means a person eighteen (18) years of age or older who has the functional, mental, or physical inability to care for himself.
Vulnerable adult shall include:
- Persons found incapacitated or adult persons who are otherwise eligible for the appointment of a guardian under this Code;
- A person who has a disability attributable to mental retardation, cerebral palsy, epilepsy, autism, or another neurological or other condition of an individual found by the doctor to be closely related to mental retardation or to require treatment similar to that required for individuals with mental retardation, which disability originates before the individual attains age eighteen, which has continued or can be expected to continue indefinitely, and which constitutes a substantial handicap to the individual. The Agency shall adopt criteria which define neurological or other conditions under this Subpart in a way that is not limited to intelligence quotient scores as the sole determinant of these conditions and notify the Business Council upon such adoption; or
- Persons admitted to any long-term care facility or receiving services from home health, hospice, or home care agencies located or operating on the Colville Reservation.
Who has a developmental disability as defined under RCW 71A.10.020; or
Admitted to any facility; or receiving services from home health, hospice, or home care agencies licensed or required to be licensed under chapter 70.127 RCW; or
Receiving services from an individual provider; or who self-directs his or her own care and receives services from a personal aide under chapter 74.39 RCW
- Suspicious or unexplainable bruises, sores, or weight loss
- Change in normal personality
- Neglect or inattention to hygiene, clothing, medication, food, or home
- Unexplainable financial changes or missing money and personal belongings
- Comments or statements that are intimidating, threatening, or degrading
- Individuals are kept from or are absent from normal activities with family, friends, or social events
- Regular appointments, such as medical or professional, are stopped without communication
- Uninvolved relatives and/or new individual(s) become involved and take over personal and financial matters
Contacts
Email us confidential complaints or concerns
