Child Abuse Background Checks: Search Database (Child Neglect, Abuse)

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Background Checks | May 14, 2024

Legal guardian stands outside of child's home as a police officer arrives during a child abuse background checks in on the home with a blue magnifying glass hovering over the house signaling child protective services to search for child neglect and abuse.

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Whether it’s adoption-related or for foster care purposes, having a good understanding of child abuse background checks and the laws related to them is extremely important.

Child abuse background checks are designed to prevent crimes against children, including harassment, neglect, and abandonment. This special type of background check is similar to a daycare staff screening process or a babysitter background check procedure, except this type of history search accesses a number of databases to ensure that potential adoptive and foster parents will provide a safe, healthy environment for children.

They are also used to check on the well-being of any child where doubts may arise for a caretaker–whether it’s a biological parent or legal guardian.

When preparing to undergo a child abuse background check, the following information can be used to run a personal background record check before the agency does, which can be used to eliminate or identify any disqualifying instances.

Background Check Overview for Adoption and Foster Care

The background check process for prospective foster parents and other caregiver credentials and background investigations is detailed and lengthy for one reason: safety.

But, with so many different laws and unique kinds of checks being run it can be easy to get confused.

Screenshot child welfare link to child care background check form.

The U.S. government has stringent requirements for adoptive and foster parents, and the background check form can be accessed on its website.

In general, the basic goal of a child abuse background check is to assess potential foster parents on their suitability to raise a child, or at least have a child in their home. All of the background checks that are run through various databases are intended to ensure the child is going to a safe environment.

As is the case with caretakers for any vulnerable group, the background check is taken very seriously, and unlike some pre-employment background checks, there are several things that will automatically disqualify individuals from being able to take in a foster child.

Many of the checks that are run as part of the background process are the same from state to state. However, every single state and U.S. territory has unique laws and regulations in addition to those already determined by federal laws.

Most notably, criminal record contents as well as items present in background checks of child abuse and neglect registries will be the basic starting point for any foster care-related background check.

State Regulations for Child Care Services (Stopping Child Abuse)

The state regulations for child care services are different for every state, regarding the rules and regulations on who needs to be checked, what checks need to be done, and how often these checks are performed.

In addition to the unique regulations of each state, these statutes are all enforced by different government agencies in each state. In many cases, the state’s Department of Human Resources or even the Department of Justice will be in charge of performing the checks.

However other states may rely on an agency specifically for child care services. A list of the agency in charge of childcare provider background checks in each state is provided below.

Who Needs Records Checks

Anyone and everyone who will have unsupervised access to a child in a childcare program will need to undergo an in-depth background investigation process. This includes any staff members who will be alone with any children, volunteers who will be alone with them, and any other employees on the premises of a childcare facility who have unsupervised access. (A free-of-charge volunteer background inquiry is available through many state justice departments.)

With foster homes, every single individual who resides in the home will also need to undergo a comprehensive child care or child abuse background check. This applies to everyone who is 16 years old and up, so in some cases, even juveniles will be required to undergo a background check if they are living with a family that is considering foster care.

One of the few exceptions to the child care provider background check is that if the child being cared for is a relative of the individual, that individual will not need a background check. However, anyone else who is not related to the child will need a background check and if any non-relative children are being cared for by the individual, that person will still need to undergo a background check.

Types of Records That Must Be Checked

The basic federal regulations for a childcare provider background check include:

Graphic showing possible additional checks that can be required for child abuse background checks, including armed forces, domestic violence, international background checks as well as tribal and juvenile checks that can be done in the central registry check virginia, central registry lookup south Carolina, the Nebraska central registry check and other state contacts for child abuse registries.

FBI Identity History Summary Check (IHSC)
National Sex Offender Registry check (This is free to search by anyone)
State Criminal Registry check
State Sex Offender Registry check
State Child Abuse and Neglect Registry check

All of the above checks must be completed before an individual is able to work with children unsupervised. In the table below, the state forms and guidelines are provided for anyone who needs to get a background check.

In the case of adoption and foster care, these checks must be completed before the child is able to reside in the individual’s home for any period of time. For other child care facilities, employees who have yet to complete the above checks may work with children in the facility (such as nonprofit agencies), but only while being supervised by another member of the staff who have all the proper checks completed.

Finally, federal regulations also require that any individual who works with children in a childcare facility must undergo childcare background checks at least once every 5 years. However, many states require the checks to be more frequent such as every 3 years.

National Sex offender website screenshot for child care background check and level 2 background checks

Anyone who has been registered as a sex offender will not be able to pass a child abuse background check.

State-Specific Child Abuse Background Checks

There are several other checks that are commonly required at the state level. Not all states will have this history search mandated, but individuals going through the background check process should expect to undergo more checks than just the ones listed above because no state uses federal regulations exclusively.

Possible additional checks that may be required include:

Adult Protective Service records
Juvenile court records (these are typically sealed for employment background checks, but not for child care)
Domestic violence records
Specific checks for those who have resided outside of the U.S. (international background check)
Armed Forces child abuse registry check
Tribal program abuse investigation records

Process for Obtaining Criminal and Public Records Checks

The process for many of the background checks that are required is fairly straightforward, most often only requiring basic contact information such as a name, address, and social security number.

One of the slightly more tedious tasks that must be completed in order to obtain a child abuse background check is getting fingerprinted. The completion of a fingerprint-based background check is required for the FBI criminal history check, which is also known as an Identity History Summary Check (IHSC)

Fingerprint-based checks are also required as part of many state criminal history checks as well, so individuals will need two sets of fingerprints, one of these will be kept by the state police department that will be running all of the state-based background checks and the other set will be sent to the FBI for the IHSC.

Photo identification of some kind is also required. Be sure to check the state regulations to ensure the individual has an official photo I.D. Usually, a passport or state driver’s license should work fine as a photo I.D.

Finally, as is the case with most background checks, a signed release form will be required to allow the search of the individual’s records.

A list of the state agencies in charge of child abuse background checks, as well as links to foster care and adoption applications is provided below.

State	Department	Application & Forms
Alabama	Dept. of Human Resources, Child Abuse & Neglect Registry	Child Abuse/Neglect Central Registry Clearance Form (1598)
Alaska	Department of Health & Social Services	Clearance Form
Arizona	Arizona Department of Child Safety Central Registry	Form CSO-1131A
Child Abuse Background Check Arkansas	Arkansas Child Maltreatment Central Registry	Arkansas Child Maltreatment Central Registry Background Check Request
California	California Dept. of Justice Bureau of Criminal Information & Analysis CACI	BCIA 4057 Child Abuse Central Index Inquiry Request for Out of State Foster Care & Adoption Agencies
Colorado	Background Investigation Unit Division of Early Care and Learning, CDHS	Facility Child Abuse and Neglect (Trails) Request
Connecticut	Department of Children and Families Careline	Form 3033
Delaware	DSCYF, OCCL Criminal History Unit	Delaware Child Protection Registry Request Web Portal
Florida	Florida Department of Children and Families Office of Child Welfare	Child Abuse History Record Request for Child Placement
Georgia	Georgia Dept of Human Services Attn: Child Protective Services Screening	Screening Request Form/Application
Hawaii	Department of Human Services Child Welfare Services Section	Consent to Release Information from the Child Protective Services System Central Registry
Idaho	Idaho Department of Health & Welfare Criminal History Unit Attn: CWIS	Idaho Child Protection Registry Check.
Illinois	Department of Family & Children Services	Form CFS 689
Indiana	Indiana Dept. Of Child Services, COBCU	Requests for CPI/CPS history check
Iowa	Central Abuse Registry Iowa DHS	Authorization for Release of Child and Dependent Adult Abuse Information
Kansas	Attn: DCF/Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry	Child Abuse and Neglect Central Registry
Kentucky	Based Services Records Management Section	Form DPP- 157 Background Check Request for Foster or Adoptive Applicants and Adolescent or Adult Household Members
Louisiana	Louisiana Department of Children and Dept. of Children & Family Services	Louisiana Child Abuse and Neglect Clearance System (CANS)
Maine	Office of Child and Family Services	Child Abuse Registry Background Check
Maryland	Maryland Department of Human Resources In-Home Services Social Services Administration	Background Clearance Form
Massachusetts	Massachusetts Dept. of Children & Families Attn: Background Record Check Unit	Child Protective Service (CPS) Background Record Request Form
Michigan	Division of Child Welfare Licensing Michigan Department of Health and Human Services	Central Registry Clearance Request – DHS-1929 form
Minnesota	Minnesota Department of Human Services Background Studies Division	Consent for release of information from Minnesota state-wide database of substantiated abuse / neglect
Mississippi	Mississippi State Department of Human Services	Form Required: Child Abuse/Neglect (CA/N) Common Central Registry Application
Missouri	Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Family Care Safety Registry	Family Care Safety Registry screening
Montana	Records Request DPHHS/CFSD	Child Protective Service Background Check
Nebraska	Nebraska Department of Health & Human Services Children & Family Services, Policy Unit Attention Central Registry	APS CPS CFS Form
Nevada	Nevada Division of child and Family Services	Request for Child Abuse & Neglect Screening
New Hampshire	NHDCYF Central Registry	Form 2501-Third Party Name Search Authorization
New Jersey	Department of Children & Families	Child Abuse Record Information Check
New Mexico	CYFD Protective Services	Protective Services Criminal Records Check (CRC)
New York	Office of Children & Family Services	Adam Walsh Child Protective and Safety Act of 2006
North Carolina	NC Division of Social Services	North Carolina Division of Social Services Responsible Individuals List (RIL) Information Request
North Dakota	Department of Human Services	Child Abuse and Neglect Background Inquiry
Ohio	Ohio SACWIS Registry Ohio Dept. of Job & Family Services	Ohio SACWIS Alleged Perpetrator Search
Oklahoma	N/A	N/A
Oregon	Oregon Department of Human Services	CPS Background Check form
Pennsylvania	ChildLine and Abuse Registry Pennsylvania Department of Human Services	Pennsylvania Child Abuse History clearance
Rhode Island	The Department of Children, Youth and Families	Rhode Island DCYF clearance request
South Carolina	South Carolina Department of Social Services	South Carolina Department of Social Services Consent to Release Information
South Dakota	Department of Social Services Office of Licensure & Accreditations	Request for Screening for Substantiated Reports of Child Abuse or Neglect
Tennessee	Department of Child Services	Tennessee DCS Database
Texas	CBCU TX Abuse Neglect BGC	Form 2970
Utah	Department of Human Services Division of Child & Family Services	Child Abuse Central Registry Request
Vermont	Vermont Department for Children & Families Residential Licensing & Special Investigations	Forms for Child Care Providers
Virginia	Virginia Department of Social Services Office of Background Investigations – Search Unit	Central Registry Release of Information Form
Washington	Department of Children, Youth, and Families	Form DCYF 23-041
West Virginia	Bureau of Children and Families	Authorization and Release for Protective Services and Provider Record
Wisconsin	Department of Safety and Permanence	Form Required: DCF-F-5065
Wyoming	Department of Family Services Central Registry	Wyoming Department of Family Services Central Registry

Understanding Abuse History Clearance

There are several records that may turn up as part of a child abuse background check that will automatically disqualify the individual from being in foster care or from adopting.

Unlike the records that may turn up as part of an employment background check, many records will be grounds for immediate disqualification. In many cases, there is no appeal process or assessment that may allow exceptions as federal and state laws dictate the automatic disqualification guidelines, rather than it is up to the discretion of the agency to decide.

Some of the more common grounds for disqualification include:

Conviction of felony child abuse or neglect
Conviction of felony spousal abuse
Crimes against children (Such as child pornography-related convictions)
Conviction of violent crimes such as rape, sexual assault, homicide, etc.
A member of the household has been convicted of any of the above crimes
A member of the household is listed on a sex offender registry
Conviction of a drug-related crime
Conviction of human, sex, or labor trafficking
Conviction of unregulated custody transfer.

Background checks can be a tedious and stressful process, but understanding the basic checks and why they are run can be a huge help. A child abuse background check is one of the most thorough, but knowing what is involved can make the process easier.

Frequently Asked Questions About Child Abuse Background Checks

What Shows Up on a Child Abuse Background Check?

Like many comprehensive background checks, criminal convictions, credit history, employment, and education will show up on the check, but also pending charges, pending court cases, and pending arrests, warrants, probation, and even juvenile records can appear on the background check.