Child Abuse Registry

The Child Abuse Registry is a database maintained by individual states that contains records of child abuse and neglect. Individual state agencies such as their Department of Human Services, Social Services, Children and Family Services, etc. are required to maintain records when receiving reports of child abuse/neglect. This prevents individuals who have abused or neglected children from being in a position where they could do it again. 

State-Specific Child Abuse Registries

State registries vary significantly in their accessibility and search requirements. While some states provide relatively straightforward access to authorized organizations, others maintain strict control over their records. For example, Florida, New York, and North Carolina restrict third-party access to their registries, requiring direct interaction between the subject and the state agency.

Documentation and Verification Process

All child abuse registry searches start with a form that must be filled out by the subject. Common fields on each form include full name, any previous/alias names, current and past addresses within the state, DOB, SSN, and sometimes the names of spouses and children. Most, if not all, also ask for the purpose of this search. It typically should be for individuals who will be working with children.

Some forms need to be notarized, some can only be accepted with the original form signed with physical ink. Others require an associated fee to be sent along with the form in order to conduct the search via money order or online payment.

Processing Timeframes and Considerations

Once the subject fills out the form and sends it back to us, we send it out to the individual state’s agency by their preferred method, along with the sometimes associated fee. After, we wait for results stating whether our subject has ever been reported for child abuse and/or neglect. Most states have a long turnaround time in returning results.