Establishment and Maintenance of Central Registries for Child Abuse or Neglect Reports - District of Columbia

Establishment

Citation: Ann. Code § 4-1302.01

The Child and Family Services Agency shall maintain a child protection register.

Purpose

Citation: Ann. Code § 4-1302.01

The purposes of the register are to do the following:

• Maintain a confidential index of cases of abused or neglected children
• Assist in the identification and treatment of abused and neglected children and their families
• Serve as a resource for the evaluation, management, and planning of programs and services for abused and neglected children

Contents

Citation: Ann. Code §§ 4-1302.02; 4-3102.03

The register shall retain the following information about each substantiated and inconclusive report:

• The recipient of the report 
• The date and time of the receipt of the report 
• The ward in which the child lives and other demographic information concerning the incident
• The agencies to which the report was referred and the date and time of the referral
• The agency making the initial investigation, the summary of the results of the initial investigation, and the dates and the times the investigations were begun and terminated
• The agency making the social investigation, the summary of the results of the social investigation, the dates and the times the investigation was begun and terminated, the services offered, and when they were offered
• The agency or agencies to which the referrals were made and the services requested, with the dates of the opening and the closing of the case
• The placements of the child and the dates of each placement
• Court actions concerning the child and the dates thereof 
• The date the case was closed
• Other information required for research, planning, evaluation, and management purposes 

The report shall include, but need not be limited to, the following information if it is known to the person making the report:

• The name, age, sex, and address of the following individuals:
  • The child who is the subject of the report
  • Each of the child's siblings and other children in the household
  • Each of the child's parents or other persons responsible for the child's care
• The nature and extent of the abuse or neglect of the child and any previous abuse or neglect, if known
• All other information that the reporter believes may be helpful in establishing the cause of the abuse or neglect and the identity of the person responsible for the abuse or neglect
• If the source was a mandatory reporter, their identity and occupation, how to contact them, and a statement of the actions taken by them concerning the child

Maintenance

Citation: Ann. Code § 4-1302.02

The staff that maintains the register shall review all open cases every 6 months to ensure that information is current.