Establishment and Maintenance of Central Registries for Child Abuse or Neglect Reports - New Hampshire

Establishment

Citation: Rev. Stat. § 169-C:35

A State central registry shall be established by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Purpose

Citation: Rev. Stat. § 169-C:35

The purpose of the registry is to maintain a record of founded reports of child abuse and neglect.

Contents

Citation: Rev. Stat. § 169-C:35

Founded reports shall be maintained in the central registry.

Maintenance

Citation: Rev. Stat. §§ 169-C:35; 169-C:35-a

Founded reports of abuse and neglect shall be retained indefinitely, subject to an individual's right to petition for the earlier removal of their name from the central registry as provided in this section.

The department shall retain a screened-out report for 4 years from the date that the report was screened out. If during the 4-year retention period, the department receives a subsequent report of abuse or neglect concerning the same alleged perpetrator or the same child or any siblings or other children in the same household or in the care of the same adults, the department shall retain information from the prior and subsequent reports for an additional 4 years from the date a subsequent report is screened out, an additional 10 years from the date a subsequent report is deemed unfounded, and indefinitely if the subsequent report is deemed founded or unfounded but with reasonable concern. 

The department shall retain an unfounded report for 10 years from the date that the department determined the case to be unfounded. If during the 10-year retention period, the department receives a subsequent report of abuse or neglect concerning the same alleged perpetrator or the same child or any siblings or other children in the same household or in the care of the same adults, the department shall retain the information from the prior and subsequent reports for an additional 10 years from the date the subsequent report is screened out or deemed unfounded, or indefinitely if the subsequent report is deemed founded or unfounded but with reasonable concern.

The department shall retain a founded report or a report that is unfounded but with reasonable concern indefinitely.

Nothing in this section shall prevent the department from retaining generic, nonidentifying information that is required for State and Federal reporting and management purposes.