State Administrator

Appendix D

Appendix D

Current Practices on Sharing Information

On Child Maltreatment Perpetrators

Form Approved

OMB NO. 0990-xxxx

Exp. Date XX-XX-20xx

Study of the Feasibility of a National Registry of Child Maltreatment Perpetrators

CURRENT PRACTICES ON SHARING INFORMATION

ON CHILD MALTREATMENT PERPETRATORS

This questionnaire focuses on how your agency currently shares information on child maltreatment perpetrators, and how it requests such information from other States.

This study collects data about and from repositories of data on perpetrators of child abuse and neglect. In general, the term “data repository” applies only to the source or sources, that are currently used by your State to respond to requests from other in-state or out-of-state agencies about persons who have been found to be responsible for child abuse or neglect. Some States may have more than one repository. Criminal databases are not included. If your State has more than one data repository for perpetrators of child abuse and neglect, a separate questionnaire should be completed for each repository.

In-state or out-of-state requests for data may come from agencies investigating child abuse and neglect or considering hiring a person. The term perpetrator is used to indicate any person whom the child protective services agency has found to be responsible for child abuse or neglect. The person need not have been charged with either a civil or criminal offense.

Please complete the following before information before beginning the survey.

Name of Data Repository: _______________________

Agency/department primarily responsible for the content of the repository: _________________

Agency/department primarily responsible for maintaining the repository: ___________________

According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995, an agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to a collection of information unless it displays a valid OMB control number. The valid OMB control number for this information collection is 0990-XXXX. The time required to complete this information collection is estimated to average 1 hour per response, including the time to review instructions, search existing data resources, gather the data needed and complete and review the information collection. If you have comments concerning the accuracy of the time estimate(s) or suggestions for improving this form, please write to:  U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, OS/OCIO/PRA, 200 Independence Ave., S.W., Suite 336-E, Washington, D.C. 20201 Attention: PRA Reports Clearance Officer.

A. RESPONDING TO OUT-OF-STATE INQUIRIES ABOUT CHILD MALTREATMENT PERPETRATORS

1. Who or what entity is responsible for responding to out-of-state inquiries?

   1. Central office of State child welfare agency

   2. Local child welfare agency

   3. Other agency that maintains the repository

   4. Other:

Please specify: ________________________

2. How are out-of-state inquiries received? (check all that apply)

   1. Phone

   2. Paper (Letter, form, fax)

   3. Electronically (i.e. e-mail)

   4. Other:

Please specify: ___________________

5. Don’t know

3. Once a request has been made, does the agency verify the identity or credentials of the requesting entity?

   1. Yes:

Describe what the process is: _____________________

2. No

3. Don’t know

4. What is the average length of time that it takes to respond to an out-of-state inquiry?

   1. Within one business day

   2. 1–5 business days

   3. 6–10 business days

   4. More than 10 business days

   5. The agency does not track or collect this information

   6. Don’t know

5. What information about child maltreatment perpetrators is routinely provided when responding to out-of-state inquiries? (check all that apply)

   1. Name of child maltreatment perpetrator

   2. Alternative names

   3. Last known address

   4. Date of birth or age

   5. Sex/gender

   6. Race/ethnicity

   7. SSN

   8. Date of incident

   9. Type of substantiated maltreatment

   10. Date(s) of disposition

   11. Relationship to child victim(s)

   12. Status of any legal proceedings

   13. Zip code of last known address

   14. County of last known address

   15. Other:

Please list: _____________________

16. Don’t know

6. What information is routinely provided about the child victim when responding to out-of-state inquiries? (check all that apply)

   1. Name of victim child

   2. Alternative names

   3. Last known address

   4. Date of birth or age

   5. Sex/gender

   6. Race/ethnicity

   7. Date of incident

   8. Type of maltreatment

   9. Date(s) of disposition

   10. Relationship of perpetrator to child victim(s)

   11. Name of the worker who conducted the investigation

   12. Whether the child was placed in foster care as a result of the maltreatment

   13. Status of any legal proceedings

   14. Other:

Please list: _____________________

15. Don’t know

7. What is the charge for processing a request for information from out-of-state?

   1. No charge

   2. Less than 10 dollars

   3. 10–49 dollars

   4. 50 dollars or more

   5. Varies depending on request:

Please explain: __________________

6. Don’t know

8. Approximately how many out-of-state inquiries about child maltreatment perpetrators were responded to in the last 12 months?

   1. None

   2. Less than 50

   3. 50–99

   4. 100–499

   5. 500–999

   6. 1,000–1,999

   7. 2,000–4,999

   8. 5,000 or more

   9. This information is not collected or tracked

   10. Don’t know

2. MAKING OUT-OF-STATE INQUIRIES

9. Who may contact another State to inquire if a person has been determined to be a child maltreatment perpetrator? (check all that apply)

   1. Central office staff of the State child welfare agency

   2. Local child welfare agency staff

   3. Other:

Please list: ________________________

4. Don’t know

10. Indicate for what reasons staff may request information from an out-of-state data repository? (check all that apply)

    1. Person is under investigation for alleged child abuse

    2. Person has been found to have abused or neglected a child

    3. Person is facing civil action which would remove his/her child and place the child in out-of-home care

    4. Person has applied to be a foster parent

    5. Person has applied to be an adoptive parent

    6. Person has applied to be a worker in your agency

    7. Person has applied to be staff in one of our licensed providers

    8. Other:

Please list: ______________

9. Don’t know

11. How do staff determine which States should receive an inquiry? (check all that apply)

    1. Rely on the person of interest to disclose where he/she has lived

    2. Rely on any information indicating that the person of interest has resided in that State

    3. First check appropriate national databases (e.g., national criminal records database (NCIC)) and then check with States in which they may have had a previous record

    4. Contact neighboring States

    5. Other:

Please specify: _________________

6. Don’t know

12. How is the inquiry usually made? (check all that apply)

    1. By phone

    2. Paper (letter, form or fax)

    3. Electronic

    4. Other:

Please specify: _________________

5. Don’t know

13. What is the average length of time it takes to receive a response from another State?

    1. Within one business day

    2. 1–5 business days

    3. 6–10 business days

    4. More than 10 business days

    5. This information is not collected or tracked

    6. Don’t know

14. Is it common practice to inquire as to the definitions of maltreatment in the State to which the inquiry is being made?

    1. Yes

    2. No

    3. Don’t know

15. Is it common practice to inquire as to the standard of proof for substantiating abuse and neglect in the State to which the inquiry is being made?

    1. Yes

    2. No

    3. Don’t know

16. If a State has a standard of proof that is less than your State’s standard of proof for substantiating maltreatment, how does this affect the use of the information received regarding child maltreatment perpetrators?

Please describe:

17. Approximately how many requests for information about child maltreatment pepetrators has your State made to other States during the past 12 months? (Note: If most requests are made by county level investigators and the number is not known, answer “Don’t know.”)

    1. Less than 50

    2. 50–99

    3. 100–499

    4. 500–999

    5. 1,000–1,999

    6. 2,000–4,999

    7. 5,000 or more

    8. Don’t know

2. A FUTURE NATIONAL REGISTRY OF CHILD MALTREATMENT PERPETRATORS

There is discussion of creating a National Registry of Child Maltreatment Perpetrators. It is anticipated that if such a registry were created, States would provide only limited information on child maltreatment perpetrators. The data under discussion currently only include the name and State of the person. Please consider the following questions with regards to using such a registry.

18. What might be the potential problems related to participating in a National Registry of Child Maltreatment Perpetrators?

19. What might be the benefits of participating in a National Registry of Child Maltreatment Perpetrators?

20. Would the potential benefits of participating in a National Registry of Child Maltreatment Perpetrators outweigh the potential problems?

1. Yes

2. No

3. Don’t know  

21. Please provide additional feedback regarding the establishment of a National Registry of Child Maltreatment Perpetrators?

Current Practices on Sharing Information 7
on Child Maltreatment Perpetrators