Review and Expunction of Central Registries and Reporting Records: Summary of State Laws

Records of child abuse and neglect reports are maintained by State child protection or social services agencies to aid in the investigation, treatment, and prevention of child abuse cases and to maintain statistical information for staffing and funding purposes. In many States, these records and the results of investigations are maintained in databases, often known as central registries. Following an investigation, States classify child abuse records in a variety of ways, depending on the State statutory language. The term "unsubstantiated" is used to describe situations in which an investigation has been unable to determine the occurrence of abuse or neglect.