2016 Louisiana Laws
Children's Code
CHC 616 - Central registry; screening court-appointed special advocates volunteers; confidentiality

Art. 616. Central registry; screening court-appointed special advocates volunteers; confidentiality

A. The department shall maintain a central registry of all reports of abuse and neglect. The purpose of this central registry, among other uses, is to provide information of past reports of child abuse or neglect of children to assist in the proper evaluation of current reports of abuse or neglect which may include a pattern of incidents.

B. Except as provided in this Article or R.S. 46:56, all records of reports of child abuse or neglect are confidential. The department shall promulgate rules regarding the maintenance, deletion, and release of information in the central registry, determined by the types of dispositions made pursuant to Article 615.

C. Upon the written request of the court during its evaluation of an individual applying to work as a court-appointed special advocate and with the consent of the applicant, the department shall search the central registry and report to the court any justified report of abuse or neglect alleging that the applicant is a perpetrator.

D. When, after an investigation, the determination is made by the department that the report does appear to be justified, any subsequent adjudication by a court exercising juvenile jurisdiction which dismisses the child in need of care petition involving this report shall be added to the central registry.

E. Repealed by Acts 2005, No. 378, §1, eff. June 30, 2005.

F. Information from investigations of reports that are inconclusive may be disclosed, with the applicant's written consent, for the limited purposes of evaluating the applicant to be a CASA volunteer, a foster parent, an adoptive parent, or caregiver pursuant to R.S. 46:56(F)(11).

G. Violation of the confidentiality provisions of this Article, Article 615, or the lawful regulations of the department subjects the offender to criminal prosecution authorized by R.S. 14:403(A)(2).

Acts 1991, No. 235, §6, eff. Jan. 1, 1992; Acts 1993, No. 505, §1; Acts 1995, No. 625, §1, eff. June 19, 1995; Acts 1997, No. 903, §2, eff. July 10, 1997; Acts 1999, No. 593, §1; Acts 2003, No. 567, §1; Acts 2005, No. 378, §1, eff. June 30, 2005.