Child Protection Register (CPR)

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As of April 1, 2020, the DC Child and Family Services Agency (CFSA) has transitioned to a fully electronic process for Child Protection Register clearance requests. No hand-delivered, mailed or faxed applications will be accepted. Forms are no longer required to be notarized. Instead, please submit a color copy of a government-issued photo ID that includes the applicant's date of birth.

A DC CPR check is done to determine if an individual has a record of substantiated abuse or neglect of a child that occurred in the District of Columbia only. A CPR check is a civil, not a criminal, check. CPR results are NOT part of any national registries and must be checked separately in each jurisdiction where the applicant lived or worked.

Get the CPR Application Form Here

Click here to find the application and tipsheets.

How to Submit a DC Child Protection Register Check

Select the correct link below to upload your application and photo ID to the secure upload portal. DO NOT email your application or ID to CFSA.

• I am a new employee: click here to submit a NEW/FIRST TIME application for EMPLOYMENT (new employee, contractor, intern or volunteer)
• I am a current employee: click here to submit a RENEWAL application for EMPLOYMENT (current employee, contractor, intern or volunteer)
• I am a foster/adoptive parent, guardian, kin caregiver: click here to submit an application for CHILD WELFARE (e.g., adoption, foster care, grandparent subsidy, back-up caregiver, household member)
• I want to check myself: click here to submit an application for a SELF-CHECK for your personal use.
• I work in a DC public school: Most DC Public and Public Charter School (DCPS and PCS) employees, contractors, volunteers, and interns are no longer required to have a CPR check unless they work in a school-based childcare center or subsidized before or aftercare program. Please follow instructions from your school’s HR office. If you work in a school-based childcare center or before or after school program, submit an application for a new or current employee at the correct link above.

For Questions or CPR Application Status Requests

Please contact the CPR customer support number 202-727-8885 during business hours or email [email protected]. Calls and emails will be monitored and responded to within 24 hours or the next business day.

 

Criminal Background Checks

• To request a local police clearance for the District of Columbia, please visit https://mpdc.dc.gov/node/187552
• For information about the DC Sex Offender Registry, visit: https://mpdc.dc.gov/service/sex-offender-registry
• Requests from a state child welfare agency or court, for the history of a family currently or previously living in the District of Columbia, may be made by calling  202-671-SAFE

Background Checks in General

The Child Protection Register (CPR) is one part of the background check process. There are four primary background checks that are done for foster and adoptive parents, childcare providers and others caring for or working with children:

• Criminal: The Local Police Department 
• Criminal: The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) which includes criminal records from all 50 states
• Criminal: The National Sex Offender Registry, also known as Adam Walsh, which is included in the FBI check
• Civil: The Child Protection Register for each state or jurisdiction where the applicant has lived or worked, which is a non-criminal record check to see if an individual has been substantiated for the abuse or neglect of a child. 

The DC Child Protection Register is a confidential database of people known or strongly suspected of having abused or neglected children in DC. At the close of an investigation of child abuse/neglect, CFSA must enter names into the CPR based on either of the following findings:

• Substantiated: A report which is supported by credible evidence that a child was abused or neglected and the person in question was the maltreator.
• Inconclusive: A report which is supported by credible evidence that a child was abused or neglected but the person in question cannot be proven to be the maltreator.
• Unfounded: A report which has no basis in fact, was made maliciously or in bad faith, or for which the person in question was not the maltreator.