WRMA Awarded Contract to Assess the Feasibility of a National Child Abuse Registry
WRMA, in partnership with the American Bar Association Center on Children and the Law, has been awarded a 28 month contract by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to assess the feasibility of creating and maintaining a national registry of child abuse perpetrators. The assessment of feasibility is required by the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act. The project has two main components: a Prevalence Study and a Key Informant Survey. The Prevalence Study will examine how often perpetrators are identified in substantiated child maltreatment investigations in multiple states. The Key Informant Survey will address the data standards and structures of existing state registries, due process and other legal issues related to the development and use of such registries, and the level of state interest in participating in a national registry. The project will produce a final report that the government will adapt for use as a report to the Congress.
