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DCS  > Background Check Background Check

The mission of the Indiana Department of Child Services (DCS) is to protect children from abuse and neglect. DCS does this by partnering with families and communities to provide safe, nurturing, and stable homes. To further the goal of providing safe homes, DCS, pursuant to Indiana law, requires criminal and civil checks for those who reside or have direct contact with children under the supervision of DCS. Specifically, Indiana law and DCS Policy requires Fingerprint-Based National Criminal History Checks, Child Protective Services (CPS) Checks, Sex Offender Registry Checks and Local Law Enforcement Agency (LEA) Record Checks for the following: Foster Family Home Licensing, Emergency and Non-emergency Relative Placements, Residential Facility and Agency Licensing, DCS Contractors and Subcontractors, and DCS Adoption.

NOTE: Fingerprints for non DCS (private) adoptions should contact the Indiana State Police or visit their website at http://www.in.gov/isp/2674.htm.

1. Fingerprint Checks

The Department of Child Services has contracted with L1 Identity Solutions to provide you with an electronic method to meet the fingerprint screening requirements. Paper print cards are not acceptable unless previously approved by DCS Central Office Background Check Unit (COBCU).

All DCS licensed agencies, DCS contractors and Subcontractors of DCS agencies that have never had their agency added to L-1 identity solutions registration site must have this done before moving forward. Provide the below information by e-mail to Background.CheckUnit@dcs.in.gov. You must wait to get a return e-mail prior to proceeding with the fingerprinting process.

Agency name as it appears on license/contract/grant-if subcontractor, what is the primary DCS agency your agency subcontracts with?

Mailing address of agency

Contact person name, e-mail address and phone number who will receive fingerprint result letters and be contact person for all background check questions.

READY TO BE FINGERPRINTED?

For hard copy instructions on the fingerprint registration process, please contact the DCS Background Check Unit (see contact information below).

Click this link to enter the L1 Identity Solutions Fingerprint Registration website.

Should you have any questions regarding the process, please feel free to e-mail DCS at Background.CheckUnit@dcs.IN.gov or contact staff of the DCS Background Check Unit:

Cindy Hewett, Supervisor: 317-234-5001
Dan Dunbar: 317-234-5000
Scott Hood: 317-234-5002

2. CPS Check Requests

  • CPS check requests can be sent to the DCS local office where applicant lives or works or the DCS central office.
  • Any CPS Check that requires information on an applicant who resided in Indiana prior to 1998 must be sent to the local DCS office in the county or counties that the applicant resided in during that time period.
  • The local DCS office can also complete CPS checks for periods after 1998.
  • CPS Check requests can also be sent to the Central Office Background Check Unit for periods after 1998.
  • Please make sure you have filled out the form completely to ensure it can be processed.
  • There is no cost for this search.
  • All forms require a signature of release.

The only exception is for law enforcement or state social service agencies conducting abuse/neglect investigations. For these situations:

  1. The request must be on official state or county letterhead.
  2. It must be indicated that this request is in relationship to an ongoing CPS investigation within you state
  3. Indicate who you want search completed on and include as much of the below information as possible on each person you wish to have search completed.
    • Full legal name as well as any alias information such as maiden names or nicknames.
    • Include DOB, SS#, race, gender.
    • Each Indiana county the applicant resided and a date range of the residency in each county
    • Exactly what you wish to know and to what detail level.
  4. The letter must be signed by the requester and the requester's title within the requesting agency provided.

If you have any questions please contact the Background Check Unit at Background.CheckUnit@dcs.in.gov or Cindy Hewett at 317-234-5001.

3. Sex Offender Registry Checks

Click this link to conduct a national Sex and Violent Offender check: http://www.nsopw.gov/Core/Portal.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1

Print the results of the search for your files.

4. Local Law Enforcement Checks

This is a name based check done with the police department or sheriff office that would respond to the subject of the checks current home address or any previous home address in which the subject of the check has resided in the past five years. The law enforcement agency to complete the check would be the agency that would respond to a 911 call from the subject’s home addresses.

The Application for Criminal History Background Check form must be completed and signed by each subject of the check and filed in the file at the agency. The bottom section of this form may also be used to provide to the local enforcement office complete the LEA when that office does not have a form or procedure they prefer to be used.

Application for Criminal History Background Check form 53259/CW 3610

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR USING THE APPLICATION FOR CRIMINAL BACKGROUND CHECK HISTORY IN COMPLETING LEA REQUESTS

5.  DCS Contractors and Subcontractors Only 

 



 

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