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Child abuse registries are intended to be used as a tool for child protective services and other organizations to screen individuals who may have a history of child abuse. They are registries are used to help identify individuals who have been found to have committed child abuse or neglect in the past. The information provided in a registry includes the name of the perpetrator, details about the abuse/neglect incident (date, location, type of abuse, etc.), and any other relevant information. Names are added to the registry after a court has found an individual guilty of a crime related to the abuse or neglect of a child. The primary purpose of child abuse registries is to protect children from future abuse or neglect. Parents may have the right to petition to have their name removed from the registry, but the process and outcome may vary depending on the jurisdiction. Generally speaking, the parent must demonstrate that they have taken steps to correct their behavior and improve their parenting skills. In some cases, the court may also consider the amount of time that has passed since the incident occurred.

dThe state does not have an affirmative legal obligation to protect children from abuse. Deshaney v. Winnebago County is a United States Supreme Court case from 1989. The case involved a young boy named Joshua Deshaney who was repeatedly beaten by his father, despite being known to child welfare authorities. Joshua's mother filed a lawsuit against the county and various county officials, alleging that they had failed to protect Joshua from the abuse and that this failure was a violation of his rights under the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution.

The Supreme Court ultimately ruled against Joshua and his mother, finding that the county and its officials did not have a constitutional duty to protect Joshua from the abuse. The Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause, which guarantees the right to "life, liberty, and property," does not impose an affirmative duty on the state to protect individuals from harm caused by private actors.