Legal landscape note: This article was originally published in 2018 and was reviewed and updated for republication in July 2026. New Jersey law changes frequently.
The DCPP investigation is over, and the results letter says the allegation was “substantiated.” That finding can place your name in the New Jersey Child Abuse Registry and affect jobs, licenses, foster parenting, or adoption. The letter also starts a short window for deciding whether to challenge the result.
If the DCPP finds there was only enough evidence to label the case 'established,' your name will not go into the registry, but the finding is kept on file and can be considered if there are future referrals.
Although the Registry is confidential it is accessible by some employers, some jobs require a background check with the CARI unit, or the New Jersey state run organization that maintains the database and background check requests. The majority of the positions that require CARI background checks are unsurprisingly those that require close proximity to child, the elderly or otherwise vulnerable. Many of these positions are in the fields of health and education. Access to the registry is limited by statute, but CARI background checks are required for many positions and licenses involving children and vulnerable people -- child care centers, resource (foster) parenting, adoption, certain school and healthcare roles, and DCF-licensed programs.
Aside from the loss of a potential job, if you find yourself placed on the database you will be disqualified from becoming a resource (foster) parent or adopting, and from many licensed child-care positions.
Once you’re on the register, you still have options to fight to get off.
If within twenty days of the DCPP’s finding of substantiation you decide to fight the ruling, you can file for an appeal hearing. In rare instances the DCPP may choose to drop the substantiation before the appeal process can begin but that is a rare outcome.
The appeal is an administrative process -- a hearing before the Office of Administrative Law -- and it can be long, requiring a significant amount of work for both you and your attorney.
Keep the findings letter and record the date you received it. Those documents establish the finding at issue and the time available to request review.
Further Reading: