Opinion ID: 2227334
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Heading: Iowa child abuse registry, Iowa Code chapter 235A.

Text: The Iowa child abuse information registry, found within the Iowa Department of Human Services, is the central registry for child abuse information. Iowa Code § 235A.14(1); see also id. § 232.68(5) (defining registry). Iowa Code chapter 235A outlines the procedure for filing a request to correct information in the child abuse registry. We have explained the purpose of the child abuse registry as follows: Under the statutory scheme of chapter 235A, DHS is charged with responsibility to organize and staff a registry for the collection, maintenance and dissemination of child abuse information. Iowa Code § 235A.14(1), (2). The purpose of the registry is to aid the research and identification of victims or potential victims of child abuse through one statewide source of data. Iowa Code § 235A.12. The statute is also designed to provide safeguards against the unwarranted invasion of privacy which such registry might otherwise entail. Id. Reynolds v. Iowa Dep't of Human Serv., 493 N.W.2d 813, 815 (Iowa 1992). When a report of abuse is made, the DHS is obliged to promptly commence an appropriate investigation concerning the reported allegation of abuse. Iowa Code § 232.71(1). Upon completion of its investigation, the DHS shall prepare a report of its investigation, see id. § 232.71(7), and transmit a copy of the report, including actions taken or contemplated, to the child abuse registry, see id. § 232.71(8). Additionally, the DHS must notify a subject of the report of the result of the investigation, of the subject's right to correct the information pursuant to section 235A.19, and of the procedures to correct the information. See id. § 232.71(7). A request to correct information in the child abuse registry or the findings of the child abuse investigation must be filed within six months of the date that the subject of the report receives notice of the results of the child abuse investigation. See id. § 235A.19(2). The department shall provide the person with an opportunity for an evidentiary hearing pursuant to chapter 17A to correct the information or the findings.... Id. The decision resulting from the hearing before the DHS may be appealed to district court by filing a petition for judicial review pursuant to Iowa Code chapter 17A. See id. § 235A.19(3).