1. (a) When completing and submitting a BCIA 8583, agencies can review the Instructions for Completing the Child Abuse or Severe Neglect Indexing Form (BCIA 8583) (rev. 03/2025), incorporated herein by reference, for assistance with completing the form in accordance with this section. An agency required to report instances of known or suspected child abuse or severe neglect must submit a complete BCIA 8583. A fully completed BCIA 8583 must have all of the required information in subdivision (a)(1). Only information from a fully completed BCIA 8583 will be entered into the Child Abuse Central Index (CACI). In accordance with subdivision (b), incomplete forms, which are forms that do not have all of the required information listed in subdivision (a)(1), will be returned to the submitting agency. The agency must then resubmit a fully completed form to fulfill its reporting responsibilities under the Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Act (CANRA) and Penal Code section 11169, subdivision (a). Under Penal Code section 11170, subdivision (a)(2), the submitting agency is solely responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the report required by CANRA and DOJ is only responsible for ensuring that the CACI accurately reflects the report it receives from the submitting agency. Accordingly, DOJ presumes that the information reported by the submitting agency on the BCIA 8583 is accurate. DOJ does not conduct an investigation to verify the accuracy of the report submitted nor does it investigate the quality or accuracy of the child abuse or severe neglect investigation conducted by the submitting agency.

   1. (1) Required information for a BCIA 8583 to be considered fully complete:

      1. (i) Submitting agency information

         1. A. Submitting agency, information such as, address, city, state, ZIP code, name of submitting party, title, telephone number
         2. B. Welfare or probation box must be checked (only one of the two)

         3. C. Initial report or amended report box must be checked

            1. 1. If the agency indicates an amended report is being submitted, it must provide the original agency report number/case name, initial report submission date, date of incident, type of abuse, and indicate how the original report is being amended, either unfounded or inconclusive, new information, corrected report, or the agency no longer retained the investigative file.
         4. D. Submitting agency report number or case name (must have at least one of the two)
         5. E. Date of report
         6. F. Date of incident
         7. G. The finding that allegations of child abuse or severe neglect is substantiated box must be checked
         8. H. Type of abuse must be checked (as many as apply)

      2. (ii) Victim(s) information

         1. A. Last name, first name
         2. B. Date of birth
         3. C. Gender

      3. (iii) Suspect Information

         1. A. Last name, first name
         2. B. Date of birth
         3. C. Whether the suspect is 17 years or younger
         4. D. Gender
         5. E. Relationship to victim (only one box may be checked)

   2. (2) Information that is not required for a BCIA 8583 to be considered fully complete and may be left blank:

      1. (i) Other interested party.

      2. (ii) Any of the below information that is provided for the victim or suspect:

         1. A. Race
         2. B. Height and weight
         3. C. Hair and eye color
         4. D. Social Security number
         5. E. Driver's license number
         6. F. Address
      3. (iii) Whether the victim's injuries resulted in death box may be checked, either yes, no, unknown, or left blank.
      4. (iv) Is victim developmentally disabled box may be checked, either yes, no, unknown, or left blank.
      5. (v) If a BCIA 8583 is returned due to missing information and the agency cannot provide the required information, the agency should discontinue the submission rather than resubmit the incomplete form.
2. (b) If a submitting agency submits an incomplete BCIA 8583, DOJ will return the BCIA 8583 to the submitting agency, along with a letter listing the missing information and explaining why that BCIA 8583 has been rejected. The rejection letter will be sent to the point of contact designated by the submitting agency and listed on the BCIA 8583. The submitting agency must promptly provide the missing information and resubmit the completed BCIA 8583 to DOJ for inclusion of that report in the CACI.
3. (c) Only one suspect can be listed per BCIA 8583. Each additional suspect will require a separate BCIA 8583. These are referred to as supplemental reports.
4. (d) A submitting agency must immediately notify DOJ of any changes to information previously reported on the BCIA 8583 by submitting an amended BCIA 8583. Instances when an amended BCIA 8583 is required may include, but is not limited to, a circumstance where the submitting agency, acting pursuant to a court order or otherwise, changes a prior finding of substantiated child abuse or severe neglect to one of unfounded or inconclusive child abuse or severe neglect.
5. (e) A primary purpose of the CACI is to permit authorized entities to locate prior reports detailing investigations of known or suspected child abuse or severe neglect. The submitting agency must permanently retain investigative reports for which the agency has submitted a BCIA 8583, or an earlier version of a reporting form, if the investigation determined the allegation(s) of child abuse or severe neglect to be substantiated. The retention requirement applies to all agencies, including but not limited to, police departments and sheriff's departments, which have previously submitted a report of substantiated child abuse or severe neglect to DOJ even if an agency is no longer required to make reports to the CACI. The reporting agency need not retain its investigative files when: (1) the suspect in the CACI reaches 100 years of age; (2) the suspect was a minor at the time of the incident, ten years have passed since the incident date, the suspect has no subsequent reports, and was listed only once in the CACI.
6. (f) If a submitting agency has lost, destroyed, or otherwise no longer retains, or pursuant to court order has sealed the investigatory report(s) for prior reports that are indexed in the CACI, the submitting agency shall immediately notify DOJ of the loss, destruction, sealing, or non-retention of the investigatory report by filing an amended BCIA 8583 indicating that the investigatory report is no longer retained. DOJ will remove from the CACI the names of persons identified in the lost, destroyed, sealed, or no longer retained investigatory report(s) indexed in the CACI.

Note: Authority cited: Sections 11169 and 11170, Penal Code. Reference: Sections 11169 and 11170, Penal Code.

History

1. New section filed 7-17-98; operative 7-17-98 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4(d) (Register 98, No. 29).

2. Amendment of section and Note filed 4-22-2002; operative 5-22-2002 (Register 2002, No. 17).

3. Amendment filed 5-12-2006; operative 6-11-2006 (Register 2006, No. 19).

4. Amendment of section heading, repealer and new section and amendment of Note filed 1-5-2010; operative 1-5-2010 pursuant to Government Code section 11343.4 (Register 2010, No. 2).

5. Amendment of section and Note filed 12-10-2025; operative 4-1-2026 (Register 2025, No. 50).