How to Fill Out and Submit DSS Form 3072: Fees, Mailing, and Results

DSS Form 3072 is the South Carolina Department of Social Services consent form that authorizes a search of the state’s Central Registry of Child Abuse and Neglect to see whether the person named is listed as a perpetrator.¹ To use it, you complete Sections I through V, sign in front of a witness or notary, and mail the form to DSS in Columbia with a check or money order for the fee and a stamped self-addressed return envelope. Employers, licensing agencies, and child welfare organizations request the check for anyone who will be working with children or vulnerable adults.

Who the Form Is For

Section I of the form splits requesters into two tiers based on how deep DSS searches.

A full search of both the Central Registry and the broader DSS database of child abuse and neglect case records covers foster and adoptive parents, adults over 18 living in a prospective foster or adoptive home, staff at group homes, emergency shelters, wilderness camps, and other child caring institutions, volunteers with Richland County CASA or the South Carolina Department of Children’s Advocacy, and other employment or volunteer roles involving contact with children.²

A Central Registry-only search (not the broader database) applies to employees and volunteers in adult care settings.²

One boundary matters here: if you need a background check for child care employment or licensing, DSS uses different forms (Form 2924 and Form 37201), not Form 3072.²

Completing the Form Section by Section

The form has five sections you complete and a sixth reserved for DSS. Print or type legibly. Do not alter the form in any way; if you make a mistake, start with a fresh copy.¹

Section I: Purpose for Request

Check one box only. Part A lists the categories that get the full Registry-and-database search; Part B lists the Central Registry-only categories for adult care. A prospective foster parent, for example, marks the appropriate box in Part A. Adult care employees mark the appropriate box in Part B.¹

Section II: Central Registry Fee

Select the fee box that matches your request category. Payment must be a check or money order payable to the South Carolina Department of Social Services. DSS does not accept cash or credit cards for mailed submissions.¹

Section III: Applicant Information

Fill in every field. The section asks for:

Your full first, middle, and last name — no initials
Date of birth (month, day, year)
Sex and race
Any maiden or former names and aliases
Your complete Social Security Number with no digits replaced by X’s
State of birth
Current address
Every address, state, and country where you lived during the past seven years (use an additional sheet if needed)
The email address of the person being searched

DSS uses your SSN solely for the registry search and does not share it beyond the requesting entity listed on the form. The seven-year address history matters because this form searches only South Carolina’s registry. If you lived in another state during that window, your employer or agency may need to request a separate check from that state.

Section IV: Mail Results To

Type or stamp the return address of the person or organization that should receive the results, along with a contact name, phone number, and email. In most cases the requesting employer or agency fills in this section, not the applicant. DSS mails a separate results letter to this address rather than writing results on the form itself.³

Section V: Signature

Sign and date the form. Your signature authorizes DSS to conduct the search and release the results, and it must be witnessed or notarized by someone at least 18 years old. A witness signs and dates on the same line; a notary’s stamp and signature also satisfy the requirement.¹ DSS requires an original signature. Photocopies and digital signatures will not work. If you are filling out the form at your employer’s office, a coworker or supervisor can serve as the witness.

Where to Send the Form

Mail the completed form, your check or money order, and a stamped self-addressed envelope to:

South Carolina Department of Social Services
Attention: Cashier
1535 Confederate Avenue
P.O. Box 1520
Columbia, SC 29202-1520

Do not skip the stamped return envelope. DSS uses it to mail the results letter, and requests without one stall in processing. Confirm the envelope’s return address matches the address in Section IV.

DSS also runs an Online Central Registry and Database System that lets requesters submit checks electronically, pay online, and receive results faster.³ Access is through the DSS Provider Portal, with different login categories for licensed child care facilities, child welfare providers, and infrequent requestors handling matters like a private adoption or a name change.⁴

Processing Time and Results

Many requests move quickly, but DSS notes that cases requiring additional research may take 30 to 60 days.⁵ The results letter, sent separately from the returned form, will state one of the following:

The applicant’s name is not included as a perpetrator on the Central Registry.
The applicant’s name is included as a perpetrator on the Central Registry.
The applicant’s name is included as a perpetrator in the broader database of child abuse and neglect case records.

Results now arrive in a standalone letter rather than being written on the form itself. That change keeps your Social Security Number and other identifying details from traveling back with the results.³

Unfounded reports do not appear in the Central Registry. If a past investigation ended with the allegations unsupported, your name should not show up in a Form 3072 search.⁶

If Your Name Comes Back on the Registry

A result showing your name on the Central Registry can block employment, volunteer roles, foster care licensing, and adoption. South Carolina law provides an appeal path under Sections 63-7-1410 through 63-7-1440 of the Children’s Code.

When DSS makes an indicated determination, or enters a case in the Central Registry without a family court disposition, it sends notice by certified mail. You have 30 days from receipt to notify DSS in writing that you intend to appeal. Miss that window and the decision becomes final.⁷

Within 14 days after DSS receives your intent to appeal, a department official conducts an interim review. If that official finds the determination is not supported by a preponderance of evidence, the decision is reversed and your name is removed from the registry.⁷

If the interim review does not reverse the finding, the State Director appoints a hearing officer for a contested case hearing. The question is whether a preponderance of evidence supports the finding that you were responsible for abuse or neglect. If the State Director concludes the evidence falls short, the determination is reversed and the registry entry is removed.⁷

If the State Director affirms the determination, you can seek judicial review in the family court where the case originated by filing a petition within 30 days of the final decision.⁷

Mistakes That Get Forms Sent Back

DSS returns incomplete forms, which restarts your background check. The most common problems:

Missing digits in the Social Security Number, or digits replaced with X’s
Initials instead of full first, middle, and last names
No witness or notary signature
Payment by cash or credit card instead of check or money order
No stamped self-addressed return envelope
Whited-out corrections or other alterations to the printed form

Blank forms are available on the DSS website and through the agency requesting the check. When the check is tied to a job application, your employer will usually hand you a copy with Section IV already filled in.

1
South Carolina Department of Social Services. DSS Form 3072 – Request for Central Registry and/or Child Abuse Record Check
2
South Carolina Department of Social Services. DSS Form 3072 – Request for Central Registry and/or Child Abuse Record Check
3
South Carolina Department of Social Services. Child Abuse/Neglect Registry Checks
4
South Carolina Department of Social Services. DSS Provider Portal
5
South Carolina Department of Social Services. DSS Form 3072 – Consent to Release Information
6
South Carolina Legislature. South Carolina Code 63-7-1920 – Department to Maintain Central Registry
7
Child Welfare Information Gateway. Review and Expunction of Central Registries and Reporting Records – South Carolina