Volunteer screening in Louisiana: the complete guide

What makes Louisiana different

Louisiana names volunteers directly in its child abuse reporting law: volunteers of day camps, summer camps, youth centers, youth recreation programs and any organization that provides organized activities for children are mandatory reporters, and reports are due immediately (Ch.C. arts. 603, 610). Clergy are mandatory reporters too, except for confidential communications their church requires them to keep, and must then encourage the person to report. Screening outside licensed settings is voluntary: VECHS and the youth-serving organization law let nonprofits require state and FBI fingerprint checks, but neither requires them. Since Aug. 1, 2026 private VECHS users may not receive expunged records (Acts 2026, No. 483), and an expunged record is confidential and need not be disclosed to most organizations (C.Cr.P. art. 973). Registration with the Attorney General is needed only by charities that use a paid professional solicitor (LAC 16:III.515).

The short version: Louisiana has no general volunteer background check mandate. Checks are required for volunteers at licensed early learning centers (an LDOE child care criminal background check under R.S. 17:407.42), at DCFS-licensed child-placing agencies, maternity homes and residential homes (R.S. 46:51.2), at LDH-licensed therapeutic group homes (R.S. 15:587.1.2), for CASA volunteers (Children’s Code article 424.1), for volunteer school chaplains (R.S. 17:3013) and for independent youth head coaches who are not family members (R.S. 15:587.3(A)(2)). Other organizations may choose fingerprint checks through VECHS (R.S. 15:587.7) or the youth-serving organization law (R.S. 15:587.3).

Which of your volunteers this reaches

Run your actual roster against this list. The roles below are where Louisiana's requirements apply; everyone else is a risk decision rather than a legal one.

• Volunteers at licensed early learning centers (child day care centers, Head Start and nonpublic prekindergarten programs): an LDOE child care criminal background check (CCCBC) — Louisiana and FBI fingerprints, the DCFS state central registry, state and national sex offender registries, and other-state checks for anyone who lived elsewhere in the past five years — before being present when children are, repeated at least every five years (R.S. 17:407.42; LAC 28:CLXI §§1803, 1807, 1811)
• Volunteers at DCFS-licensed child-placing agencies (foster care and adoption), maternity homes and residential homes for children: a State Police or FBI fingerprint check at child-placing agencies, an FBI check at maternity and residential homes, and a state central registry clearance before being present or having access to children (R.S. 46:51.2(A)(12); R.S. 46:1414.1; LAC 67:V §§6710, 6961, 7111, 7314); the same fingerprint rule reaches volunteers at juvenile detention facilities (R.S. 46:51.2(F)(1))
• CASA volunteers: no assignment to a child until a comprehensive criminal background check is done (Children’s Code art. 424.1(D)); the court may also request a DCFS central registry search (art. 616(D))
• Volunteers and interns at therapeutic group homes licensed by the Louisiana Department of Health: fingerprint criminal check and child abuse registry checks; a person with a listed crime or registry finding may not volunteer (R.S. 15:587.1.2; LAC 48:I.6210)
• Volunteer school chaplains in public schools: fingerprint-based state and federal check before volunteering; registered sex offenders and child predators barred (R.S. 17:3013)
• Head coaches of youth athletes who coach outside any religious, charitable, educational, athletic or youth-serving organization and are not a family member of the child: fingerprint check through the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information (R.S. 15:587.3(A)(2))
• AmeriCorps members and others in national service covered positions: the federal National Service Criminal History Check; the Volunteer Louisiana Commission and AmeriCorps grantees may obtain Louisiana State Police records, and the Commission FBI records, for it (45 CFR part 2540; R.S. 15:587(H))
• Optional, not required: any organization that provides care, supervision, instruction or recreation to children, the elderly or people with disabilities may register with the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information as a VECHS qualified entity and require state and FBI fingerprint checks of volunteers; since Aug. 1, 2026 private entities may not receive expunged records (R.S. 15:587.7)
• Optional, not required: religious, charitable, educational, athletic and youth-serving organizations, including youth sports leagues, may require volunteers who work with children to be fingerprinted for a state and FBI check, and must keep a volunteer who refuses away from children (R.S. 15:587.3(A)(1), (C))
• Optional, not required, in our reading: Big Brother/Big Sister, scouting and other child care provider organizations may request state criminal history on volunteers with supervisory or disciplinary authority over children, with the volunteer’s written consent (R.S. 46:51.2(E)–(F)(3)); read literally, R.S. 46:51.2(A)(12) could make this a requirement, so ask counsel
• Optional, not required: school volunteers other than chaplains — Louisiana’s school check law covers employees and contractor staff, so volunteer checks depend on district policy (R.S. 17:15)
• Optional, not required: camp volunteers — camps are exempt from child care licensing and we found no camp screening statute (R.S. 17:407.33(1), 17:407.35(A))
• Optional, not required: volunteers at nursing facilities, home health, hospice, adult day and other LDH-licensed adult care providers — the mandatory check covers paid nonlicensed staff only (R.S. 40:1203.1(6), 40:1203.2)

What organizations in Louisiana get wrong

These are the specific, local mistakes — the exemption that gets misapplied, the second database nobody runs, the deadline that arrives before anyone has written a policy.

1. 1

   VECHS is optional: register your organization with the Louisiana Bureau of Criminal Identification and Information first, then decide which volunteers must be fingerprinted and whether to request the FBI check; the suitability decision is yours alone (R.S. 15:587.7(B)–(C)).

2. 2

   If you run a licensed early learning center, every volunteer needs an LDOE CCCBC eligibility determination on your roster before being at the center when children are present, and a new one at least every five years; only escorted visitors, parents who only drop off or attend a supervised event, and CASA volunteers with a signed order of assignment are excused (LAC 28:CLXI §§1807, 1811).

3. 3

   If you ask a volunteer to be fingerprinted under the youth-serving organization law and the volunteer refuses, keep that person away from children (R.S. 15:587.3(C)).

4. 4

   Train every volunteer who works with children as a mandatory reporter: Louisiana names camp, youth center and youth recreation volunteers, and anyone who teaches or supervises children as a volunteer, and requires an immediate report to DCFS or law enforcement depending on who the suspected abuser is (Ch.C. arts. 603, 610).

5. 5

   Do not ask volunteers to disclose expunged records, and use a national search for anyone who has lived outside Louisiana: an expunged Louisiana record is confidential and need not be disclosed to most organizations (C.Cr.P. art. 973), and a VECHS FBI check is run only when you request it (R.S. 15:587.7(B)(3)).

Questions Louisiana organizations ask