Does Arkansas require background checks for volunteers?

Arkansas asks for checks setting by setting; we found no statute obliging nonprofits in general to check volunteers, and the State Police route is optional. The duties sit in named settings: licensed child care and out-of-school-time programs (a Child Maltreatment Central Registry check for routine contact, plus State Police and FBI fingerprints for staff-like roles), licensed child welfare agencies (registry, State Police and FBI checks before a volunteer with direct and unsupervised contact begins), DCFS volunteers, and public school registered volunteers who coach. Any organization whose volunteers serve children under 16, people 65 or older, domestic-abuse victims or people with disabilities may use the State Police volunteer route.

How does the Arkansas State Police volunteer check work, and what does it cost?

The organization registers with the ASP Identification Bureau and sends form ASP-122VOL, signed by the volunteer and notarized. Since January 1, 2025 the fee is $10 for an Arkansas-only check — Arkansas convictions, pending Arkansas felony arrests and sex-offender registration status — or $20 for Arkansas plus an FBI fingerprint check by live scan. The organization keeps each request at least three years and must treat results as confidential.

Why does the State Police only say “qualified” or “not qualified”?

Ark. Code § 12-12-1607(b)(4) says the Identification Bureau shall not release the FBI criminal history report to the volunteer organization. It reviews the report against the criteria the organization filed — a list of offenses that would disqualify a volunteer, which a non-government organization must file before asking for FBI results — and tells the organization whether the volunteer meets its qualifications.

Which Arkansas child care volunteers must be fingerprinted?

Only those treated as staff. In licensed childcare centers, family homes and out-of-school-time programs, every volunteer with routine contact needs a Child Maltreatment Central Registry check before starting and every two years. A volunteer who is left alone with children, counted in the staff-to-child ratio or given supervisory or disciplinary control is treated as staff and also needs a State Police and FBI fingerprint check, repeated every five years. Parents who help on field trips without being left alone are excepted.

§ 12-18-402 and Act 727: which Arkansas volunteers must report abuse?

Some roles are named: domestic violence shelter volunteers, CASA volunteers, victim assistance volunteers, volunteers at a reproductive healthcare facility, and anyone 21 or older who volunteers as a school coach or club director. Since Act 727 of 2023, any person 18 or older who observes abuse, sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of a child is also a mandated reporter. Reports go immediately to the Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-482-5964, which no longer accepts anonymous reports.

Does a sealed conviction show up on an Arkansas volunteer check?

For the State Police volunteer route, a sealed or expunged conviction is still a conviction: Ark. Code § 12-12-1603(2) defines the term “regardless of whether the conviction has been sealed or expunged.” School checks under § 6-17-414 treat a sealed, expunged or pardoned conviction as disqualifying only if it involved physical or sexual injury, mistreatment or abuse.

Can a VolunteerBadge check count toward an Arkansas State Police or registry check?

No. Because VolunteerBadge is not a fingerprint channel, its check never counts toward a State Police, FBI, Child Maltreatment Central Registry or licensing check — including child care and child welfare checks and a school coaching volunteer’s prints and registry check. Its place is with the leagues, churches, co-ops and other Arkansas roles no rule reaches, or as an extra layer beside the required checks.

Free guide · 2026 edition · The State Police volunteer check and the settings where Arkansas insists

Qualified or Not: The Arkansas guide to screening volunteers: the State Police check that answers only “qualified” or “not,” child care’s two clocks, the coaching volunteer’s prints, a reporting duty for any adult who sees abuse, and sealed convictions that still count

No Arkansas statute orders a check on every volunteer. What it offers instead is a 2005 statute that lets any organization serving children, older adults, domestic-abuse victims or people with disabilities ask the State Police — $10 for an Arkansas check, $20 with the FBI, whose answer comes back only as “qualified” or “not” against a list the organization files. The duties sit in narrower places: registry and fingerprint checks in child care, no early start in child welfare agencies, prints for school coaching volunteers — and since 2023, a reporting duty for any adult who sees a child abused. Qualified or Not takes each of those Arkansas rules in turn, with its Act and Code section.

By the VolunteerBadge research team · Sources checked September 12, 2026

Written for Arkansas child care and out-of-school-time directors, child welfare agencies, coaches, churches and senior programs
How the State Police volunteer check works — and why its FBI answer is only “qualified” or “not”
Child care, camps, foster care, schools and adult services, rule by rule
An Arkansas hotline card and a three-year request log you can adapt

Who Qualified or Not is for

Child care and out-of-school-time directors, foster, residential and group home program managers, DCFS partner organizations, athletic directors and booster clubs, league, church, Scout and 4-H leaders, senior center, hospice and disability program coordinators, domestic violence shelters, CASA programs and nonprofit boards — anyone in Arkansas weighing the State Police route or working out which licensing rule already governs their volunteers.

9.5

child maltreatment victims per 1,000 Arkansas children in federal fiscal year 2024, against 7.2 nationally — 6,657 children, down 28.0% from 2020.

ACF, Child Maltreatment 2024

$10 / $20

the State Police fee for a volunteer’s Arkansas-only check, and for Arkansas plus FBI fingerprints — against $25 and $37 for non-volunteer checks.

Arkansas State Police, forms ASP-122VOL and ASP-122NVL (eff. Jan. 1, 2025)

28.2%

of Arkansans volunteered through an organization in 2023, against 28.3% nationally — 35th of the 50 states and D.C. by our ranking.

VolunteerBadge analysis of AmeriCorps CEV data

Cited to primary sources

Arkansas at a glance

Act 1778 permits, it doesn’t require: Act 1778 of 2005 is permissive, and we found no statute requiring nonprofits in general to check volunteers. Its text says the State Police “may provide” checks, and only an organization “desiring” them must register. Checks are required by licensing rule or statute in child care, out-of-school time, child welfare agencies, DCFS volunteering and school coaching.; Ark. Code §§ 12-12-1604(a), 12-12-1605(a) (Act 1778 of 2005)
The State Police volunteer route: Organizations whose volunteers serve children under 16, people 65 or older, domestic-abuse victims or people with disabilities — and since 2013 public schools — may register and, with the volunteer’s signed authorization, receive Arkansas convictions, pending Arkansas felony arrests and sex-offender registration status. Requests are kept at least three years; results are confidential, and misuse is a Class A misdemeanor.; Ark. Code §§ 12-12-1603, -1606, -1607(a), (c), -1608 (Act 1778 of 2005; Act 575 of 2013)
Qualified or not: The FBI fingerprint check is optional. The State Police doesn’t release the FBI report to the organization; it reviews it against the disqualifying-offense list the organization filed and says whether the volunteer qualifies. Fees since January 1, 2025: $10 for Arkansas only, $20 with the FBI.; Ark. Code §§ 12-12-1605(c), 12-12-1607(b)(4); ASP-122VOL (eff. 01/01/2025)
Sealed convictions still count: For the volunteer route, a conviction counts regardless of whether it has been sealed or expunged. For school checks, a sealed, expunged or pardoned conviction disqualifies only if it involved physical or sexual injury, mistreatment or abuse.; Ark. Code §§ 12-12-1603(2), 6-17-414(a)(2)(B)
Child care: two tiers: Volunteers with routine contact in licensed childcare centers, family homes and out-of-school-time programs need a Child Maltreatment Central Registry check before starting and every two years. Volunteers left alone with children, counted in ratio or given supervisory or disciplinary control are staff and need State Police and FBI fingerprints every five years. Day programs running three weeks a year or less need no license.; 20 CAR §§ 1025-209, -210, -404; 1027-101(4)(C), 1027-110, -111, -305
Child welfare: no early start: A volunteer with direct and unsupervised contact with children in a licensed child welfare agency needs registry, State Police and FBI checks and may not begin until they are complete. DCFS volunteers must be 21 or older and clear the registry and a State Police check.; Ark. Code § 9-28-409(c)(1)(B), (d)(2) (Act 269 of 2021; Act 186 of 2023); 9 CAR § 40-203
School coaching volunteers: A public school’s registered volunteer who coaches or is seeking a coaching certificate needs state and FBI fingerprint checks and a Child Maltreatment Central Registry check before unsupervised contact with students, and pays unless the board does. Other school volunteers are screened only by district choice.; Ark. Code § 6-17-414(a), (b) (Act 792 of 2023); § 6-22-105
Any adult who sees abuse reports: Named volunteer reporters include domestic violence shelter, CASA, victim assistance and reproductive healthcare facility volunteers, and school coaching volunteers 21 or older. Since 2023 anyone 18 or older who observes abuse, sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of a child must report immediately to the Child Abuse Hotline, 1-800-482-5964; anonymous reports are no longer accepted.; Ark. Code §§ 12-18-402, 12-18-303(e)(1)(C) (Act 727 of 2023); 20 CAR § 1025-209(e)(2)

From the Qualified or Not executive summary

From “qualified or not” to the observer duty: six Arkansas rules

1
The state check is an option, not an order.
Our search turned up no Arkansas law obliging nonprofits as a whole to check volunteers. The Criminal History for Volunteers Act says the State Police “may provide” checks to organizations whose volunteers serve children under 16, people 65 or older, domestic-abuse victims or people with disabilities, and only an organization that wants them must register.
2
The FBI answer is one word.
A private organization that adds the fingerprint check never sees the FBI record. The State Police compares it with the disqualifying-offense list the organization filed and says only whether the volunteer qualifies. Requests are kept at least three years and results stay confidential; misuse is a Class A misdemeanor.
3
Sealed convictions still count.
For the volunteer route, a conviction counts “regardless of whether the conviction has been sealed or expunged.” School checks treat sealing differently: a sealed, expunged or pardoned conviction doesn’t disqualify unless it involved physical or sexual injury, mistreatment or abuse.
4
Child care runs two clocks.
In licensed child care and out-of-school-time programs, volunteers with routine contact need a Child Maltreatment Central Registry check before starting and every two years. A volunteer left alone with children, counted in ratio or given supervisory or disciplinary control is staff and is fingerprinted every five years.
5
Two groups wait for results.
Since Act 186 of 2023, a child welfare agency volunteer with direct and unsupervised contact may not begin until the registry, State Police and FBI checks are complete. Since Act 792 of 2023, a school’s registered volunteer who coaches needs state and FBI fingerprints and a registry check before unsupervised contact with students.
6
Any adult who sees abuse reports.
Arkansas names domestic violence shelter, CASA, victim assistance and reproductive healthcare facility volunteers, and school coaching volunteers 21 or older, as mandated reporters. Since 2023 it adds anyone 18 or older who observes abuse, sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of a child — and the hotline no longer accepts anonymous reports.

Inside Qualified or Not, chapter by chapter

01
Arkansas lets you ask — and sometimes insists
The optional State Police route, the settings where Arkansas insists, and its maltreatment and volunteering figures.
02
Licensed, and ever alone with children?
Setting by setting: which volunteers, which check, which cycle and which rule.
03
The Criminal History for Volunteers Act
Who may use the State Police route, the steps, what comes back and the confidentiality rules.
04
Qualified or not: the fingerprint answer
The disqualifying-offense list, how the FBI piece runs, and the 2025 fees.
05
Sealed, but still counted
How each check treats sealed records, what Arkansas lets people seal, and the 2025 changes.
06
Child care: the registry, then the fingerprints
Routine contact versus staff-like roles, ages, field-trip parents and how checks are filed.
07
Camps: three weeks and forty days
Day camps as out-of-school time, the three-week exemption and the overnight “temporary camp.”
08
Child welfare agencies: no early start
Section 9-28-409, the 2021 and 2023 changes, the licensing standards and DCFS volunteers.
09
Schools: the volunteer who coaches
Act 792 of 2023, the LEARNS reporting duties and district registered-volunteer programs.
10
Leagues, churches and co-ops
The Coach Safely Act, the registrant bars and the settings Arkansas leaves to you.
11
Older adults and disability services
The check law that excludes volunteers, the Adult Maltreatment Registry and adult reporting.
12
Reporting: named volunteers, and any adult who sees
The volunteer roles on § 12-18-402, the 2023 observer duty, the hotline and protections.
13
Immunity, applications and charity registration
The Volunteer Immunity Act, application questions, and registering with the Secretary of State.
14
The 2023 and 2025 sessions
The acts that matter to volunteer programs, and which way each moved.
15
Beside the State Police: where VolunteerBadge fits
Why VolunteerBadge is not a fingerprint channel, and the Arkansas roles where a $5 check still helps.
A
Appendix A: An Arkansas checklist, setting by setting
The baseline, the State Police route, child care, child welfare, schools and sports.
B
Appendix B: A hotline card and a request log
A § 12-18-402 card for volunteers and a three-year log for State Police requests.
C
Appendix C: Sources, and what we couldn’t read
Each Act and rule we cite with its read date — and the Code portal pages we couldn’t open.

Get the free guide

Qualified or Not: Arkansas questions answered

Does Arkansas require background checks for volunteers?: Arkansas asks for checks setting by setting; we found no statute obliging nonprofits in general to check volunteers, and the State Police route is optional. The duties sit in named settings: licensed child care and out-of-school-time programs (a Child Maltreatment Central Registry check for routine contact, plus State Police and FBI fingerprints for staff-like roles), licensed child welfare agencies (registry, State Police and FBI checks before a volunteer with direct and unsupervised contact begins), DCFS volunteers, and public school registered volunteers who coach. Any organization whose volunteers serve children under 16, people 65 or older, domestic-abuse victims or people with disabilities may use the State Police volunteer route.
How does the Arkansas State Police volunteer check work, and what does it cost?: The organization registers with the ASP Identification Bureau and sends form ASP-122VOL, signed by the volunteer and notarized. Since January 1, 2025 the fee is $10 for an Arkansas-only check — Arkansas convictions, pending Arkansas felony arrests and sex-offender registration status — or $20 for Arkansas plus an FBI fingerprint check by live scan. The organization keeps each request at least three years and must treat results as confidential.
Why does the State Police only say “qualified” or “not qualified”?: Ark. Code § 12-12-1607(b)(4) says the Identification Bureau shall not release the FBI criminal history report to the volunteer organization. It reviews the report against the criteria the organization filed — a list of offenses that would disqualify a volunteer, which a non-government organization must file before asking for FBI results — and tells the organization whether the volunteer meets its qualifications.
Which Arkansas child care volunteers must be fingerprinted?: Only those treated as staff. In licensed childcare centers, family homes and out-of-school-time programs, every volunteer with routine contact needs a Child Maltreatment Central Registry check before starting and every two years. A volunteer who is left alone with children, counted in the staff-to-child ratio or given supervisory or disciplinary control is treated as staff and also needs a State Police and FBI fingerprint check, repeated every five years. Parents who help on field trips without being left alone are excepted.
§ 12-18-402 and Act 727: which Arkansas volunteers must report abuse?: Some roles are named: domestic violence shelter volunteers, CASA volunteers, victim assistance volunteers, volunteers at a reproductive healthcare facility, and anyone 21 or older who volunteers as a school coach or club director. Since Act 727 of 2023, any person 18 or older who observes abuse, sexual abuse or sexual exploitation of a child is also a mandated reporter. Reports go immediately to the Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-482-5964, which no longer accepts anonymous reports.
Does a sealed conviction show up on an Arkansas volunteer check?: For the State Police volunteer route, a sealed or expunged conviction is still a conviction: Ark. Code § 12-12-1603(2) defines the term “regardless of whether the conviction has been sealed or expunged.” School checks under § 6-17-414 treat a sealed, expunged or pardoned conviction as disqualifying only if it involved physical or sexual injury, mistreatment or abuse.
Can a VolunteerBadge check count toward an Arkansas State Police or registry check?: No. Because VolunteerBadge is not a fingerprint channel, its check never counts toward a State Police, FBI, Child Maltreatment Central Registry or licensing check — including child care and child welfare checks and a school coaching volunteer’s prints and registry check. Its place is with the leagues, churches, co-ops and other Arkansas roles no rule reaches, or as an extra layer beside the required checks.

Beyond Qualified or Not

The Arkansas sources behind Qualified or Not

Checked September 12, 2026. The guide cites each one where it is used.

General information, not legal advice. Laws and agency practice change. Confirm anything you rely on with the agencies named here, your licensor, your insurer or qualified counsel. Spot an error? Tell us and we will fix it.

VolunteerBadge is owned and operated by ScreenForge Labs, LLC, an FCRA-regulated Consumer Reporting Agency that has obtained its FCRA Certificate from the Consumer Data Industry Association (CDIA). This guide is general educational information and is not legal advice. Laws change; this guide's sources were checked as of September 12, 2026.