In most cases, child abuse and neglect records may not be revealed to the public when there are no cases of death. However, child services records may be made public in the event of a child's death for transparency purposes.

The facts that are made public include; the date of birth and gender of the child, cause of the death, date of death, the suspected perpetrator’s relationship with the deceased, a summary of any past child abuse reports, an account of any services delivered by the department at the moment or previously, and the child’s identity.

In 2020, the father of a 3-year-old girl was detained shortly after the girl’s body was retrieved in Kansas City, Kansas. Howard Jansen was detained and convicted of murder on the grounds of child abuse and first-degree homicide.

Because the father was suspected of child abuse that led to the death of the three-year-old, child services records should be made public to create transparency for law enforcement and public service officials.

Child service records should be made public to set the record straight when facts have already been disclosed through other sources, including exposure by the subject of the description, law enforcers, or the court of law.

The records should be made public in the death of a child to create transparency, except in cases where that information could interfere with an investigation or trial.