The Illinois CFS 689 form is a one-page authorization that lets the Department of Children and Family Services search the Child Abuse and Neglect Tracking System (CANTS) for any indicated reports tied to your name. You fill it out, sign it in ink, and return it to DCFS by mail, fax, email, or (for certain employer types) through an online portal. The fillable PDF is on the DCFS website, and there is no fee.
Who the Form Is For
CFS 689 is the authorization used by programs that are not licensed by DCFS: school districts, park districts, youth sports leagues, unlicensed child care providers, and similar organizations that screen staff or volunteers against the state’s child abuse registry.1Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Background Checks for Unlicensed Providers Out-of-state agencies that need to check Illinois CANTS records use it too.2Illinois Department of Human Services. 05.03.01 – Provider Background Checks
Two groups should not use CFS 689. Foster parents and adoptive caregivers go through Form CFS 718-A, and licensed day care facilities use CFS 718-B-DC. If your caseworker handed you something that asks about everyone in your household, that is the 718-A, not this form. The CFS 689 does not ask about household members.
You may hear this check called a CANTS check, an Adam Walsh check, a maltreatment check, or a “689.” They all refer to the same authorization.1Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Background Checks for Unlicensed Providers
What the Form Asks For
Download the fillable PDF from the DCFS website and type your answers, or print it and fill it in by hand with bold, legible lettering.3Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. CFS 689 – Authorization for Background Check for Programs Not Licensed by DCFS Each field matters, because missing or illegible information will get the form returned and the clock restarted.
- Full legal name. Last, first, and middle, matching your government-issued ID.
- Maiden name and aliases. List every other name you have gone by: maiden names, prior married names, nicknames that appear in official records. This is the single most common field people skip, and leaving a name off can cause the search to miss records filed under it.
- Date of birth. Used with your name to tell you apart from anyone else in the system.
- Social Security number. Serves as a unique identifier and reduces false matches.
- Address history. If you currently live in Illinois, list all addresses for the past five years. If you live out of state, list every Illinois address where you previously resided.3Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. CFS 689 – Authorization for Background Check for Programs Not Licensed by DCFS
- Agency information. The name and contact details of the employer or organization requesting the check. Your signature authorizes DCFS to release the results to that agency.
- Signature and date. A handwritten, ink-on-paper signature. Electronic signatures, including stylus signatures, are not accepted on the paper form.1Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Background Checks for Unlicensed Providers
You do not need a notary. DCFS charges nothing to process the form.
How to Submit It
Ask your employer which route they use before you send anything. Submitting through the wrong channel can delay the check.
Mail, Fax, or Email
After signing with wet ink, send the form by any one of these methods:3Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. CFS 689 – Authorization for Background Check for Programs Not Licensed by DCFS
- Mail: Department of Children and Family Services, 406 E. Monroe, Station #30, Springfield, IL 62701
- Fax: 217-782-3991
- Email: Scan the signed form and send it to CFS689Background@illinois.gov
Fax and email get the form into the queue fastest. Mail works, but it adds transit time on the front end.
Online Portal
DCFS runs a background-check portal at cfs689backgroundcheck.dcfs.illinois.gov. Some employers are required to use it rather than paper, including Division of Developmental Disabilities provider agencies, Independent Service Coordinators, and the ACES$ fiscal intermediary.4Illinois Department of Human Services. Revised CANTS Clearance Process With the portal process, the employer registers first and enters your basic information. You then receive an email asking you to log in, finish the remaining fields, and authorize the check with an electronic signature. Paper is allowed for these employer types only in limited circumstances, such as when the applicant does not speak English as a primary language or has a documented disability requiring accommodation.
If you are applying through a school district, park district, or other organization that has not told you to use the portal, stick with the paper submission methods above.
Processing Time and Where Results Go
Portal checks run roughly 7 to 10 business days from the date you authorize the check electronically.4Illinois Department of Human Services. Revised CANTS Clearance Process Paper submissions may take longer, especially during late summer and early fall when schools and youth programs are onboarding staff.
Errors restart the clock. A missing signature, an illegible field, or an incomplete address history will cause DCFS to return the form, and processing begins again when the corrected version arrives. Double-check the name history and the address list before sending.
Results go to the requesting agency, not to you. The employer, school, or organization that initiated the check receives a CANTS clearance or notification of an indicated finding directly from DCFS.3Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. CFS 689 – Authorization for Background Check for Programs Not Licensed by DCFS Results are confidential and shared only with authorized designated administrators at the agency.4Illinois Department of Human Services. Revised CANTS Clearance Process If an indicated report appears, the agency’s internal policy governs how and when they notify you, but they cannot use the result against you without disclosure.
What the Search Returns
A CANTS search looks for whether you appear as a perpetrator in an “indicated” report of child abuse or neglect, meaning DCFS found credible evidence after investigation.5Illinois General Assembly. Illinois Code 325 ILCS 5 – Abused and Neglected Child Reporting Act Reports that were investigated and classified as unfounded do not appear. A clear check means no indicated report currently exists in the system under the name and identifiers you provided.
If an Indicated Finding Shows Up
An indicated finding is not necessarily permanent. You have 60 days from the date on the DCFS notification letter to file a written appeal with the Administrative Hearings Unit. The request can be mailed, faxed, or delivered in person, and it only needs to include your name, address, phone number, and the State Central Register case number.6Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Rules 336 – Appeal of Child Abuse and Neglect Investigation Findings Child care workers can request an expedited process that compresses the full appeal timeline to 35 days.7Illinois Department of Children and Family Services. Hearings and Appeals DCFS staff are required to help you prepare a written appeal request if you ask. A successful appeal amends or expunges the finding, and future CFS 689 checks will come back clear.