Rush, J.
Sex-offender registration aims to protect innocent members of society from repeat sex offenses by formerly convicted sex offenders, while our juvenile system aims to rehabilitate juvenile offenders. To balance these competing goals in light of registration’s serious social consequences and far-reaching effects, trial courts may place a child on the sex offender registry only if they first find by clear and convincing evidence that the child is likely to repeat a sex offense. But our trial courts have struggled with how to apply that statutory requirement. Today, we clarify that a juvenile may only be ordered to register as a sex offender if, after an evidentiary hearing, the trial court expressly finds by clear and convincing evidence that the juvenile is likely to commit another sex offense. Because the trial court’s order here placing N.L. on the registry was neither issued in connection with an evidentiary hearing, nor accompanied by any findings, we reverse and remand.
. . . .
… [P]lacing a child on the registry requires an individual assessment of whether that child is likely to repeat a sex offense — specifically, that the child:
(A) is at least fourteen (14) years of age;
(B) is on probation, is on parole, is discharged from a facility by the department of correction, is discharged from a secure private facility (as defined in IC 31-9-2-115), or is discharged from a juvenile detention facility as a result of an adjudication as a delinquent child for an act that would be an offense described in subsection (a) if committed by an adult; and
(C) is found by a court by clear and convincing evidence to be likely to repeat an act that would be an offense described in subsection (a) if committed by an adult.
I.C. § 11-8-8-5(b)(2). This case implicates two issues under subpart (b)(2)(C): what sort of hearing a trial court must conduct before a juvenile is “found . . to be likely to” reoffend, and what form of “finding” is required. We address each issue in turn.
. . . .
. . . An “evidentiary hearing” is a prerequisite to placing a child on the registry, and while the February hearing met that standard, its continuation in May did not. Again, it was well within the trial court’s discretion to continue the February registry hearing to develop further evidence of whether N.L. had rehabilitated — but once it had done so, each continuation of the hearing had to meet the same standard for an “evidentiary hearing” before issuing its decision on whether N.L. must register.
The Court of Appeals nevertheless found that “substantial evidence” supported registration, based on the evidence of N.L.’s “moderate” risk presented at the February hearing, plus evidence presented at previous review hearings early in N.L.’s treatment. But those earlier informal review hearings cannot substitute for the evidentiary hearing the statute requires, because N.L. had no opportunity to challenge that evidence or present opposing evidence at the time it was received. Without that basic safeguard, the right to an “evidentiary hearing” would ring hollow. Information or reports received at informal review hearings are not an appropriate substitute for deciding a matter as weighty as whether to require a juvenile to register as a sex offender.
In sum, an “evidentiary hearing” under J.C.C. requires at a minimum that juveniles have an opportunity to challenge the State’s evidence and present evidence of their own; that any continuation of the hearing meet these same requirements, including continued representation by counsel; and that the registration decision must be based solely on information admitted into evidence at such a hearing.
. . . .
. . . [R]equiring a fact to be “found” would be meaningless, at least for purposes of appellate review, unless that finding is made expressly. In this context, that finding draws the key distinction between juvenile and adult offenders, and the statute underscores its importance by requiring “clear and convincing evidence.” But since the trial court did not make this “required finding,” State v. K.H., 860 N.E.2d 1284, 1288 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007), it is impossible to determine on review whether the trial court properly applied the heightened evidentiary standard — or even whether it was making an individualized determination, as the statute requires. We therefore hold that a court must expressly find, by clear and convincing evidence, that a juvenile is likely to reoffend before it may place the juvenile on the sex offender registry.
Dickson, C.J., and Rucker, David, and Massa, JJ., concur.