The Safe Place for Newborns law provides a safe, anonymous alternative for mothers to legally leave their newborns in the care of others. Ambulances dispatched in response to a 9-1-1 call, and hospitals or health care facilities that provide urgent care, are considered safe places. Information about the law for medical staff is below, as well as educational materials that safe places can use in their facilities.
Medical staff are required to take in a newborn under the Safe Place for Newborns law as long as the newborn seems to be within 7 days old and unharmed. Staff in these situations are instructed to do the following:
If a newborn is dropped off at a hospital, hospital staff should complete the Birth Registration for Foundlings and Newborns Left at the Hospital (PDF) form and the Documentation of Birth work sheet (PDF).
The Safe Place for Newborns law does not apply if mothers give birth in a hospital, as a hospital delivery creates a vital record, and anonymity is no longer possible at that point. If the newborn is of American Indian descent, provisions of the Indian Child Welfare Act will apply and counties will contact the nearest tribal social service office to identify the child’s family.
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