About Safe Haven

• Safe
• Legal
• Anomymous
• Simple
• History of Safe Haven Law

safe

It’s Safe

If you are considering abandoning your baby and feel you have no other option, Louisiana’s Safe Haven Law offers a safe place for your child. You can bring your newborn (up to 60 days old, or if your baby is in a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) and has not been discharged yet, the 60 days start from the discharge date) to a designated emergency facility or Safe Haven site. These sites are staffed 24/7, every day of the year. If you cannot transport your baby to a site, you may also call 911. By leaving your baby in the care of an employee at a Safe Haven site or designated emergency facility, you can safely relinquish your baby for the purpose of adoption with no questions asked.

Parents who would like to give up custody of their child, but whose child is not in immediate danger of harm, are encouraged to use a planned, permanent adoption through an adoption agency that accounts for medical and genetic history.

legal

It’s Legal

Employees at designated Safe Havens are trained to keep a newborn safe and the situation confidential. As long as the parent leaves their baby with an employee and the baby shows no signs of abuse or neglect, the parent can simply walk away knowing that their baby will be safe.

Leaving a baby unattended, on a doorstep or in a bathroom, for instance, is illegal and will not meet the criteria of the Safe Haven Law.

anomymous

It’s Anonymous

Parents do not have to give their name or any other information. Parents can call 1-888-510-BABY (1-888-510-2229) or text SAFEHAVEN to 313131 to learn about their parental rights or anonymously give medical information about their baby to be used for adoption purposes.

simple

It’s Simple

1. Go to the nearest Safe Haven site.
2. Give the baby to an employee at the facility. If there is no employee present at the site, the parent can contact 911. Parents should state that they want to utilize the Safe Haven Law. 
3. If a parent is unable to travel to a Safe Haven facility, he or she may call 911, and a law enforcement officer, fire fighter and/or EMS provider will be dispatched, confirm the Safe Haven relinquishment and transport the newborn to a hospital.
4. An employee of the facility or the dispatched emergency responder will offer the parent a card with a toll-free number to call 1-888-510-BABY (1-888-510-2229) or 1-855-4LA-KIDS (1-855-452-5437), if the parent wants to give medical information about the baby or learn about their parental rights.

Designated Safe Haven Sites

Designated Safe Haven sites include the following:

• Any hospital licensed in the state of Louisiana;
• The following medical clinics during normal and customary hours of operation: local or parish public health units, licensed rural health clinics, licensed ambulatory surgical centers, and Federally Qualified Health Centers;
• Any manned fire station;
• Any manned law enforcement station;
• Any Child Advocacy Center accredited by the National Children’s Alliance, during normal and customary hours of operation; and
• Any authorized newborn safety device.

If a parent is unable to travel to a Safe Haven facility, he or she may call 911. A law enforcement officer, fire fighter and/or EMS provider will be dispatched to confirm the Safe Haven relinquishment and transport the newborn to a hospital.

What happens to the baby?

• The baby will be brought to the nearest medical facility for a health assessment and to receive any necessary medical care.
• The Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) will find a family to care for the baby.
• DCFS will begin proceedings to obtain custody of the child and safely and legally place the baby in a permanent adoptive family.

What happens to the parent?

As long as the baby shows no signs of abuse or neglect, the parent will be protected by the Safe Haven Law and will not be considered guilty of a criminal act of neglect, abandonment or child cruelty.

What if the parent changes his/her mind?

The parent can seek to reclaim parental rights within 30 days by contacting the local DCFS office.

More Information

More information regarding the Safe Haven Law is available by calling toll-free 1-888-510-BABY (1-888-510-2229) or 1-855-4LA-KIDS (1-855-452-5437). 

history

History of Louisiana's Safe Haven LawA series of high-profile infant abandonment cases across the country prompted the Louisiana Legislature to combat the problem. In 2000, Louisiana enacted the Safe Haven law, amending the Children's Code Articles 1101 and 1193 and Title XVII of the Children's Code, Articles 1701-1706, to provide for the Safe Haven relinquishment of newborns. That Code again was amended in 2003. The entire Safe Haven Law is contained in LA Children’s Code Chapter 13, Articles 1149-1160 (pdf).

DCFS (then the Department of Social Services) implemented policies and procedures in 2004 relating to the state's Safe Haven law. Since 2004, more than 50 infants have been successfully and safely relinquished to the state.