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HomeMy WebLinkAbout206.030 - Safely Surrendered Baby STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES MANUAL FIRE STATION MANAGEMENT 206.030 SAFELY SURRENDERED BABY EFFECTIVE: MAY 2010 Current Revision Date: 5/16/19 Next Revision Date: 5/16/22 Author’s Name/Rank: Kevin Reynolds, Fire Captain Review Level: 1 Administrative Support: Sherrie L. Badertscher Management Analyst II PURPOSE To provide information on how to handle a baby that is being surrendered by the parent. APPLICATION Senate Bill 1368, Brulte. Child abandonement: newborns, the California Safely Surrendered Baby Law, as amended, allows a person to surrender an infant (72 hours or younger) to any firefighter on duty, at any designated fire station in Fresno County. Under certain circumstances, the person may do so discreetly without fear of being prosecuted for child abandonment. OPERATIONAL POLICY This section intentionally left blank. OPERATIONAL GUIDELINE This section intentionally left blank. PROCESS 1. Identify and confirm the person(s) or parent(s) is (are) surrendering the infant. 2. Accept the infant (even if the infant appears older than 72 hours), begin assessment, and address any immediate medical needs. Section 206.030 Page 1 of 4 3. Place company out of service and landline Dispatch of a walk-in incident at the station. a. Request the station tones not be activated. b. Request for a paramedic unit to respond. c. Do not call the Police Department or Child Protective Services. 4. Locate and open the Newborn Safe Surrender Kit. Hand the surrendering person the pre-addressed envelope containing: a. Medical questionnaire (Spanish and English versions) b. Coded wrist identification bracelet c. Information sheet Emphasize the importance of completing the medical questionnaire. The questionnaire does not require any information which compromises the identity of the person(s) or parent(s). 5. Place the smaller coded ankle identification bracelet on the infant and record the code in the fire records report (Patient Care Report (PCR) is not initiated). 6. Once on scene, paramedics assume custody of the infant. The ambulance transports the infant to the receiving hospital and transfer custody to hospital staff. 7. The Dispatch center is to notify the Department’s duty chief. 8. Replacement Newborn Safe Surrender Kits are available through Supply. Section 206.030 Page 2 of 4 INFORMATION FRESNO COUNTY Safely Surrendered Baby INFORMATION SHEET What is the Safely Surrendered Baby Law? The Safely Surrendered Baby Law allows a parent or person with lawful custody to surrender a baby confidentially, without fear of arrest or prosecution for child abandonment. This law allows for at least a 14-day cooling off period, which begins the day the child is voluntarily surrendered. During this period, the person who surrendered the child can reclaim the child. [SB 1368, Brulte. (2000)] How does it work? A parent who is unable or unwilling to care for an infant can legally and confidentially surrender their baby within 72 hours of birth. Babies may be surrendered to any public or private hospital emergency room in California and/or any other facilities designated by the Board of Supervisors. A bracelet will be placed on the baby for identification and a matching bracelet will be given to the parent. The bracelet will help identify the child if the parent changes their mind during the cooling off period. A baby can be safely surrendered 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Does a parent have to give any information to the people taking the baby? No. Nothing is required. A medical information questionnaire is available and is designed to gather family medical history, which would be useful in caring for the child. It is up to the parent if they wish to give any additional information concerning the baby. What happens to the baby? Following a medical exam, Safely Surrendered Babies are placed in the care of Child Protective Services and eventually placed in a foster home or pre-adoptive home. What happens to the parent? Parents who safely surrender their baby may leave without fear of arrest or prosecution for child abandonment. Their identity will remain confidential and they will have the comfort of knowing their baby will remain in safe hands. If during the cooling off period the parents decide they want to reclaim the baby, they can use the identifying bracelet to gain information about the baby. Why does California allow this? The purpose of the Safely Surrendered Baby Law is to protect infants from abandonment. Abandoning an infant puts the child in extreme danger and is also illegal. The law helps prevent exposing the child to the risks of abandonment and helps protect the parent from prosecution for criminal child abandonment. Under this law, no one ever has to abandon a child again. Are there safe surrender sites in Fresno County? Section 206.030 Page 3 of 4 Yes. Currently only hospitals are safe surrender sites. However, each County may be different and some Counties have designated fire stations as “Safe Havens” and other Counties have not. Fire stations have been designated safe surrender sites in Fresno County. Why would fire stations be safe surrender sites? Many counties in California have designated fire stations as safe surrender sites because there are many more fire stations than hospitals in California and fire stations are located throughout communities where people work and live. Fire stations have always been thought of as places where people can go to get help and a local fire station can be less intimidating than a hospital. DEFINITIONS This section intentionally left blank. CROSS-REFERENCES Senate Bill 1368, Brulte. Child abandonment: newborns (2000) Section 206.030 Page 4 of 4