The
Kentucky Safe Infants Act allows parents to leave newborn infants less than thirty (30) days old at a staffed police station, fire station, hospital, or participating place of worship without fear of criminal prosecution or allegation of neglect.
The medical provider, firefighter, police officer, or staff member at a participating place of worship should ensure the child is seen at the nearest emergency room for evaluation and contact child protective services (CPS). If there are no indicators of abuse or neglect, the Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) will initiate the report following the non-investigatory response path under Safe Infant, as no further Structured Decision Making (SDM®) tools are required.
If the parent(s) does not come forward within the initial thirty (30) days of placement, DCBS requests a waiver of reasonable efforts and proceeds with termination of parental rights (TPR).
Safe Infant reports are not received often, so there may be confusion regarding how these reports are entered and managed. The Child Protection Branch has a specialist designated to assist and consult on Safe Infant cases. Should you require additional guidance, please send an email to DCBSChildProtection@ky.gov.