Baby Safe Haven, a program offered by the Department of Children and Families (DCF), enables parents to surrender newborn infants they are unable to care for with an appropriate person at a designated facility. Parents will not face criminal prosecution as long as there are no signs of abuse or neglect. The Baby Safe Haven program is a result of the Safe Haven Act of Massachusetts, passed in Oct. 2004.

About the Program

The Baby Safe Haven program focuses on new parents who are unable to take care of their child and need to surrender them.

• Newborn infants must be at most 7 days old; and,
• A parent must bring the child to a designated location specified by the Safe Haven Law such as a police station, hospital, or a fire station.

If parents abide by these rules, they will not face criminal prosecution.

The authority who accepts the child will contact DCF, who will take the child into custody. The child will then transfer into a foster home, and eventually continue through the adoption process.

Resources for New Parents

Being a parent is no easy task. That’s why the Commonwealth offers a number of programs, services, and resources to help pregnant women in Massachusetts prepare to be the best caregivers they can be. These include:

• The Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Nutrition Program, which provides food and nutrition information to new families, as well as financial assistance for purchasing infant formula;
• The Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA), which offers childcare services to eligible families; and,
• The Department of Mental Health (DPH), which has several postpartum depression resources for new mothers.

If raising a child is not an option, you can still play an important role in securing a bright future for your baby by contacting the Baby Safe Haven program at (866) 814-SAFE.

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Tags: babies, baby safe haven, child services, children, department of child, families