Baby boy left at ValleyCare is not reclaimed Baby boy left at ValleyCare is not reclaimed (January 13, 2006)

Infant is healthy and now in foster care
by Rebecca Guyon

The 14-day "cooling off" period for the mother who left her newborn baby boy at the ValleyCare emergency room expired last Friday, meaning the child cannot be reclaimed and is now officially under the care of Alameda County Child Protective Services. The mother was able to leave the baby with emergency room staff under the Safely Surrendered Baby Law, which allows a parent or guardian to surrender a baby 3 days old or younger at an emergency room or staffed fire station without being prosecuted for child abandonment. The mother may change her mind and reclaim the child after 14 days, but after that period she relinquishes all custody rights.

The baby was left at 7:40 a.m. Dec. 23 at ValleyCare by a female who said she had given birth to the infant at 7 a.m., according to police. The baby was reported to be healthy at the time of his arrival and still is, said Sylvia Soublet the public information officer for the Alameda County Social Services Agency. During the 14-day waiting period, the baby stayed at ValleyCare and is now in emergency foster care where he will stay until he is adopted, which is standard for babies abandoned at emergency rooms, Soublet said. Not the first time

The infant was the only baby surrendered to the ValleyCare emergency room in 2005. In Sept. 2004, a baby boy was surrendered to ValleyCare and he was not reclaimed by the parent. That is not unusual as there is only one reported instance in California of a mother trying to get her baby back, according to a January 2005 report to the state legislature.

Three babies were dropped off at emergency rooms in Alameda County in 2005, according to Soublet. No babies were left at fire stations. The last time a baby was surrendered to the Kaiser emergency room in Walnut Creek was nearly three years ago and San Ramon Valley Medical Center has never received a baby, according to representatives from both organizations. The history

Signed by Gov. Gray Davis in Sept. 2000, the Safely Surrendered Baby Law--also known as the "Safe Haven Law"--went into effect Jan. 1, 2001. Forty-five other states also have "safe haven" laws, but California is one of the few states that also launched a public awareness campaign in conjunction with passing the law, coining the phrase, "No shame. No blame. No Names."

"We don't actively pursue the identity of the mother when an infant is dropped off," said Sergeant Brian Laurence who leads Youth and Community Services for the Pleasanton Police Department.

"(Emergency room staff) do a medical questionnaire with the mom to find out medical history that new parents would want to be aware of and other than that there's not much else we'd want to know, as long as it seems legitimate and there's no suspicious circumstance, we don't get actively involved."

Parents who bring a newborn to "safe haven" sites are asked to fill out a questionnaire about family medical history that stays with the infant, but they are not required to fill out the questionaire. They also receive a fact sheet on the program and a coded wrist bracelet that is used to reunite the infant with the parent after the 14 days. It is possible for a parent, such as a father, who did not know the child was surrendered to claim custody of the child during the 14 day window, although proof of parentage would be required, Soublet said. In that instance, claiming parental rights is difficult after the 14 days have passed, especially if the child has been adopted. Then, it would be a matter for the courts to figure out, she added.

When the law first passed, emergency rooms were the only designated safe havens. In 2005, the county board of supervisors recommended that city councils add fire stations to the list in an effort to save a greater number of infants from abandonment.

"Having a law like this gives options to parents who are in a difficult position," Soublet said. And, say child welfare experts, saves some babies' lives.

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