Safe Delivery of a Newborn

Do you have a patient who is not prepared to parent her new baby? Is this patient asking questions about adoption?

What do you do first?
- Give her a list of adoption agencies
- Talk to her about her options – parenting vs. adoption?

An important option for all mothers who deliver a baby without a plan is the Safe Delivery for her newborn. The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services describes Safe Delivery this way: “Safe Delivery is a law which allows a parent or parents to safely and legally surrender their newborn, no more than 3 days old.”

A parent who signs a voluntary release of a surrender newborn is given complete confidentiality. Nothing is sent to their house, no one calls them and the information they provide is kept confidential. The parent is given all of these services free of charge. Your hospital is an Emergency Service Provider as defined by the Safe Delivery Law, an entity that can accept a parent’s surrender of her newborn for placement with a child
placing agency.

The two resources "Brochure" and "Fact Sheet" at the bottom of the page must be given to a patient who is considering.

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The two documents a parent must sign to complete the process before

leaving the hospital are:

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1. Voluntary Release For Adoption of Surrendered Newborn by Parent {DHS-4820}
2. Confidential Voluntary Medical Background for a Surrendered Newborn {DHS-4819}

The two forms can be easily printed from the MDHHS website.

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What to do next?

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Before a parent signs any documents, the hospital staff may want to talk through everything by speaking with an adoption agency staff person.
After the parent has signed the Safe Delivery forms an agency must be contacted immediately to arrange placement of the child. You may also need to contact Child Protective Services if required by policy. By the time the baby is ready to be discharged, the prospective adoptive parents need to be available and at the hospital.

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What we can do to help

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The staff of the Keane Center for Adoption is always available after the parent signs the surrender to place a newborn. We will find a home study approved family within the State of Michigan who will be at the hospital for the discharge. After a placement of the baby, we facilitate the case through the court process to finalize the adoption. We are also available to provide free training for your staff about the Safe Delivery process. We would gladly train any hospital staff, including nurses, social workers, and all patient care staff.
Our staff over the past 10 years the Keane Center for Adoption has completed over 30 Safe Delivery cases. We are also available for questions and to give help.