In 2002, the Georgia General Assembly passed the “Safe Place for Newborns Act”. Its purpose is to
prevent injuries to and deaths of newborn children when they are abandoned by their mother. As
commonly occurs, changes have been made since the original legislation was introduced. The
purpose of this article is to provide the latest requirements of the statute.
The statute allows a mother to leave a child, who is no older than 30 days, in the physical custody of
an employee who is on-duty at a medical facility, fire station, or police station. The mother may be
asked but is not required to provide her name, address, and proof of her identity with the employee.
When an employee accepts the newborn, the child should be transported to the closest medical
facility which accepts inpatient admissions. The Georgia Department of Human Services is required
by statute to reimburse ‘all reasonable medical and other reasonable costs associated with the care of
the child’. The police or medical personnel are to notify the Department of Human Services when the
child is left and when they are medically ready for discharge. The DHS representative is to take
physical custody of the child within six hours of their notification and bring it before the juvenile court
in accordance with State law.
Employees taking custody of a newborn at a designated facility are not liable for civil damages or
subject for criminal prosecution for failing to discharge these duties, provided they do not commit any
acts of negligent treatment of the child.
During the 2018 legislative session, the DHS was directed to establish standards for the size and type
of signs that are to be posted at ‘authorized locations to leave a newborn child’. These signs are to be
posted inside and outside the facility. Information on the rule change and a link to view the sign can
be found at: https://dhs.georgia.gov/safe-place-newborns-signs
Currently, it is assumed being designated as an ‘authorized location’ is a voluntary process that a
governing authority can make. Agencies designating their police station as an ‘authorized location’
should promulgate operational procedures to ensure their staff understand the proper protocol for
properly accepting and handling of the newborn. For more information, please refer to O.C.G.A § 19-
10A-1 thru 19-10A-8 .
www.gachiefs.com • Page 26 • 1st Quarter Newsletter