The Kentucky Safe Infants Act allows parents to leave babies younger than thirty (30) days old at a designated safe place. No one will call the police, and no one will ask for your name.
So if you are pregnant and feel that you can't keep your baby, don't leave the baby in a dangerous situation. There is help! Call the crisis line at 877-796-HOPE (4673) - provided by the AMT Children of Hope Foundation.
If you leave your baby in a designated safe place, the baby will get medical care and be placed with a family for adoption. If you do not contact the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services within 30 days after leaving your baby in a safe place, the cabinet will begin the process of ending your parental rights.
You've Just Had a Baby
You have made a courageous decision to leave your baby in the safe and good care of a hospital, police station, fire station, emergency medical services provider or a staffed place of worship. Your baby will be well taken care of and, eventually, be adopted into a safe, loving, permanent home. Now it's time to make sure that you are healthy.
It's a good idea to see a doctor or go to the health department for an examination. For information about your local health department, call: (800) 462-6122.
More information on How to Keep Yourself Healthy
If you decide to keep your baby, the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services offers services that help families stay together and safe:
- Counseling
- Referrals to needed services such as housing assistance, parenting skills or counseling
- Food stamps
- Kentucky Transitional Assistance Program (K-TAP)
- Medical Cards
- Kentucky Children's Health Insurance Program (KCHIP)
- Child-care assistance
- Help with getting child support
- Adoption information
Every child deserves a safe, loving, permanent home. You can help provide such a home by planning for adoption before your baby is born.
You can work with the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, which carefully evaluates and checks backgrounds on all prospective parents before they are approved to adopt children. Or you can contact a private agency about placing your baby for adoption.
For more information, call: (502) 564-2136
Frequently Asked Questions