What is a Safe Haven Baby Box?
By Kaitlyn Chrisemer
Safe haven baby boxes are places where birth mothers can leave their babies if they cannot care for them. In Colorado, parents can anonymously surrender their babies within 72 hours (3 days) of the child’s birth. Safe haven laws were established in Colorado in 2000. These laws ensure that birth parents in crisis have a safe place to leave their children. As long as the baby is not harmed, no questions will be asked, and the process is completely confidential.
In Colorado, these locations aren’t exactly “boxes” so much as hand-off meeting spots. For the safety of the child, it’s required that birth parents give the infant to a person. Any personnel working at a fire station or hospital can accept the surrendered child. Birth parents are not required to give any identifying information as long as the baby is not harmed. However, the child’s birthday, place of birth, race, and medical information are helpful. Additionally, no authorities will be called as long as the baby is unharmed and under 72 hours old.
After the baby is handed off to a firefighter or hospital worker, any necessary medical care will be provided. Social services will then be contacted, and parental rights will be terminated within the next few months. Then, the baby will be placed with a family that has been approved for adoption.
Why Use A Safe Haven Baby Box?
Safe Haven laws were created to protect babies whose birth parents experience a crisis and cannot care for their children. This means that birth parents had a safe place to bring their babies so they would be cared for. Safe haven locations are specifically for birth mothers who wish to remain anonymous. The entire process is completely confidential, and the birth mother doesn’t have to go through the adoption process.
Adoption can be a scary decision, and the choices can feel overwhelming. Some birth mothers may feel it’s easier to leave their baby in a safe place than to make these choices. They may be concerned an adoption agency will ask too much of them, judge them, or make them easy to find. Perhaps an unexpected and dangerous situation has come up right after the baby’s birth. Safe haven locations may be the best way a birth mother knows to keep her child safe.
Safe haven laws and locations allow for birth mothers to give their babies up for adoption without being involved. They don’t have to work with an adoption agency in Colorado or make an adoption plan. All decisions about the baby’s placement are left to social services, and there is no record of their involvement. If you need help with a safe haven baby drop-off, call the confidential hotline at 1-888-510-2229 (BABY).
Types of Private Adoption with Adoption Choices
We at Adoption Choices of Colorado want you to know that a safe haven isn’t the only confidential option. We don’t only deal in open adoptions. In fact, we help with many closed adoptions. Open adoption is where the birth mother and adoptive family are in contact. Sometimes this can also mean that the birth mother visits with the child after the adoption are finalized.
Closed adoptions are where the adoptive family doesn’t receive any information about the birth family. In this case, neither the child nor the adoptive family will contact you. Closed adoptions are confidential and anonymous, just like safe havens. The difference is that you can have a say in the process of placing your baby for adoption with agencies.
Adoption Choices of Colorado Closed Adoption
Adoption Choices of Colorado can help with your closed adoption if you wish to remain anonymous. We help make sure birth mothers are comfortable throughout the adoption process. You can be involved in the process and decision-making as much or as little as you’d like. You must understand safe haven isn’t the only option in confidential unplanned pregnancy adoption.
Many birth mothers might be scared to go to an adoption agency. Most people think private adoption agencies are only used when birth mothers want to be involved in the adoption. However, Adoption Choices of Colorado can help with both closed and open adoptions. We want you to be as comfortable as possible throughout this journey. Your needs and wishes are our main concerns. Everyone involved wants what’s best for you and your baby.
If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy and want to learn more about your adoption options, contact Adoption Choices of Colorado by email, phone, or text: Email Us, Text us: 720-371-1099, Call us: 303-670-4673 (HOPE). If you are hoping to adopt, please contact us here.
Stephanie joined the Adoption Choices family in 2014 as the Child Placement Supervisor. Her love for adoption began in first grade when she made friends with twins adopted from Vietnam. Her heart grew strong over the years for adopted children and ultimately led her to graduate school where she continued her focus to her dream of working in the adoption field. Stephanie earned a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Denver in 2001. Over the past 15 years, Stephanie has worked as a pregnancy counselor and as an adoptive parent counselor for foster care, international adoption and domestic adoption, writing hundreds of home studies for families, and helping build their forever families. Stephanie is married and has three boys ages 12, 9, and 5. Together with her family she enjoys riding bike, playing games, watching her three sons compete in their various sporting and musical activities and go on vacations.
Christy Ikeler, is our Executive Director and Birth Parent Director. Christy has been with Adoption Choices Team for 18 years, since opening the doors in 2002! Christy has a true passion for what she does and her true love is working with and helping each birth parent. Whether she is up all night on the phone talking with them, taking them to doctors appointments, out for their favorite treat, providing counseling or at the hospital during labor and delivery, Christy is very involved every step of the way. She has a contagious laugh and a spunky personality that our birth moms all can bond with and relate to. As an adoptive parent herself, adoption holds a very special place in her heart and she can relate on every level with both birth parents and adoptive parents. In her free time Christy loves spending time with her daughter, gardening, baking and taking vacations with her family. Christy is an excellent leader for our team at Adoption Choices and is truly one of a kind!! As Executive Director, Christy spends time with the staff, birth parents and adoptive families in order to ensure that the agency is running smoothly. She has placed a huge emphasis on community outreach and programs for birth parents. Christy loves the opportunity to lead the agency into a brighter future.
Ms. Mackenzie has built a successful counseling career over the past 20 years, supporting mothers and families, people of all ages and genders, students, community professionals and fellow clinicians. Liv values a diverse professional focus, including the entrepreneurial life of a sole proprietor, the evaluative process of certifying foster/adoptive homes, the insightful and mindful one-on-one one work with enthusiastic clients, and serving as an advocate for underserved populations. Liv is a Licensed Professional Counselor and holds a BA in Pre-Law and Economics from American University, an MA in Counseling from Adams University and a certificate in Human Resource Management from Villanova University. Away from work you will find Liv spending time in nature, biking to the farmer’s market and adventuring with her family.
Catherine A. Madsen, joined the Adoption Choices family as legal counsel in 2013. Catherine is responsible for providing legal guidance to the Agency, training and updating staff on developments in adoption law and legislation, and program development. Catherine
Virginia Frank is an adoption attorney accredited since 1991 with the American Academy of Adoption Attorneys. Ms. Frank is a leader in the field of private adoption and has completed over 4,000 adoptions in her career. Ms. Frank has a law degree from Oklahoma City University and a BA in both Political Science and Communications from the University of Oklahoma.
Cassidie has been with Adoption Choices since 2015, she has her bachelors in Interdisciplinary Affairs with concentrations in both Sociology and Business Management. Cassidie has additional training in Victim Advocacy, foster care and has been working in women’s services for over 10 years. Cassidie has always had a heart for adoption and it was her career dream to work in adoption. She started off doing volunteer work for advocacy programs, adoption organizations and worked in High Risk Maternal Fetal Medicine through the University of Colorado Hospital and Children’s Hospital of Colorado. Cassidie is also blessed to have personally experienced an adoption of her own in 2012, completing her family of five! Cassidie loves what she does as a case worker from initial phone calls, meetings, doctor appointments, interaction with the adoptive families to delivery and counseling. Cassidie has a passion for those in need and strives to help make a difference in the lives of the people she meets. She is a firm believer in being kind, compassionate and open minded in all situations. “Unless you’ve walked in their shoes, there’s no place for judgment. A kind word or compliment can go a long way!” The bittersweet moments in adoption reminds Cassidie each and every time, why she loves what she does!