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^ SANTA CLARA COUNTY SAFE HAVEN TASK FORCE
September 16,2004
2:30pm 4:30pm
Sheriff's Auditorium

55 W.Younger Avenue
San Jose,California 95110

Supervisor James T Beall,Jr., Chairperson
AGENDA
1.

Welcome

♦ Background
♦ Charge of the Safe Haven Taskforce

Supervisor Beall

♦ Safe Haven Taskforce Orientation Binder
2.

Safely Surrendered Baby Law (Power Point Slide

Staff?

Presentation).
♦ Law:SB1368,SB139andSB1413.
♦ Statistics
3.

♦ County of Los Angeles
Safe Haven video presentation.

4.

Work Plan

♦ Deliverables of Safe Haven Taskforce
♦ Deliverables of each subcommittee

5y/ Future Safe Haven Taskforce Meetings and Potential

Staff?

Supervisor Beall and
Facilitator?

Supervisor Beall

Discussion Items:

♦ October 13,2004

2:30-4:30pm

♦ November 3,2004 10:00-12:00

6. Potential Discussion Items at Next Meeting:
♦ Assessment and preliminary recommendations from

Supervisor Beall

each subcommittee.

Adjourn to Subcommittee Breakout Groups

Supervisor Beall

Sub-Committee Breakout Discussion

Pat Kelsaw,Facilitator

^ ♦ Select Chairperson.
♦ Review scope.

Vv ♦ Select meeting dates, times and location.
9.

Adjourn SHTF Subcommittee Discussion.

SANTA CLARA COUNTY

SAFE HAVEN TASKFORCE SUB-COMMITTEES

The Safe Haven Taskforce will oversee the following subcommittees: Media and
Outreach, Policy and Legislation, Public Safety and Health and Human Services.
Subcommittees are charged to produce a set of recommendations that will:
♦ Ensure the safety and health of infants who are surrendered.
♦

Prevent infant death due to abandonment.

♦ Increase public awareness of the law.

♦ Remove barriers and enhance access to parents or those who might assist parents in
safely surrendering an infant.
♦ Ensure a method for gathering and communicating data on the number of infants

safely surrendered or abandoned in Santa Clara County.
Media and Outreach Stibcommithee (Including btift^fiiihitfed td)?
♦ Ensure a regionally consistent Public Information Campaign.
♦ Identify ways to ensure a culturally sensitive and appropriate approach to outreach.
♦ Identify methods for reaching out to high-risk parent(s) those who may be on the
verge of abandoning their babies.

♦ Implementation of Uniform Site Designation throughout the County.
Policy and Legislation Subcomiimttee (Including but riotliiruted to):
♦ Examine the need for amendments to the existing law that would clarify certain
aspects related to safeguarding the confidentiality to parents who safely surrender
their babies.

♦ Identify opportunities to enhance the prevention aspect of the law.
♦ Determine if there are other opportuirities that might facilitate the implementation
of the Law.

Public Safety Subcommittee(Including hut hbUiMted to):

♦ Determine the feasibility and need of expanding Safe Haven Sites to other public
entities within Santa Clara Coxmty

♦ Consider ways of improving access to designated sites and protecting safety and
health of mother and infant

♦ Training module for specialized details for staff likely to receive surrendered babies.
Health and Human Services Subcommittee (Including but not limited to):

♦ Development of a Standardized training and procedural modules including:
Information on location ofSafe haven sites; Available prevention and support programs;
Social cultural and psychological aspects ofchildbearing; Ways ofassisting zvomen zvho may
be concealing or denying pregnancies; Methodsfor developing or augmenting school
curricula to include information about SSB.

♦ Identify data elements to be collected regarding all newborns safely surrendered or
abandoned consistent with State instruction for data collection through the
CWS/CMS system.

/

Goal: Ensure a method for gathering and communicating data on the
number of infants safely surrendered or abandoned
Hospital, Social Services Child Death Review Team (ICAN), ISD

are safely
Identify existing systems that capture data related to infants
Social Services, Child

surrendered and those who are abandoned (Hospital,
Death Review Team (ICAN).

from source
Assess whether data as it is currently collected and extracted
the number of infants

systems provide reliable and adequate information about

die due to abandonment and those who are safely surrendered.
Address data issues including availability from various source systems,
definitional differences in capturing data, collection procedures,

who

definitions/classification systems, etc.
Develop list of recommended

data elements that need to be collected in order to

capture and report information on
1. Infants who are abandoned

2. Infants who are safely surrendered

3 Other data elements that might assist in understanding the
outreach

phenomenon and inform future efforts at prevention high-risk groups
particularly those who are isolated/underserved and

Ensure that data collected will be consistent with State

collection through the Child Welfare System/Case Management System(
SSA/HHS)
Make

in order ^ capture
recommended policy changes toincidence
existing data
systems
of infants abandoned and

new information required to report on
surrendered.

. Determine reporting method for data (web based vs. hard copy report) and time
period for reporting (annual vs. monthly).(ISD)

es to best reach isolated/underserved and high-risk groups
olan to assess effectiveness of outreach plans with
nidcourse adjustments to outreach plan

ic Information Message throughout the

>

Identify venues for messages

Based upon input from cultural competency work identify venues for public
messages

Identify venues for messages where those at high risk to abandon their infants
might frequent

Goal: Recommend policies that would facilitate implementation of the Law

Goal: Develop Standardized training and procedural modules and/or enhance
existing materials for designated staff and contractors.
> School Curriculum

> County Staff
>

Social Services

>

Hospital

>

Fire Stations

>

Contractors

Safe Haven Task Force Subcommittee
Roles and Responsibilities
Chairperson

♦ Responsible for subcommittee agendas, completion of deliverables, review and approval
of subcommittee’s final recommendations.

♦ Scheduling of meeting times and locations(One or two subcommittee meetings in
between full Safe Haven Task Force meetings on 10/13 and 11/3)
♦ Ensure active participation (providing necessary background information, materials, and
data) from all members.

♦ Present(or identify a reporter) for presentation of subcommittee progress and
recommendations at full Taskforce committee meetings on 10/13 and 11/3
Facilitator

♦ Enusure that subcommittee stays on schedule and on topic.
♦ Support chairperson developing agenda for subcommittee meetings, completion of
deliverables; identify gaps, needs and barriers to achieving the desired outcomes for
inclusion in recorder’s documentation.

♦ Explain the format and outcomes for this afternoon’s session and follow-up meetings.
At the end ofthe meeting:

♦ Thank participants. Remind audience of next subcommittee meeting

Recorder

♦ Responsible for gathering and documentation of information and feedback during and
upcoming subcommittee meetings.
♦ Provide support to the facilitator and chairperson as needed.
♦ Use templates as provided for documentation and final compilation of notes from
subcommittee meetings (attach legible handwritten notes for clarification)

♦ If needed, use large butcher paper pads for “parking lot” of items needing clarification
and/or follow-up
At the end ofthe meeting:

♦ Collect subcommittee materials and return to the consultant, in person, by email or fax
(within 24 hours of meeting).

Consultant

♦ Works with all responsible parties to facilitate completion of deliverables; compiles all
documentation and feedback from subcommittees.

♦ Develops draft of preliminary recommendations by November 9**’ for review/comments
by stakeholders.

♦ Subcommittee will provide feedback on recommendations by Eriday, November 12'*^.

♦ Submit recommendations to Supervisor Beall,(keyboard on agenda November 17, 2004)
presented as agenda item on Tuesday, November 23, 2004.
Consultant Contact Information:
Patricia Kelsaw MSW

p: 916.391.5188
f: 916.391.0150

pak515@aol.com

Page 1 of 1

SHTF Subcommittee Actions

Media, Educati

Page 1

Recorder; Sandra

Health and Human Services a
Facilitator; Greta Helm 9/27/04
Facilitator:
I^asil Robledo 10/1/04

H2i£L9^27^04l^

Address Existing
>

considerations

J ‘•xtf

drafting reconHnfndatio„s
existing legisSn^^^^"^^^

Considered

in

Medical History ofInfant not required by

surrendering parent

custodian/parem shLTd'be eTaSned^

Protection ofnon

surrendering parents rights
There is no standardized
accepting an infant
Standardized

torecommending
surrendering a

pohcy/legislative change

protocol for hospitals im

protocol for fire stations IS
i needed

Infant age maximum IiS 3 days old
S-endenng

days

expansion to CBOs.

Dual role ofSurmyvale peace officers

Lead & Partner
Agencies

SHTF Subcommittee Actions

!

Page 1 ''

Santa Clara County Safe Haven Task Force Actions
Media,Education and Outreach □ Policy and Legislation □ Public Safety □ Health and Human Servicejs
Recorder: Marcela Vasquez

Facilitator: Frank Motta, Sue Murphy, Dolores Alvarado

Date: 10/01/04 Meeting

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Issuing of Birth Certificates to SSB

No SSB data collection system

Lack of standardized hospital policies and
procedures and trainings

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‘&Tartner

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m

'Agencies

mmmm

Hospital Birth Recorders need to be informed and trained to fill out

Sarah Sanitate will call

appropriate forms when a baby is surrendered

LA County

Identify system procedures for collecting SSB data. FCANS can be
the reporting data system for SSB.

SSA will identify how
they capture data
(Frank Motta)

/Conduct a Safe-Baby-Surrender drill at VMC hospital (walk through

Ny the process). Have a debriefing after drill and share information with
other hospitals.

^tep-by-step process (Flow Chart) of what to do in the event that a

V baby is surrendered will be developed for each involved agency

(SSA, Hospitalsi^

Encourage hospitals to administer optional questionnaire to ga^re\-^
parent medical history.

^c,

^

Convene all hospitals in SCC^to reviev^eachhosiiilals policies and

Susan Murphy

ocedures to try and develop a standardized poLicy-feHSSB.

n/'

uPtvyie ti-tevR

Review and revise VMC policies.

Susan Murphy

Develop a step-by-step process for reclaiming/discharging child. /
(Who needs to be present, what steps need to be taken?)

Look at State Dept, of Social Services to identify what procedures^
exist if any for reclaiming a child.

Is the 1-800 phone number associated with the SSB multi-lingual?

Dolores Alvarado

SANTA CLARA COUNTY

NEWBORN SAFE SURRENDER KIT

CONTENTS
1.

Procedures for Accepting a Newborn

2.

Coded ankle identification bracelets for newborn (2)

3.

Coded wrist identification bracelet for adult(1)

4.

Kit for person surrendering newborn in postage-paid envelope
consisting of a) information sheet, b) newborn medical questionnaire
(English), c) newborn medical questioimaire (Spanish), d) coded wrist
identification bracelet for person surrendering newborn.

SURRENDER NOTES
Time:

Date:

Location:

Newborn received by (name/s of personnel)

Newborn gender:

M

F

Taken to(name of hospital):

Child Protective Services contacted (date/time)

Coded bracelet #