Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe is pleased to announce the County’s Safe Surrender Program celebrated success for the fifth time this year with the report of a safely surrendered newborn. This most recent safe surrender occurred on October 31, 2011 at Little Company of Mary Hospital in Torrance.

The mother gave birth to the baby girl at the hospital and informed the hospital social worker that she would like to surrender the infant. As is standard practice, the baby girl is in protective custody and will be placed with a family approved for adoption by the Department of Children and Family Services.

“The Safe Surrender program was created to give a mother, no matter what the situation, a safe, secure and anonymous way to get her child into safe hands and to protect a baby from abandonment,” said Supervisor Knabe. “Thanks to the Safe Surrender program, this baby girl has a second chance at life and hope for a bright future.”

This is the fifth Safe Surrender in Los Angeles County in 2011, and the 88th since the program began ten years ago. The program was initiated by Supervisor Knabe and approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in 2001. It allows someone to surrender an infant that is no more than three days old, as long as the infant shows no signs of abuse.