Safe Havens | South Dakota Department of Social Services

Allows parents to legally surrender newborns to designated safe places. State law allows a parent to voluntarily leave their baby if the child is less than 60 days old and the child has not been harmed. Key provisions of this program include: the parent may be asked for medical information related to the baby's medical history; identification of themselves or the other parent are not required; leaving the baby at a Safe Haven location is not a crime; if a parent doesn't express intent to return for the baby, their parental rights will be terminated after 14 days. Those providers and agencies a parent may leave their baby with under this law are hospitals and clinics, law enforcement officers, licensed child placement agencies, any Department of Social Services office, emergency medical technicians, and firefighters.

Data provided by

211 South Dakota

Physical Address

1351 N. Harrison Avenue, Pierre, SD 57501

Hours

8:00am - 5:00pm (CT), Monday - Friday Safe Havens Programs are available 24 hours a day / 7 days a week

Application process

Call local DSS office for more information.

Eligibility

Parents of children less than 60 days old

Service area

SD

Agency info

South Dakota Department of Social Services

Offers a wide variety of services to the people of South Dakota including food cost assistance, temporary financial help, heating assistance and weatherization, child care assistance, and more.