The Metropolitan King County Council on Dec. 15 accepted the report prepared by a special task force created to examine ways of increasing awareness of options available for parents to legally and safely give up a newborn.

“This task force worked diligently and delivered a very detailed list of recommendations,” said Councilmember Reagan Dunn, lead sponsor of the motion to create the task force.

“I’m grateful for the commitment of the task force members who produced this excellent report,” said Councilmember Kathy Lambert, co-sponsor of the motion. “Their good work will result in more people knowing about the options available to safely give up a newborn.”

The task force was created soon after the body of an infant was found wrapped in a blanket in the woods near North Bend last February.  Named Baby Kimball after the bridge near where she was discovered, the newborn was left less than a half a mile from a hospital.

The task force included executive and council staff, cities, health institutions, criminal justice, human service agencies, and first responders.

Their objective was to increase awareness of the 2002 Safety of Newborn Children Law. The law states that parents can leave newborns with qualified individuals at hospitals, fire stations or federally designated rural clinics, anonymously up to 72 hours after the birth of a child without fear of prosecution for abandonment.

Options in the report included the following:

• Develop standardized training and brochures for providers, staff, and families served by their agencies about the Safety of Newborn Children law;

• Develop youth-centered messaging and marketing that uses popular culture and technology, yet is appropriate for culturally diverse audiences;

• Incorporate Safe Haven information into sex education curriculum at schools, including colleges, universities and trade schools, and the juvenile justice system.

Read more at http://mkcclegi-search.kingcounty.gov; type   “2014-0484” into the search bar.