§ 40 — Reporting requirements

(a) Within 12 hours after accepting a newborn infant from a relinquishing person or from a police station, fire station, or emergency medical facility in accordance with this Act, a hospital must report to the Department's State Central Registry for the purpose of transferring physical custody of the infant from the hospital to either a child welfare agency or the Department. (b) Within 24 hours after receiving a report under subsection (a), the Department must request assistance from law enforcement officials to investigate the matter using the National Crime Information Center to ensure that the relinquished newborn infant is not a missing child. (c) Once a hospital has made a report to the Department under subsection (a), the Department must arrange for a licensed child welfare agency to accept physical custody of the relinquished newborn infant. (d) If a relinquished child is not a newborn infant as defined in this Act, the hospital and the Department must proceed as if the child is an abused or neglected child.

Legislative History

(Source: P.A. 103-501, eff. 1-1-24 .)