A newborn baby who was abandoned at the Beavercreek Police Department last week may be getting a new home soon, according to an agency official.

“The agency has identified a foster family for the placement of the child,” said Amy Amburn, the Greene County Children Services family assessments manager.

The county children services agency has temporary custody of the baby and is responsible for identifying any basic or special needs the child may have as well as finding a home for the child, Amburn added.

“It’s the first child we’ve had (in Greene County) that falls under the Safe Haven Law,” Amburn said.

The agency was unable to release further details on the baby citing health and medical privacy laws.

The child, 12 to 24 hours old, was left at the police station after 7 p.m. on Nov. 12 under the state’s Ohio Safe Haven law, according to police.

The law, which was enacted in April 2001, allows a parent to leave a child at a hospital, law enforcement agency or emergency organization without legal repercussions. Initially, a parent could surrender the child within three days of birth, according to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

Seven years later, the law was revised to allow a parent up to 30 days to leave a child with one of the previously approved organizations or agencies.

Between 2002 and 2011, few babies have been surrendered under the Ohio Safe Haven law, according to Ohio Jobs and Family Services data. Seventy-one babies have been abandoned statewide; none were reported in Greene County, two in Montgomery County, none were reported in Miami County and one was reported in Warren County.

Because of the few numbers of abandoned children reported annually, it is difficult to determine a trend, said Ben Johnson, a spokesman for Ohio Department of Job and Family Services.

“The numbers of children surrendered each year is small,” Johnson said. “It’s good that most families don’t have to use this. It’s also good that the program is there for families that see no other option.”

Local child welfare workers believe the change in the law has little impact on the number of babies surrendered annually.

“At this point, there hasn’t been any significant impact, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be any significant impact,” Amburn said.