Section 31-35-1.5-4 - Filing of petition(a) The: (1) department's attorney; or(2) licensed child placing agency; shall sign and file a verified petition for the termination of the parent-child relationship not more than fifteen (15) days after taking custody of a safe haven infant.
(b) The petition must: (1) be entitled "In the Matter of the Termination of the Parent-Child Relationship of ____________, a Safe Haven Infant"; and(2) allege that the: (A) child was left in a newborn safety device or by a parent with an emergency medical services provider; and(B) termination of the parent-child relationship is:(i) in the child's best interest; and(ii) in furtherance of an adoption.(c) At the time the verified petition described in subsection (a) is filed:(1) the department's attorney shall also file a permanency plan for the safe haven infant; or(2) the licensed child placing agency shall also file a recommendation in support of the prospective adoptive parent with whom the safe haven infant is placed.Added by P.L. 45-2023,SEC. 13, eff. 7/1/2023.