UPDATE
8.32pm February 23
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The mother of the newborn boy who was found on a doorstep in Griffith over the weekend has been located safe and well.
The woman attended Griffith Base Hospital shortly before noon on Tuesday.
Hospital staff contacted local police, who arrived a short time later.
Hospital staff and Family and Community Services are now supporting the mother and child.
Police would like to thank the community for their assistance.
UPDATE
5.45pm
A FACS spokesman said he was saddened to hear about the baby boy abandoned on a Braeburn Avenue doorstep.
“Our staff are doing everything they can to co-operate with police and to provide appropriate assistance,” he said.
“The welfare of the child is the priority for FACS, police and other government agencies.
“FACS also has concerns for the safety and wellbeing of the mother, and will provide any assistance required during what must be an extremely difficult time.”
The spokesman said the abandonment of a baby in this manner is very rare, and in the majority of cases the mother is located.
“The primary focus during the first week is to ensure the baby is well and receives any necessary health care,” he said.
“If the baby’s family is not identified, interim foster carers are identified.
“The mother of the baby can come forward at any time, and there is no time limit.
“Even if the mother is not able to care for the baby herself, she can be involved in decisions about the care of her baby.”
According to the spokesman, if the mother is not located then FACS will ensure the baby is well cared for by foster carers until decisions can be made about the baby’s long-term care.
“It is critically important that the mother come forward so that she can receive medical care,” he said.
“Family and friends of the mother are asked to encourage the young woman to come forward and seek medical treatment.”
More to come
EARLIER
4.00pm
A Griffith woman has supported the call for ‘safe havens’ to be established at hospitals throughout NSW.
Sharon Brown said a mother who would her baby wasn’t “thinking straight” and a safe haven would ensure the welfare of the child.
“You read about things like this little boy who was left on the doorstep, or other ones that end badly,” Ms Brown said.
“If it was set up at a hospital a young mum who doesn’t want to answer questions could just come and ask for safe haven and the baby is safe.
“Thankfully this baby is okay it could have been a lot worse.”
Countries like the United States, Canada and Italy have safe haven policies which allow parents to leave their children in a safe place.
Deputy coroner Hugh Dillon recently recommended the state government consider the installation of baby boxes or hatches at hospitals after a baby girl was found dead near a Sydney beach.
Labor Senator Helen Polley had also been calling for states and territories to adopt the policy and said safe havens would provide a safe and alternative for desperate mothers unable to care for a newborn.
Ms Brown said the mother of the baby boy left on a Braeburn Avenue doorstep may have had nowhere else to turn.
“She may have been drug affected or it might have been a hidden pregnancy and she delivered it alone, we just don’t know,” she said.
“All she could do was ring a doorbell and run off, to say she would choose to dump her baby is just silly.”
Hospitals were already equipped to care for babies and deal with any health concerns, Ms Brown said.
“It would help ensure the welfare of these babies, there may only be a few a year, but at least they’d be ok,” she said.
“It’s better than finding them dumped or killed later on.
“They just need to get around the red tape that’s involved in most things and just set it up, it would be easy.”
3.06pm
Angela Cregan, midwifery unit manager at Griffith Health Service, has confirmed a baby abandoned at the front door of a Braeburn Avenue home on Sunday night was not born at Griffith Base Hospital.
“Mothers who give birth at Griffith Base Hospital receive care throughout their stay by the maternity care team, comprising midwives and doctors,” Ms Cregan said.
“Following the birth, families are provided advice and support about caring for her baby and follow-up care is provided in the community by the child and family health nurses.
“Midwives can link women and their families with other health care professionals, to provide additional support that the family may need.
“Early childhood nurses link up with new families immediately after hospital discharge and conduct home visits within the first two weeks, providing ongoing support as required.”
Ms Cregan said mothers who had identified vulnerabilities such as social isolation, or more serious concerns, could take part in a ‘SAFE START’ program.
“This involves a multidisciplinary meeting involving other disciplines such as drug and alcohol, mental health, early childhood staff and midwives,” she said.
“The team will discuss and put in place strategies for pregnant women and new mothers to provide ongoing assistance, in addition to routine support and services.
“Pregnant women and new mothers who feel anxious or concerned about pregnancy or caring for their newborn baby are encouraged to call either their family doctor, the maternity ward on 6969 5631, or early childhood staff at the Griffith Community Health Centre on 6966 9900.”
Anyone who is anxious or upset can call Accessline on 1800 800 944 for help.
2.33pm
A three-day-old boy abandoned on Sunday night is in the custody of Family and Community Services at Griffith Base Hospital.
Superintendent Michael Rowan from Griffith Local Area Command addressed media in front of Griffith Police Station and said the baby was in good health.
“Our priority is mum,” Superintendent Rowan said.
“Given the circumstances, somebody leaving a baby late at night in this sort of way, we’d really like to contact her and make sure she’s ok.
“She’s not in any trouble whatsoever, there must be a reason why this has taken place and we would like to assist her or members of her family and get to the bottom of it.”
According to Superintendent Rowan, the baby was not born in any of the local hospitals in the southern region.
There was no reason given why the mother abandoned her child.
Superintendent Rowan would not comment on whether there was a note left with the baby or the earlier reports the mother was a teenager. A statement from the NSW Police Media Unit early on Monday morning said the mother was believed to be aged in her teens.
Assessments of the child had led police to the view the child was born on Friday morning, Superintendent Rowan said.
“The circumstances must be quite sad for the baby to be left in this manner but I won’t make judgements on anyone there’s obviously reasons why it has occurred,” he said.
“Our primary concern is mum and and if she can contact us or anyone who knows who she might be we’d appreciate it.
“I suspect whoever the mum is she may have told someone about the baby and if she now doesn’t have the baby it may raise suspicions.”
1.39pm
News of a three-day-old baby boy being abandoned in Griffith on Sunday night has renewed calls for ‘safe havens’ to be established.
On February 10, NSW Deputy State Coroner Hugh Dillon handed down his findings at an inquest into the death of an abandoned baby found in sand dunes in Sydney.
In November 2014, a baby since named Lily Grace was found at the southern end of Maroubra Beach by nippers digging holes in the sand after a flag race.
Mr Dillon recommended the state government consider the installation of baby boxes or hatches at hospitals where distressed mothers could leave their babies.
“Safe haven laws allow parents to hand over their babies without risk of prosecution by authorities,” Mr Dillon said.
“They enable desperate mothers to come forward without fear of humiliation and prosecution to hand over their babies to someone who will safeguard them.”
Labor Senator Helen Polley said the abandonment of babies was a complex issue and baby safe havens would provide a safe and productive alternative for desperate mothers and parents who cannot care for a newborn baby.
“It’s very sad to hear this has happened to this little baby boy,” Senator Polley said.
“I’m concerned for the welfare of the mother as well, it’s a terrible tragedy.”
Senator Polley said she hoped the latest incident would prompt Premier Mike Baird to take the coroner’s recommendation seriously.
“This absolutely reinforces the desperate need for something to be done,” she said.
“We don’t know how many abandoned babies we don’t find, we’re just really lucky this little boy is healthy and safe.
“Every state and territory government says they’ve got services in place but it’s obvious they’re not working and they’re overstretched.”
According to Senator Polley, several countries around the world have ‘safe haven’ systems in place to protect babies.
“Japan, Germany, Italy, the United States, they’ve all got this extra layer to ensure the best opportunities for the child,” Senator Polley said.
“In Canada, mothers can give birth in a hospital and relinquish the babies into adoption straight away.
“Critics say this encourages mothers to abandon their children but no mother would abandon her child unless there were dire circumstances.”
Senator Polley said it was important not to simply blame the mother of the three-day-old baby boy because no-one knew her situation or the circumstances surrounding the conception of the child.
“I want her to come forward and get the help she needs and hopefully reunite her with her son,” she said.
“We want this little boy to be nurtured and grow to his full potential.
“There have been too many babies abandoned and I thought baby Lily would be the catalyst for Mike Baird, a father, to look at safe havens seriously. Someone needs to take the lead on this.”
A NSW Government spokesman said the government noted the coroner’s recommendations and would respond in due course.'
1.00pm
The Area News believes Griffith’s abandoned baby was not born in any of the local hospitals.
Member for Murray Adrian Piccoli said his heart went out to the young mother and encouraged her to come forward.
“When I became a new parent, at first I found it difficult to readjust,” Mr Piccoli said.
“I'm sure the younger you are the harder that is, but there's a lot of support available.
“Any parent finding themselves in a situation where they may feel overwhelmed should ask for help at their local hospital, they're wonderful in support of young mothers.”
Police had earlier expressed their concern for the welfare of the mother and encouraged her to come forward to receive any medical treatment she may require.
11.30am
Residents of Braeburn Avenue in Griffith awoke on Monday morning to the news a baby had been abandoned in their street.
Neighbours expressed how sad they were to hear the three-day-old was left on a doorstep late on Sunday night.
Nikki Hardie said she was shocked and saddened by what had happened.
“I kept thinking what would I have done in that situation, I mean I have young kids myself,” Ms Hardie said.
“I didn't see or hear anything, I was really surprised by the whole thing.”
Ms Hardie’s next-door neighbour said he saw a car drive by late on Sunday night but didn’t think anything of it.
“I wish they had left it here, we would have loved to have it because my daughter is wanting to adopt a baby,” he said.
Across the street, another neighbour said it was sad for the baby and a sad sign for Griffith.
“I just hope the baby’s all right, that’s the main thing,” he said.
“This town is getting worse and worse, there’s a reason a lot of people are doing things like this and it’s drugs.
“The sooner we start doing something about that the better and you won’t have things like this happening.”
7.45am
A family who answered a late-night doorbell at their house in Griffith opened the front door to find a newborn baby had been abandoned there, police say.
Officers are now searching for the baby boy's mother, who police believe is aged in her teens and who is thought to have delivered her son on Friday.
A NSW Police spokeswoman said the residents of a home in Braeburn Avenue in Griffith heard their doorbell ring at 11.40pm on Sunday.
When they opened the door, they found the baby boy wrapped in a pink cloth in a bassinet outside the door.
The residents called triple zero, and the baby was taken to Griffith Base Hospital as a precaution. The police spokeswoman said the baby had no injuries, and was believed to be healthy.
Police said initial investigations suggested the teenager delivered the baby boy about 10am on Friday.
"Police hold concerns for the health and welfare of the mother of the child and are appealing for her to come forward to receive medical care," police said.
Anyone with information about the mother's location has been urged to contact Griffith Police via Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.