Our Services
Our Services
Our services are designed with safety, dignity, and legal compliance at their core. Every protocol supports our beneficiaries parents in crisis and infants at risk of abandonment while working within statutory frameworks.
Crime Prevention Initiatives
Crisis Bridge
Immediate, compassionate signposting to statutory safeguarding teams — because no parent should face crisis alone.
Outreach & Prevention
Awareness training and community education to spot the signs early and act before abandonment becomes the only option.
Safe Space Network
Peer support and referrals to verified local services, creating a circle of care around every family we reach.
Rising Need
A gap in crisis care. A bridge in the making.
Worldwide, millions of children are affected by abandonment and institutional care. In the UK, the lack of central data collection means the true scale of infant abandonment remains hidden.
72 - Hour Bridge
A protected space to pause, breath, and choose with dignity.
Crisis support exists for many issues — but not for infant abandonment. 
No Safe Haven/ Surrender Law UK
Preserving identity-building Bridges.
BABY-I provides emotional support and signposting to help parents navigate statutory services before a situation becomes irreversible.
In the UK, any unattended placement of a baby may constitute abandonment under Section 27 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861, carrying a maximum penalty of 5 years imprisonment. Parents who seek help before abandonment are not committing an offence.
Disclaimer: This information is for awareness only. BABY-I does not provide legal advice.
Did you know? Abandoned babies are invisible in UK statistics.
The UK has no published statistics on infant abandonment. Abandoned babies are excluded from birth statistics and recorded separately but those figures are not made public. Without transparent data, researchers cannot verify the scale, policymakers cannot track trends, and resources cannot be properly allocated.
ONS Accredited Official Statistics
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) publishes detailed birth statistics for England and Wales every year. But abandoned babies are not included in these figures. Since 1977, they have been recorded separately in the Abandoned Children Register at the General Register Office but those records are not published. The only comprehensive UK study (Sherr & Mueller, 2009), estimated an average of 16 babies abandoned annually. But without official, published data, researchers cannot verify the scale, policymakers cannot track trends, and resources cannot be properly allocated. This is not a minor administrative gap it is a systemic blind spot that hides the true scale of infant abandonment and removes pressure on government to act.
Crisis Bridge
Phase 1 Pilot
Direct link to specialist safeguarding statutory teams and a crisis helpline with warm transfer support.
Not a substitute for professional medical advice.
Delivered by trained, dedicated safeguarding volunteers
Capacity to Consent
Meet our safeguarding volunteer team
For your baby to be accommodated under Section 20 of the Children Act 1989, the local authority must be satisfied that you have the capacity to make that decision. If you are in acute crisis, under the influence of substances, or experiencing severe mental distress, your capacity may need to be assessed by a social worker or medical professional before any agreement can be made .BABY-i Voluntary team are here to support you emotionally, but we do not assess capacity or make decisions about your legal right.
Bridging the gap between crisis and care
community mental health teams.
Safe Space Network
Phase 2 Pilot
Crisis support for mothers at risk of infant abandonment.
Safe Space Network Crisis support and referral for mothers at risk of infant abandonment. We connect you to verified local services and, where appropriate, arrange a peer support meeting with a trained volunteer in a public, safe location. Peer support means a listening ear and help accessing services — not counselling, therapy, or Legal advice. Partner with us and support our development.
Outreach & Prevention
In progress Now
Identifying young parents at risk through perinatal mental health networks. Save Life awareness, training, and prevention campaign programmes. BABY-I Infant First Aid & Awareness Project Funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.Funded By The National Lottery Community Fund
Legal Navigation
Signpost Service
Independence statement
We can refer you to an independent family law solicitor who specialises in children's services and parents' rights. Any solicitor we introduce you to is regulated by the Solicitors Regulation Authority (SRA). Their duty is to act in your best interests even if that means advising you against a course of action that we have described. They do not work for BABY-i, and we do not influence their advice.
Clear, accurate information about Section 20 accommodation, police protection powers, and parental rights.
