Following the alleged murder of a five-year-old girl in Alice Springs, three child protection personnel were placed on leave.
It follows the revelation that Kumanjayi Little Baby was the subject of six child protection reports in the six weeks prior to her demise.
One of the referrals was reportedly made just two days before to her disappearance.
Reports regarding the girl living in a “dangerous environment” from mid-March until two days prior to her disappearance from Old Timers town camp in Alice Springs were sent to the Northern Territory’s Department of Children and Families.
Kumanjayi Little Baby has been the subject of over a dozen child protection reports since her birth, but none of the six most recent ones were looked into, according to The Australian.
An alleged serious assault on the girl’s mother on April 22 was the subject of the most recent report. Her father is still being held after being charged.
Two of the reports were handled by police in March, while the remaining four were handled in April. According to sources, policemen were dissatisfied with child services’ lack of response.
According to the reports, Kumanjayi Little Baby was exposed to marital violence, neglected, and lived in a hazardous environment.
Following the alleged murder of a five-year-old girl in Alice Springs (photo, Kumanjayi Little Baby), three child protection professionals have been placed on leave.
Three employees have been placed on leave, and an independent inquiry will be started, according to Child Protection Minister Robyn Cahill (pictured).
It follows the revelation that Kumanjayi Little Baby was the subject of six child protection reports just before to her purported murder (tributes at her home).
Three employees have been placed on leave due to the event, according to Child Protection Minister Robyn Cahill, and an independent inquiry will be started.
“I am calling for an independent investigation by someone who is not involved in the current situation, so we can have total accuracy and to be sure that we are getting the information that we are getting to understand how this failure could happen,” she stated on Wednesday. “As of today, three people have been stood down from their positions.”
On Monday, April 27, the day after Kumanjayi Little Baby was reported missing, Ms. Cahill stated she called the child safety agency to enquire about any reports regarding her welfare.
She says it wasn’t until Friday that she heard back from the department.
As she prepared to present new legislation to the Northern Territory Parliament that will lessen the emphasis on the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle, the minister told Sky News that she had been at odds with her own department.
It stipulates that if an Aboriginal kid is taken away from their family, they must first be placed with a family member and, as a last resort, with a non-Indigenous carer.
Rather, the legislation will prioritise the child’s protection.
“I’ve already been accused of being a racist, and I’m okay with that because I will wear that badge with honour if caring for children makes me a racist,” she declared.
The Northern Territory justice system has come under fire from the little girl’s family (pictured) for not giving them adequate information during her accused killer’s initial court appearance.
Jefferson Lewis is accused of killing the five-year-old girl.
The five-year-old’s death has sparked widespread outrage (above, protests in the NT). “We are not looking at creating a second generation of the Stolen Generation.” We are essentially saying, “I’m not going to abandon these kids.” We cannot claim that a circumstance that occurred many, many years ago justifies inaction.
“These kids deserve better.” They unquestionably deserve the chance to lead fulfilling lives.
Although Kumanjayi Little Baby’s mother was referred to support programs, it is understood that officials struggled to maintain contact with her.
The five-year-old was never taken away from her mother.
After Kumanjayi Little Baby was discovered dead in bushland close to Alice Springs on Thursday, five days after she vanished, Jefferson Lewis, 47, was charged with murder and other crimes.
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