Kumanjayi Little Baby report finds NT system failures

A new report focused on the death of a First Nations child has found “shortcomings” in the Northern Territory’s child protection system.

It comes months after a man was charged with the murder of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby, whose case was escalated to authorities on several occasions throughout her life.

The report has provided 45 recommendations, including clearer risk assessments and improved early intervention.

The NT Government said it will accept all 45 recommendations.

Background

In April, NT Police responded to reports that five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby was missing.

She was last seen alive at her home in Old Timers town camp, near Alice Springs.

Four days after those reports, police confirmed they had found Kumanjayi Little Baby’s body.

That evening, 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis was arrested and taken to Alice Springs Hospital after he was allegedly assaulted by locals.

Lewis was charged with murder in May.

The matter remains before the courts.

Findings

NT Children and Families Minister Robyn Cahill announced a review of Kumanjayi Little Baby’s death and the broader conduct of the Department of Children and Families (DCF) in May.

Former NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb and senior NT public servant Greg Shanahan were appointed to co-lead the review.

This week, Webb and Shanahan handed down their findings, including 45 recommendations for the NT Government.

The 45 recommendations are broken into several priority areas, including:

strengthening the workforce and collaboration between agencies,

improving timeliness, more comprehensive risk assessments, and better safety planning, such as assessing the suitability of the adults chosen to be around vulnerable children.

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Addressing Kumanjayi Little Baby’s death, Webb and Shanahan said the DCF was notified more than a dozen times about her.

The first notification was when her mother was pregnant with her; the last was two days before she was reported missing.

The notifications note that Kumanjayi Little Baby was exposed to physical and emotional harm, and had witnessed family violence.

“DCF had repeated opportunities over a number of years to consider the child’s circumstances in the context of an ongoing pattern of domestic and family violence,” the report says.

“A stronger focus on addressing risk before it escalates has the potential not only to improve outcomes for children and families, but also to reduce demand on statutory child protection services," review co-leads Karen Webb and Greg Shanahan said.

Response

Cahill tabled the report in Parliament on Tuesday, saying: “We owe [Kumanjayi Little Baby] change, and I intend to see it through.”

In a statement, Cahill confirmed that the NT Government would accept all 45 recommendations in full.

“Our child protection workers do one of the hardest jobs there is, often in remote places and often short-staffed,” Cahill said, noting that “the failings are in the system”.