Note: First Nations readers are warned this post references an Indigenous person who has died.
The Northern Territory Government has released an interim report from an independent review into the Department of Children and Families’ handling of the case of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby.
The review was commissioned after Kumanjayi’s death near Alice Springs in April.
The report found that the key issue in her case was not a lack of statutory authority or available protective mechanisms, “but the timeliness and effectiveness with which risk was identified, assessed and responded to.”
Editor’s note: The report refers to the child as “Kumunjayi” Little Baby. TDA has used the spelling contained in an earlier letter from her mother.
Background
On 26 April, NT Police responded to reports that five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby was missing. She had last been seen the previous night at her home in Old Timers town camp, near Alice Springs.
Four days later, 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. He was not known to or related to Kumanjayi Little Baby.
Lewis was charged with murder on 3 May.
Review
Following Kumanjayi Little Baby’s death, an independent review into the NT Department of Children and Families’ (DCF) management of her case was announced.
Former NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb and senior NT public servant Greg Shanahan were appointed to co-chair the review.
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The interim report, released on Tuesday, found that despite repeated signs of domestic and family violence, the risk to Kumanjayi Little Baby was not adequately recognised or acted on quickly enough.
It found the DCF did not conduct a domestic and family violence-informed risk assessment, meaning the pattern of harm and the “ongoing impact of the violence on the children”were not “fully recognised”.
As a result, Kumanjayi Little Baby’s mother was “effectively left with the responsibility of protecting her children while experiencing domestic and family violence herself,” without the DCF adequately identifying the risks posed by the perpetrator or the impact on the children.
“The cumulative impact of the violence and its implications for the child’s safety were not adequately recognised, and protective responses were not pursued in a timely manner," Co-Chairs Karen Webb and Greg Shanahan wrote in the report.
Scope
The review is also examining systemic issues across the child protection system. Its interim report makes seven draft recommendations for the DCF, including:
- Comprehensively resetting the DCF’s operating model.
- Creating a “fit-for-purpose” child protection framework.
- Developing an integrated child protection and domestic and family violence risk assessment approach.
- Establishing an “urgent” child protection workforce strategy.
The final report will be handed to the NT Government in August.
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