Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the image of an Indigenous person who has died, used with the permission of her family.
An independent review into the family circumstances of Kumanjayi Little Baby prior to her tragic death has found serious departmental failures over how her case was managed.
The five-year-old girl was allegedly abducted and murdered from an Alice Springs town camp house in April this year, in a case that shocked Australia.
Vigils for Kumanjayi Little Baby were held across the nation in the wake of her death. (ABC News: Marcus Kennedy)
A 47-year-old man, Jefferson Lewis, has been arrested and charged over the alleged murder.
In the wake of the tragedy, NT Child Protection Minister Robyn Cahill announced that an independent review would be held into the girl’s circumstances prior to her death.
These circumstances were not to do with Mr Lewis, but were in regards to reports that the little girl was the subject of child protection notifications prior to her disappearance.
Five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby died in April this year. (Supplied: NT Police)
The review, led by former New South Wales police commissioner Karen Webb and former acting NT anti-corruption commissioner Greg Shanahan, is today being tabled in NT Parliament.
“The review found that the key issue in the [Kumanjayi Little Baby] matter 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,” the report reads.
“Despite repeated indicators of domestic and family violence, 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.”
Karen Webb co-lead the investigation. (ABC News: Keana Naughton)
Kumanjayi Little Baby’s father, Raphael Granites, was in prison facing aggravated assault and domestic violence charges at the time of the little girl’s alleged murder.
The Webb-Shanahan review has come back with seven interim recommendations, including the need for a “comprehensive reset of [the Department of Children and Families] operating model”.
“To ensure its structure, resource allocation, decision-making pathways and workforce arrangements enable the effective and timely delivery of statutory child protection responsibilities,” the recommendation reads.
The Webb-Shanahan review’s full seven recommendations are:
- The Department of Children and Families (DCF) Executive Leadership Team should establish clear governance and accountability arrangements to oversee the implementation of reforms arising from this review, including workforce capability, practice reform, operating model redesign, risk assessment and service delivery improvements.
- Develop and implement an urgent child protection workforce strategy to address critical vacancies, improve recruitment and retention, strengthen workforce capability, and ensure sufficient experienced practitioners are available to undertake statutory child protection functions.
- Develop and implement an integrated child protection and domestic and family violence risk assessment approach that ensures domestic and family violence-related risks, including cumulative harm, coercive control and the impact of perpetrator behaviour on children and non-offending parents, are appropriately identified and considered in statutory decision-making.
- Strengthen safety planning processes to ensure plans are evidence-based, clearly identify risks, responsibilities and timeframes, and include appropriate monitoring and follow-up arrangements to assess whether safety has been achieved and maintained.
- Review and redesign service delivery models to ensure DCF has the capacity and flexibility to respond to current and projected demand, including consideration of alternative practice models for the centralised call centre and regional frontline child protection services.
- Undertake a comprehensive reset of DCF’s operating model to ensure its structure, resource allocation, decision-making pathways and workforce arrangements enable the effective and timely delivery of statutory child protection responsibilities under the Care and Protection of Children Act 2007.
- Develop and implement a fit-for-purpose child protection practice framework that clearly aligns with DCF’s legislative responsibilities under the Care and Protection of Children Act 2007, provides guidance for statutory decision-making, and supports practitioners to balance family engagement with the need for timely protective intervention where required.
The review is being handed down on the same day that new controversial child protection laws are being introduced to NT Parliament.
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