Child safety fail: Silence goes on
PREMIER Annastacia Palaszczuk is remaining silent on how the Department of Child Safety failed to help the homeless family of a nine-monthold baby whose body washed ashore on a Gold Coast beach last week.
Ms Palaszczuk cited the child protection laws when declining to answer a series of Bulletin questions yesterday.
On Saturday, the Bulletin reported Child Safety repeatedly ignored police calls to help the homeless family. Police visited the mother and father, and their two children, aged nine months and two years, three times in 20 hours on November 16 and 17 and became so frustrated that they drove them to a relative’s house in Kingscliff, only for the baby to be allegedly tossed into the Tweed River by her father hours later.
Worried residents, workers in the Broadbeach area and the homeless said the only authorities to visit the famly since May were police or council staff.
When asked on Friday about Child Safety’s failings, Minister Di Farmer cited the Child Protection Act and that the matter is before the courts.
Ms Palaszczuk, who was at the State Disaster Management Centre yesterday dealing with fires threatening central Queensland homes, did the same.
After the baby’s body was found washed up by a passerby at Surfers Paradise beach at 12.30am last Monday, the Premier said she “wanted answers”.
“Queenslanders want answers”, she said.
However, a spokesman would only say yesterday: “The death of any child is a tragedy – for the family of the child, for their friends, and for the broader community.
“There are matters that are currently the subject of criminal proceedings in New South Wales, and may be the subject of further legal proceedings.”
The case would be reviewed internally by the Department of Child Safety and externally by the independent Child Death Case Review Panel.
“Queenslanders rightly want answers but we must allow the police and other authorities to do their jobs,” the spokesman said.
“That means complying with longstanding laws that require people including public officials to not disclose information in relation to child safety matters ...”
Coast MP Ros Bates asked the Premier not to follow her Child Safety Minister by hiding behind “privacy and security arrangements” and “put children above politics”.
1. How long was Child Safety aware of this family?
2. Were reported concerns ever investigated?
3. Was there any communication between NSW and Queensland child protection agencies regarding this family?
4. On what dates did child safety officers visit this family?
5. Was a risk/safety assessment ever undertaken?
6. Does the Premier think it is OK for a young child to be living from toilet block to toilet block?
7. What help was given by Child Safety to find this family suitable accommodation?
8. Which Child Safety agency was involved with this family and were there any resourcing issues – previous reports have highlighted staffing concerns at Mermaid Beach and Nerang – that prevented something being done for this family?
9. Where does the buck stop in regards to responsibility for protecting children in Queensland when a parent is unwilling or unable to protect? Isn’t it ultimately with yourself and Child Safety Minister Di Farmer?
10. If Child Safety wasn’t prepared to help this family, why weren’t they referred to a funded agency for support? Is this evidence that the secondary child protection system is failing families in need?
11. Has the Government lost all credibility when it comes to protecting vulnerable at-risk children?
12. Does this Government need to confront the reality that an unacceptably high number of children known to Child Safety have died in tragic and preventable circumstances in the past four years and that an inquiry is needed into the department?
13. Can you guarantee that any child who is at risk, who is known to the department, who should be seen within 24 hours, will be safe?
14. Can you guarantee that what occurred with the ninemonth-old baby – where the police were unable to get back-up support from Child Safety – will not happen to another child in Queensland?
15. On Friday, the Bulletin asked many of these questions of Di Farmer. She decided not to comment for privacy reasons. It is clear there were massive failings with Child Safety for six months. Given that, what are you going to do today to ensure another child, known to the department, does not lose their life in similar tragic circumstances?
16. This is the second Minister for Child Safety under your watch. Are you going to put someone in charge of the department who will make a real difference, who won’t hide behind privacy and security arrangements, who will put the safety of the children above politics?