Kumanjayi Little Baby: damning report finds ‘heartbreaking’ child protection failures before five-year-old’s death
Summary
A report found major failures in the Northern Territory’s child protection system before the death of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby, who was allegedly abducted and murdered. The review showed that children were sometimes placed with adults without proper criminal checks, and signs of domestic violence were not properly addressed.Key Facts
- Kumanjayi Little Baby was found dead in April, five days after her alleged abduction in Alice Springs.
- Jefferson Lewis, a 47-year-old man not related to the child, is charged with her murder and is in custody.
- The review was done by former NSW police commissioner Karen Webb and public servant Greg Shanahan, commissioned by the NT government.
- The report found that police and child protection departments often failed to check the criminal history of adults caring for children.
- Kumanjayi’s family was known to child protection services before her birth, and a safety plan was made relying on adults in the family’s network.
- One adult trusted to care for Kumanjayi had a violent criminal history, including threats to kill.
- The report identified gaps between child protection laws and how they were applied, including poor risk assessment.
- The Northern Territory government accepted all 45 recommendations made by the report.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
