An independent review into the Northern Territory’s child protection department finds serious and widespread failures in how Kumanjayi Little Baby’s safety was assessed and managed before her alleged murder. The five-year-old Warlpiri girl was found dead in April after she was allegedly abducted from a town camp in Alice Springs in the days prior.
Outlet reports say the review concludes the department rated her safety as 2 out of 10 and that the lead-up to her death involved “confronting” and “heartbreaking” failures. The Northern Territory government has announced sweeping reforms to the child protection system, with one account noting reforms were announced in May shortly after her death. Additional coverage also reports that a further report into the department’s handling—first announced months earlier—is due to be tabled in parliament, following the review’s findings.
While the outlets emphasize the gravity of the findings, they focus on related stages of the process: the review’s conclusions, the government’s reform response, and forthcoming parliamentary scrutiny of the findings.
