Child Protection Expert Group announced by SA Minister Katrine Hildyard

Top minds from around the country have been brought in to advise the state government on fixing South Australia’s child protection mess.

Child deaths and neglect will be the top priorities of a new 15-member expert group charged with advising Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard on how to fix the system.

The announcement came on the day police arrested three people in connection with the separate, high-profile deaths of Charlie Nowland, 6, Makai Wanganeen, 7, and Jasmine Wilmott, 15.

Ms Hildyard would not comment on the arrests of Crystal Nowland, Shane Wanganeen and Jenni Wilmott but said the way authorities respond to deaths of at-risk children would be among the most urgent tasks of a new Child Protection Expert Group.

It is expected to meet four to six times a year, beginning in May, and report directly to Ms Hildyard.

The deaths of Makai, in February 2022, and Charlie, five months later in July, prompted Premier Peter Malinauskas to commission an inquiry by former police commissioner Mal Hyde into the involvement of government agencies with their families.

Premier Peter Malinauskas, flanked by former Police Commissioner Mal Hyde and Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard as they release Mr Hyde’s recommendations for improving the child protection system. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

Mr Hyde’s findings included that the government should establish a “taskforce on child neglect”.

Asked about this on Wednesday, Ms Hildyard conceded no taskforce had yet been created but stressed that neglect would be a key focus of the new expert group.

“Rather than us every time (there is an incident) reacting with a review we actually want this group there all the time to be ... thinking intensively about those challenges, like neglect and cumulative harm,” she told The Advertiser.

“This is absolutely going to focus on neglect as a priority.

“Also we do need to look at exactly how we examine, really quickly, the circumstances around child deaths and serious matters that come up, and to look at what the review model is so that it is really strong.

“We really want them to get into that work as well.”

Currently deaths of children in state care or who are known to the Department for Child Protection (DCP) are reviewed under its adverse events procedure.

Details of these deaths are not routinely made public but have been released sporadically through Freedom of Information (FOI) laws or coronial inquests.

In January The Advertiser revealed almost 60 children reported to DCP at some point in their lives have died in the past four years – prompting calls to track their deaths with a public toll.

On Wednesday Ms Hildyard said she was open to releasing some data but would “have to weigh up” providing more information against the requirements of police investigations or family privacy.

“I do want to be (more transparent) where I can be,” she said.

“I really have that burning desire to engage our community more deeply in what we face in child protection and to really grow understanding of how hard things are for some families.”

In a wide-ranging interview Ms Hildyard also revealed:

A REVIEW of the practices within a DCP office named in Mr Hyde’s review had been done and a report for the minister was “close to finalisation”.

THERE is “active work being done” drafting changes to the offence of criminal neglect of children, after Mr Hyde said the current bar for prosecution was “too high” and called for an offence that “aligned with community expectations”.

THE permanent replacement for outgoing DCP boss Cathy Taylor - who finishes in the role on Friday - will be announced “within a couple of weeks” and the government is finalising arrangements for an acting chief.