Child protection review after scathing inquest into preventable deaths of Amber Rigney and Korey Mitchell, but department boss denies ‘serious problems’

The boss of SA’s child protection department has refused to acknowledge serious systemic issues identified by a coronial investigation into the murders of two children.

An independent reviewer will examine major systemic failings found by an inquest to have contributed to the deaths of two children killed by their mother’s partner.

The performance of the state’s child protection department has been defended by its chief executive, Cathy Taylor, at a media conference held to announce the review.

Ms Taylor rejected allegations her department had failed to act, telling reporters she disagreed that the Deputy Coroner Anthony Schapel had identified major failures.

“I don’t believe that the Coroner said there were serious problems (within the department),” she said.

She went on to say: “What I think he identified was that there is a critical need to understand have all of the recommendations been implemented, have they made the difference they should have, and is the department and system resourced in the way that it should be and I welcome that opportunity”.

Department of Child Protection chief executive Cathy Taylor (right) with Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard at a media conference discussing the coronial inquest. Picture NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier

When pressed, Ms Taylor later admitted: “I can acknowledge this one was we didn’t get right”, but stopped short of calling the case a failure.

In scathing findings, Mr Schapel found the deaths of Amber Rose Rigney, 6, and Korey Lee Mitchell, 5, in 2016 were preventable.

Amber and Korey were strangled to death by Steven Graham Peet, the partner of their mother Adeline Yvette Wilson-Rigney, who also killed Ms Wilson-Rigney at their Hillier home in Adelaide’s north.

Mr Schapel concluded the department should have intervened to at least investigate the family and, if an investigation had been done, it would have revealed “the completely unsatisfactory nature of the manner in which the two children were being cared for”.

He noted that, in Amber and Korey’s case, the department continued to ignore its mandatory obligations, despite specific recommendations addressing that topic in inquests after the deaths of toddlers Chloe Valentine and Ebony Napier.

Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard addresses a media conference while being watched by Child Protection Department chief executive Cathy Taylor. Picture Emma Brasier/NCA NewsWire

Mrs Taylor appeared alongside Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard on Friday to announce an independent reviewer would be appointed to look at all coronial recommendations relating to child protection in South Australia.

Mr Schapel had recommended the review when delivering his findings following an inquest into the deaths of Amber and Korey.

“What this inquest has highlighted … is the folly of governments ignoring coronial and other recommendations,” he said.

But, when asked whether she acknowledged there were recommendations that had not been implemented, Ms Taylor said: “What I’d acknowledge, and we gave the Coroner an update last year when (DCP executive) Sue Macdonald was giving evidence in this matter, we took them through where we were up to on the implementation at that stage of all of the recommendations.”

Child Protection Department chief executive Cathy Taylor answers questions during the media conference. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier

Addressing her first media conference, Ms Hildyard offered her condolences and promised to act on all of Mr Schapel’s recommendations.

Ms Hildyard said her “love and condolences go to the family who feel this loss deeply, every single day”.

“We could have done much better as a state,” she said.

“ I can’t fix the past … but I absolutely reflect every day on those failings.

“It breaks my heart there are families grieving children because of those failings.”

Ms Hildyard said she was focused on “rigorously” reviewing the system, and expected the inquiry would be finalised by the end of this year.

“This government will do everything in its power to prevent tragedies like this occurring again in future,” she said.

Amber and Korey’s grandfather, Steve Egberts, said he was “a bit furious” at Ms Taylor’s comments during the press conference.

Mr Egberts welcomed the review but said he was “extremely sceptical” about whether the department would accept the findings.

“We had to sit in the Coroner’s Court and listen to denial after denial after denial and now we’re asked to believe they’ll change,” he said.

“It’s all very backhanded and, to me personally, it would have meant so much more if they had done it long before this.”

Chloe, 4, died in 2012 from injuries sustained when she fell from a motorcycle she was made to ride in a backyard by her mother and her boyfriend while baby Ebony died in 2012 after being left in the care of father by the department.

Under state law, child protection authorities are obliged to take action in cases where they believe children are placed at risk because of their parents’ drug use.

In such situations, there is a mandatory obligation upon the Department for Child Protection to apply for an order from the Youth Court directing parents to undergo drug assessment.

The assessment can then ensure parents received appropriate treatment or periodic testing to monitor their drug abuse.

Premier Peter Malinauskas with Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard. Picture: Emily Cosenza.

No application was made against the parents of Chloe Valentine or Ebony Napier, despite clear reasons for suspicion in both cases, and coroners in those matters made recommendations that authorities should strictly comply with the law.

No application was made in the Hillier case either, despite the warnings contained in those two reports, which were published within the 13 months prior to Amber and Korey’s death.

Mr Schapel found there had been “consistent” observations about Ms Rigney-Wilson’s ice usage and the effect it had on her ability to care for the children.

Asked about that obligation, Ms Taylor said changes to the law meant the department was no longer required to apply to the Youth Court to require a parent to participate in drug assessment.

“Certainly the department, at times, will make applications but what we really tried to do is work with the family from the outset because, what we recognise is, it’s a really strong signal to us about their preparedness to put children at the centre,” she said.