FOI documents shed further light on Child Protection Department’s response to Whyalla toddler death
Documents uncovered via Freedom of Information have revealed new information on the Child Protection Department’s response to the death of a three-year-old girl in Whyalla.
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The death of a three-year-old girl in Whyalla earlier this year triggered a “significant incident” report, Freedom of Information documents reveal.
The documents say that the Department for Child Protection (DCP) lodged the report following the toddler’s death in May.
It comes after The Advertiser reported that alarms had been raised with authorities before the child’s death.
The case was brought to light following inquiries by The Advertiser despite promises from the head of the DCP to be more transparent about the deaths of at-risk children.
Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard was notified of the girl’s death on May 10, believed to be a day after she died.
The department classifies significant incidents as “events that occur as a result of, or during the delivery of, services directly provided or funded by the department, that cause or are likely to cause significant negative impacts on the health, safety or wellbeing of clients, staff or others involved in the event”.
The three-year-old girl was not in state care at the time of her death, however The Advertiser revealed at least one of her siblings was subsequently removed from her family and placed in state care.
The Freedom of Information documents, obtained by the ABC, have been heavily redacted but show that SA Ambulance attended the incident, while police either attended or were advised of it.
The department, in the documents, also said the incident could draw “possible media attention”.
The girl’s death has been referred to the coroner.
Opposition child protection spokesman Josh Teague said on ABC radio on Thursday there was clear public interest in knowing what the department was doing and whether or not it was discharging its responsibilities in accordance with the law.
A DCP spokesperson said the department does not “hold information about this child’s cause of death” and some of the material sought under the FOI could not be legally disclosed.
The spokesperson added that questions about the investigation should be directed to SAPOL and the Coroner.
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