Investigation into former SA Child Protection Department deputy chief executive Adam Reilly expected to end next week

Under a cloud of “hurtful rumours’, the first Aboriginal person appointed as Child Protection Department chief has spoken out about what led to the culmination of his role.

Adam Reilly believes his values “were not welcome” in his role as deputy chief executive of the SA Department for Child Protection. Picture: Brenton Edwards

A former deputy chief of the Child Protection Department says his position “dramatically changed” after he apologised to Aboriginal families whose babies had been removed at birth.

Adam Reilly, who left the department last year under a cloud of “hurtful rumours”, told a state parliamentary committee that he had been unfairly treated.

Mr Reilley, the first Aboriginal person appointed to the Child Protection Department in SA role in 2023, addressed his sudden and “mysterious” departure from the department, which is under investigation. He told a Select Committee on the Children and Young People Bill that he was on leave with pay from April last year before being asked to resign in a letter from chief executive officer Jackie Bray in August.

Adam Reilly’s deputy chief executive job at the Child Protection Department ended in August last year and he believes an “administrative investigation” linked to the events will be completed next week. Picture: Brenton Edwards

Mr Reilly said treatment by senior managers “changed dramatically” after his apology to Aboriginal parents at a Commissioner for Aboriginal Children and Young People.

“I realised after giving evidence at the hearings … the shift towards me was stark, it was very apparent that the values thatI hold were not welcome,” he said, believing the apology was seen as “some kind of betrayal”.

“I had a conversation with the chief executive to say I’m not sure this was working out for us and then it was in August that I received a letter from the chief executive saying she would like to terminate the employment.”

Outside today’s meeting Mr Reilly said that he welcomed the opportunity to “squash some of the really hurtful rumours that have been circulating” and when asked if he was unfairly treated he replied “yes”.

Mr Reilly raised concerns about the culture within the department during the committee meeting and said “if I were to have remained with the department I would really be pushing for all of those senior executive positions to be openly advertised” with existing staff “welcome to apply”.

Further concerns were raised by Mr Reilly relating to the department having a “two-class system, there’s an operations culture and there’s a head office culture”.

“I was pushing for head office staff to spend time with people working in the community and there was a lot of pushback,” he said. “People in the field have been knocked around a lot,” he said.

In response to questions about the claims, a spokesperson for Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildya, responded by saying “the state government is unable to further elaborate on the circumstances relating to Adam Reilly’s departure”.