Questions remain unanswered as authorities fail to confirm whether 500 at-risk children have received welfare check

Authorities will not say how many of the 500 at-risk children identified in a top-level report to government have so far received a welfare check.

Authorities will not say how many of the 500 at-risk children identified in a top-level report to government have so far received a welfare check.

On November 9 Premier Peter Malinauskas said police officers would be drafted in to urgently check on hundreds of children after they were flagged in a review by former police commissioner Mal Hyde.

The children were already known to the Child Protection Department but Mr Hyde’s report found swifter action was needed to ensure their safety.

Two and a half weeks later The Advertiser lodged questions about progress on the checks with SA Police, Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard and the Child Protection Department.

A three-line written response was provided by SA Police, “on behalf of” police and the department.

It said SA Police was “co-ordinating the process of checking on the children identified in the Hyde Review” and that the child protection and human services departments were “working collaboratively to achieve the outcome”.

“There will not be further comment at this time,” it said.

The department and Ms Hildyard’s office referred The Advertiser to the police response.

The Advertiser had asked all parties how many checks had been conducted so far and when it was expected that all 500 children would be seen.

In the days following the revelations about the at-risk children Ms Hildyard could not say exactly how the operation to check on them would work or when it would be complete, but that police would work “hand-in-hand” with child protection staff.

Premier Peter Malinauskas, flanked by Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard, release the Hyde and Alexander child protection reports. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

Police Commissioner Grant Stevens later said the checks, and decisions about what should happen to the children, would be handled by child protection workers and police officers “should be used as a last resort”.

The Advertiser’s inquiries this week asked SA Police how it decided which children to prioritise for the first visits, and the department and Ms Hildyard whether there had been need to remove any of the children from their families or whether any had been referred to extra support services.

These questions were not answered.

Mr Hyde’s report was commissioned by Mr Malinauskas following the deaths of Charlie Nowland, 6, and Makai Wanganeen, 7.

SA Police launched Task Force Prime to investigate the two unrelated deaths. No charges have been laid.

Both children were living with their families but known to government agencies.

Mr Hyde was tasked with reviewing the involvement of those agencies with the families.

Former Police Commissioner Mal Hyde. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Brenton Edwards

Chief Executive of The SA Department of Child Protection, Cathy Taylor. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Emma Brasier

A list of Mr Hyde’s 31 recommendations was released but the rest of his report was withheld – despite a government pledge to make it public.

Mr Hyde and Mr Malinauskas said releasing detail in the report could affect ongoing police investigations.

Mr Hyde said the 500 children were identified through analysing data on children aged under 10, who were the subject of more than 15 reports to authorities and where red flags had been raised in the past six months.

However, he would not say what factors were putting the children at risk – such as drug or alcohol abuse by parents, domestic violence, poverty or squalor.

The Advertiser has launched the Save Our Kids campaign to lobby for changes to better protect at-risk children.