Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard refuses to release further details about Whyalla toddler’s death

The Child Protection Minister has refused to provide new details on the death of a Whyalla toddler, saying it’s “difficult to make other comments”.

Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard has doubled down on refusing to release further information about the death of a three-year-old girl in Whyalla.

Speaking at an announcement on ‘tiny homes’ for young people transitioning out of care on Tuesday, Ms Hildyard said the matter was being considered by the state Coroner and it was “difficult to make other comments as that process rightly continues”.

“And because we want to make sure that this family is afforded the confidentiality that they deserve,” she said.

Last month, The Advertiser revealed the state government had been alerted to the death of a three-year-old girl in Whyalla in May.

The 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.

Alarms had been raised with authorities before the toddler’s death but Ms Hildyard would not be drawn on the issue when asked if early intervention could have saved the girl.

“It is a tragedy when any child dies and I do offer my condolences to the family, as I have done previously,” she said.

The toddler’s death has been reported to the Coroner and investigated “in accordance with usual practice”, the Coroners Court said.

Minister for Child Protection Katrine Hildyard. Picture: NewsWire / Roy VanDerVegt

Earlier, the Opposition called for more transparency about the circumstances surrounding the girl’s death.

“Stonewalling by the minister is not good enough,” opposition spokesman for child protection Josh Teague said.

Asked about measures taken by the department to ensure the situation doesn’t repeat itself, Ms Hildyard on Tuesday said the government was undertaking reforms to “strengthen the lives of families and to strengthen the child protection and family support system”.

“We know that one in three children in South Australia are the subject of a notification to the Department for Child Protection (DCP). They are in contact with the child protection and family support system at some point in the course of their lives,” she said.

“We know that families are facing complex challenges, including a prevalence of domestic violence, mental ill health, substance misuse, intergenerational trauma and a range of other issues. We know that there are a range of ways that we need to reform the child protection and family support system to best respond to those families who are facing challenges.

“There are many, many things that we are undertaking to reform the system so that we give families the best chance of safely staying together, but also that those really difficult decisions are made when they need to be for children to be removed for a period of time.”

Freedom of Information documents revealed the girl’s death triggered a “significant incident” report lodged by the DCP.

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 matter was subsequently referred to the coroner.

Originally published as Child Protection Minister Katrine Hildyard refuses to release further details about Whyalla toddler’s death