Abused, neglected Tiahleigh Palmer was failed by so many

Queensland authorities put the best interests of the murdered schoolgirl behind the ‘rights’ of her mother contributing to a lack of permanency planning in her brief and tragic life.

Tiahleigh Palmer.

Queensland authorities put the best interests of murdered schoolgirl Tiahleigh Palmer behind the “rights” and wishes of her mother, contributing to instability and a lack of permanency planning in her brief and tragic life.

Deputy State Coroner Jane Bentley says a psychologist from therapeutic services provider Evolve, engaged by the Child Safety Department, believed it was her role to support Tiahleigh’s mother, Cindy Palmer. It was “unclear who took on the role of supporting Tiahleigh”, Ms Bentley states, in lengthy written findings delivered on Friday.

The findings lay out the 12-year-old’s life of “neglect, abuse, abandonment and adversity” before she was murdered by her foster father, Rick Thorburn.

“At no time in her short life had she experienced any real stability,” Ms Bentley stated.

Thorburn killed Tiahleigh at the family’s home at Chambers Flat, in Logan, on October 29, 2015, after his then-18-year-old son, Trent, admitted having sex with her and raised concerns she could be pregnant.

Ms Bentley said that “perhaps the most concerning aspect” of the department’s involvement with Tiahleigh “was the lack of concern or action” after she failed to go to school on Friday, October 30.

“The senior team leader went home that afternoon without advising anyone that Tiahleigh was missing,” Ms Bentley stated.

“She didn’t make any effort to find out whether she had been found over the weekend. When she arrived at work on Monday and found that Tiahleigh was still missing, she “felt uneasy”.

“It is inconceivable that the disappearance of any little girl, who was not in care, would be treated in such a dismissive manner,” Ms Bentley said.

Tiahleigh was “not a child who absconded or ran away”.

She had first came to the attention of authorities just a month after being born, when the department received concerns about domestic and family violence; her mother’s parenting, motivation and substance abuse; and reports Tiahleigh had gone through drug withdrawal at birth.

By the time she died, Tiahleigh had been “effectively rejected by both of her parents and had lived in nine different households and a residential care facility”.

An initial internal “systems and practice review” found her death was not the result of any action or inaction by the department, Ms Bentley said.

“It is difficult to accept this conclusion, taking into account Tiahleigh was killed by the person who was chosen by the department to care for her …,” Ms Bentley said.

The internal review was conducted before Thorburn was charged with Tiahleigh’s murder, and did not consider whether the process of approving the foster carers was appropriate.

The department then “declined to carry out another review after (Thorburn) was charged despite that being a recommendation” of the separate, independent Queensland Child Death Case Review Panel, Ms Bentley said.