Northern Territory suffering from 'culture of cover-up' over child protection

OPPOSITION politicians are calling for an end to the “culture of cover-up” over child protection and social services in the Northern Territory.

OPPOSITION politicians are calling for an end to the "culture of cover-up" in the Northern Territory government, demanding the Labor administration release two wide-ranging reports that reveal the breakdown in child protection and other social services.

Country Liberals' child protection spokeswoman Jodeen Carney alleged today that the NT government's failure to release the Bath Report - details of which were recently published by The Australian - was motivated by self-interest.

“Media reports based on a leaked copy of the 2007 Bath Report indicate the decision to suppress the report was concerned with protecting the reputation of the Government, not children at risk of harm,” Ms Carney said.

The Australian obtained a copy of the Bath Report - completed in November 2007 but kept under wraps by the Territory government - and published its contents at the weekend.

The extensive reports' executive summary and recommendations were tabled in NT parliament in late 2007 but the Australian understands that even heads of department in the government were kept ignorant of its damning contents.

The report reveals case after case where children in the care of the state were exposed to great risk by the government, with several examples of avoidable tragedies occurring under the government's watch.

The audit of high-risk cases by Dr Bath revealed, among many cases, that of Aboriginal toddler John (not his real name), who was burned with boiling water, possibly deliberately, by his carer after the department of Families and Community Services ignored the concerns of a magistrate and doctors that the malnourished child should not live with his family.

It also revealed that a 17-year-old boy who fatally stabbed his carer in 2007 had not been given case management nor any support despite exhibiting extremely disturbing behaviour in the months before the stabbing.

The boy, given the pseudonym Michael, had been killing and dismembering dogs in a remote community and had attacked a young girl, lacerating her scalp and partly severing a finger.

And in another case, a young Aboriginal girl was deemed “conditionally safe” despite sniffing petrol and selling sex for money and drugs in a remote town, with repeated police entreaties to take the girl into care ignored by FACS.

NT child protection minister Kon Vatskalis issued a statement in response to The Australian's coverage of the crisis, denying that the report was kept hidden but refusing to release it in its entirety.

Mr Vatskalis said a government inquiry into child protection that is due to begin public forums this week would “completely review and reassess the Child Protection System”.

“My absolute priority is to the welfare of all children, and I will make any necessary and vigorous changes to the system to ensure their safety and wellbeing is paramount, Mr Vatskalis said.

The NT ombudsman - who was refused a copy of the 2007 Bath Report by the government and will be forced to issue a summons on Dr Bath to obtain it - has also weighed into the furore surrounding child protection.

Ombudsman Carolyn Richards has accused the government of attempting to shut down her own inquiry which is examining 35 complaints involving children in the care of FACS.

Ms Richards told The Australian yesterday that she believed the official government inquiry was nothing but “a facade”.

The ombudsman also revealed she has also been denied access to another report recently drafted by Dr Bath into FACS' intake services, and believed that Dr Bath had been asked by the government to alter his report.

According to Ms Richards, when she requested a copy of the intake report, Dr Bath told her office he he had been asked to “change its status”.

“All I can say is Dr Bath's words were `the minister has asked me to change the status of that report',” Ms Richards told The Australian. “He said that to one of my staff.”

Asked if she had any insight into what Dr Bath meant by “change the status” of the report, Ms Richards said she believed Dr Bath had been asked to' “make it a report that can be tabled in parliament, and not what it is.”

But Dr Bath said yesterday this was not true. “I have received no request from any minister to change a report into aspects of child protection in the Territory, nor have I made any changes.

At the Minister's request I delivered him an interim progress report rather than a final report.”

The NT opposition said Ms Carney said today that it was outrageous that the government appeared to be actively obstructing the work of the ombudsman.

“It is disgraceful that the Henderson Government has systematically obstructed the Ombudsman's investigation of its dysfunctional child protection system,” Ms Carney said.

“It is the role of the Ombudsman to investigate when Government systems fail; it is the obligation of Governments to facilitate those investigations.

“The lack of public scrutiny of the dangerous failings of the child protection system is putting vulnerable children at greater risk of harm.”