Attorney-General Kyam Maher told reporters that he and several other ministers had been briefed on the suspected case of criminal neglect involving Charlie and five other siblings who were living at the same Munno Para property.

He refused to provide details of the case citing an ongoing police investigation and a possible coronial inquest, but said he and other ministers had been left “profoundly touched” by the “tragic, unnecessary loss of such a young, innocent life”.

Six-year-old Charlie was found unresponsive in her home in the early hours of Friday, July 15. She was taken by ambulance to the Lyell McEwin Hospital but died shortly after.

Police are investigating her death as a suspected case of criminal neglect causing death. The Department of the Premier and Cabinet is also undertaking a review into the family’s contact with at least four government agencies.

Neighbours reportedly said they tried raising concerns about Charlie’s care with child protection authorities, but their reports went unanswered.

Maher said if people are unsatisfied with the Child Protection Department’s response, they should contact the department’s complaints line or the state Ombudsman.

Asked if the government would consider introducing another independent complaints body for those left unsatisfied by the response of child protection authorities, Maher said: “I’m sure that’s something that will be looked and considered at as part of a review”.

He said the need for an additional complaints body “is something that will be looked at in terms of the processes in place in this particular case, but systemically how things are reported”.

“I know that there are many reports that are made to the (child protection) hotline at the moment, but whether there needs to be anything on top of or further to that – that sits below a report to the Ombudsman – I’m sure will be looked at,” he said.

Maher said the government would also consider legislative changes if they are recommended following the Department of Premier and Cabinet review, police investigation or potential coronial inquest.

“That is something that we would look at, but not just what the law says and if that needs changing, but how the policies and the legislation is currently interpreted and implemented,” he said.

The Department of the Premier and Cabinet review is also set to consider whether a decision to remove family support services from the control of the Department for Child Protection created “additional complexity” for authorities.

“There is the additional complexity at the moment that we’ve inherited from the previous government – a decision to put the family services that work with the family into a different department, not child protection,” Acting Premier Susan Close told ABC Radio Adelaide this morning.

“One of the questions I have of this investigation that will be undertaken by (the Department of) Premier and Cabinet is, has that changed the way in which there were interactions between the people who decide to remove a child and the people who are going in and work with the family?

“Has that caused any additional complexity?”

The terms of reference for the Department of Premier and Cabinet inquiry, to be led by chief executive Damien Walker, are:

• Chronology of services delivered and agencies engaged,
• Roles, responsibilities and interactions of respective agencies,
• Effectiveness of interventions and government services,
• Identification of any system improvements

A spokesperson from the Department of Premier and Cabinet told InDaily the government would seek to undertake the review “as expediently as possible but must ensure it won’t jeopardise the ongoing criminal investigation”.

“The review needs to be thorough and meaningful and will be resourced accordingly with some of the best people from across the department,” they said.

InDaily asked the Department for Child Protection whether it was reviewing any other child protection files or cases following Charlie’s death, or whether a separate internal inquiry would be undertaken into its involvement.

A spokesperson responded: “As announced yesterday, SA Police have established a taskforce to investigate this tragic death.

“In addition, the State Government has announced a review to be led by the Department of Premier and Cabinet (DPC) will examine the interactions between government agencies and the family.

“All government agencies, including the Department for Child Protection (DCP), will fully co-operate with these investigations.”