Caseworkers warned of child safety gaps before four-year-old's death

Caseworkers in the Central Coast region warned days before a four-year-old boy's death that gaps in child protection services could leave families without support. The warnings came as existing programs wound down ahead of a new statewide family preservation system.

The boy and his 32-year-old mother were known to the Department of Communities and Justice, which had received multiple reports about the family. The most recent report was received 18 months earlier, before the family moved to the Central Coast from the Northern Tablelands.

Transition to new system The region was transitioning child protection services from non-government organizations to a new framework called Families Together. The change was scheduled to begin July 1 and aimed to keep children with their families rather than placing them in out-of-home care.

Legacy programs began closing referrals in January, leaving 170 families on the Central Coast and 550 families statewide to be moved to new providers. Direct referrals from outside the department were paused until the end of the year. Caseworkers said they were unable to refer families to new services and that some department staff were unfamiliar with the new system.

Reports of risk of serious harm were filed with the department, which is supposed to respond within 24 hours. A department spokesperson said all but 11 families statewide had been transitioned to new providers and that no families on the Central Coast remained without support.

The spokesperson added that new referrals into the family preservation program have continued throughout the transition.

Concerns from service providers The Association of Children's Welfare Agencies said the transition created uncertainty for families who needed ongoing support. Its chief executive wrote to the department warning of potential service gaps as programs closed.