A Queensland coroner’s court has revealed systemic failures in child protection services that contributed to the death of an eight-year-old girl in 2022, with evidence suggesting her case was deprioritized due to workload pressures and misplaced assumptions about her family’s circumstances. Court hearings indicated the assigned caseworker was "very busy," leading to insufficient oversight, while the child’s well-being was allegedly overshadowed by perceptions tied to her family’s socioeconomic status. Authorities heard concerns that the case may not have been treated with the urgency it required, raising questions about how risk assessments were applied in child protection investigations. The findings highlight broader issues in how vulnerable children are assessed and supported within the system.
Eight-year-old Queensland girl died in 2022 after being denied insulin by her religious parentsGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastElizabeth Struhs’ child protection case was not “prioritised” or worked intensively because the staff member assigned to her case was “very busy”, a coroner has heard.The Queensland coroner’s court also heard the case worker may have been “overly influenced” by the presentation of Struhs’ “upper class home”, putting cases believed to involve a more immediate risk ahead of Elizabeth’s. Continue reading...
