NSW child protection review after four-year-old's alleged murder

The New South Wales department in charge of child protection received “a number of reports” about a four-year-old child before he was allegedly murdered by his mother, the minister revealed, as she announced a review into how the case was handled.

Kate Washington, the NSW minister for communities and family, announced the independent review into the child’s case on Monday afternoon, two days after police found the preschooler’s body at a home on the Central Coast.

His mother was remanded in custody and was on Sunday charged with murder. It is understood police are investigating if cannibalism was involved in the incident.

Police said they rushed to the home at Wyong after a 31-year-old woman presented to the local police station on Saturday. The body of the child was found with significant arm injuries inside the home he shared with his mother.

Tuggerah Lakes police district commander, Supt Chad Gillies, told reporters police and paramedics faced what was an “extremely confronting scene” for even the most experienced of officers.

The Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) confirmed it had “previous contact with the family” and was “currently examining all relevant records and information relating to this matter”.

Washington confirmed the DCJ had received and also responded to “a number of reports” about the child, with the last one 18 months ago.

She told reporters there were “many complexities” in the case when asked if it was appropriate for the child to have remained in his mother’s care after reports were made about his safety. She said this question, as well as the mother’s reported drug use and mental health challenges, would form part of the review.

The review will be led by former president of the Children’s Court, Peter Johnstone, with a report due by the end of the year, Washington said.

“The review will examine the department’s previous contact with the family, why the child was living with the mother, whether departmental decisions and actions were appropriate, and whether the department could have done more to protect this child,” Washington said

“I intend to publicly release the review, subject to any legal constraints arising from the ongoing criminal proceedings and the coroner’s processes.

“There are many people across NSW today who are asking how this has happened, and whether or not more could have been done to protect this child.

“We really want to understand if there are things that we could have done differently to create greater protection for him.”

The NSW government announced last year it was undertaking major reforms to the child protection and out-of-home care system.

Washington said on Monday: “We are managing a system that was spiralling out of control. We are trying to turn it around.”

A damning 2024 audit found the state was failing tens of thousands of vulnerable children due to an “ineffective” and “unsustainable” child protection system.

On Monday morning, the state opposition released a statement calling for an independent review into the department’s contact with the family as “horrific details emerge”.

“My thoughts are with the child’s family, loved ones and everyone in the community affected by this unimaginable loss. This is a heartbreaking tragedy,” said the shadow minister for families and communities, Natasha Maclaren-Jones.

“This unthinkable tragedy is unfortunately not the first case where this government has failed to protect our most vulnerable children, in the last year alone.

“The government knows there are workforce shortages, overwhelming caseloads, and gaps in early intervention, this case raises serious concerns, and an independent investigation must be conducted.”

The DCJ confirmed in a statement that it was examining its contact with the family and extended its deepest sympathies to the child’s family, loved ones and community.

“Given the matter remains the subject of an active NSW police investigation, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this stage,” a spokesperson said.

The leader of the government in the legislative council, Penny Sharpe, said “this is just a horrific event” after being asked about the tragedy at a press conference on Monday morning.

“The loss of any child is something that shocks an entire community,” she said.

The woman appeared briefly before local court on Sunday and did not make an application for bail. She is due to appear again before Wyong local court on 1 September.

The woman and child cannot be named due to a law that protects the identification of children in criminal matters.

- Additional reporting by Lisa Cox