Breaking: Kumanjayi Little Baby review finds extensive failings

A review into the NT child protection department's dealings with Kumanjayi Little Baby's family before her alleged murder has revealed extensive failings.

The report showed a long history of violence in the five-year-old's family, and identifies a number of issues concerning the timeliness of the Department of Children and Families' responses.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the image of an Indigenous person who has died, used with the permission of her family.

An independent review into the Northern Territory child protection department's conduct surrounding Kumanjayi Little Baby before her alleged murder has revealed extensive failings, with a final report calling for a "system-wide reset" of the department's function.

Former New South Wales Police Commissioner Karen Webb and long-time senior NT public servant Greg Shanahan conducted the three-month review, tabling their final report with 45 recommendations in NT parliament this morning.

The review was commissioned by NT Child Protection Minister Robyn Cahill in April, weeks after five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby was allegedly abducted and murdered by Jefferson Lewis, 47.

The report says Kumanjayi Little Baby's family had been known to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) since her mother was pregnant with her, receiving repeated notifications over several years about the little girl's exposure to domestic and family violence.

They "predominantly" involved Kumanjayi Little Baby's father, the report says, covering verbal and physical violence, breaches of domestic violence orders and coercive and controlling behaviour against her mother.

In tabling the report in parliament this morning, Ms Cahill, who was wearing Kumanjayi Little Baby's favourite colour, pink, said the report's findings were "confronting" and "heartbreaking".

She said the department rated Kumanjayi Little Baby's safety as two out of a score of 10, and found "no signs of safety" following an incident in August 2022 where her mother was assaulted and then 16-month-old Kumanjayi Little Baby was struck to the head.

"For 229 days the case remained open with no tangible improved outcome for Kumanjayi Little Baby, in spite of a further assessment done in January, 2023, which noted her vulnerability and an increasing level of concern," Ms Cahill said.

She told parliament that no domestic and family violence risk assessment was carried out despite "the escalating pattern of violence that she was being exposed to".

"In short, the system in place did not support recognition of the risk this placed Kumanjayi Little Baby in," Ms Cahill said.

The report identified several issues concerning DCF's responses to the notifications.