58 children died in just one year in Queensland after distressing child neglect

The ABC reported, Whistleblowers have lifted the lid on Queensland's dark history of brutal child neglect, after 58 kids known to authorities died in one year alone. Six of the 58 children died from neglect or suspected confirmed' fatal assault, four from drowning and 23 from natural cases. Another 14 took their own lives, the Queensland Family and Child Commission report from 2018-19 found.

Since the last annual count in mid-2019, the state has seen even more horrific child deaths and instances of neglect, raising concerns over fatal mismanagement of abuse cases in the state. In November, sisters Darcey and Chloe-Ann Conley died after they were allegedly left in a scorching hot car outside their Queensland home for seven hours. Following the deaths, Premier Annastacia Palaszcuk confirmed the two girls were being monitored by the Department of Child Safety.

The allegedly decomposing and malnourished body of Willow Dunn, a toddler with Down Syndrome was found in her cot in a Brisbane home on May 23 this year. Her father Mark James Dunn and stepmother Shannon Leigh White were charged with murder, and it has since emerged the department had contact with the family in relation to Willow.

Days later, two autistic brothers, also known to authorities, were allegedly discovered locked in a filthy room in Brisbane starving and naked. ABC Investigations revealed that Child safety staff in Queensland have claimed their workload is untenable and could lead to further tragedies

Cheryl Budge worked at the Department of Child Safety, Youth and Women for 15 years before resigning in 2019.

She said, I would describe the Department of Child Safety in Queensland as currently self-imploding.

Rebecca Hocking, Ms Budge's former colleague, is a child safety officer who has been on stress leave since 2018 after struggling to sleep and suffering from anxiety due to the demands of her job. Ms Hocking believes a number of deaths could have been prevented if staff weren't slammed with their workload.

She said, from my perspective, if workers had the time to be doing what they're meant to be doing … very likely some of these cases where children have died or suffered extreme harm wouldn't have occurred.

Speaking to eight current and former workers, ABC Investigations found child safety worker caseloads were typically more than the average of 17 to 18 reported by the government in July.

Ms Budge said, The caseloads in Queensland … were excessive in the sense that most child safety officers would hold a caseload between 20 and 30 children … really all they're able to do is crisis management.'

In Western Australia there is a limit of 15 cases per worker, while South Australia has an average under 15 and Victoria's average is 14.

Ms Hocking said she questioned the department's average caseload figures in 2015 and 2018. The misrepresenting is grossly unfair and doesn't acknowledge the potential harm to children because safety officers can't meet their needs. Something needs to change to stop putting children in harm and forcing workers to struggle through untenable workloads.