In short:
The parents of a girl who died in state care say they were not contacted by child safety until several days after her death.
asserted
they → die → death
Police told the parents she died of a suspected overdose, but they have not received a written explanation from the department.
asserted
they → tell → department
Deaths of children known to Queensland's child safety department have increased nearly 60 per cent in a year.
asserted
Deaths → know → year
The grieving family of a teenager who died in state care is demanding answers into what they believe was a preventable tragedy.
asserted
they → grieve → answers
The 17-year-old, who cannot be identified under Queensland law, was found dead in an Ipswich residential care home on September 12, at about 10:30am.
asserted
identified → identify → 10:30am
Her parents told the ABC that police informed them their daughter died of a suspected overdose, but they are yet to receive a written explanation from the Department of Child Safety.
asserted
they → tell → Safety
They want to know why she was not checked on earlier that morning, and how she was able to access drugs while in the department's care.
asserted
she → want → care
Her death comes as Queensland reports that the deaths of children known to child safety are at a five-year high.
asserted
deaths → come → high
"This was totally preventable," her father Tony* said.
asserted
father → say → ?
"I don't want this to happen to other kids."
asserted
this → want → kids
A mother's warning
The girl's mother, Nikola*, says she asked child safety to move her daughter out of a residential care home in August, after the teenager reported that another child there had been asking her for drugs.
asserted
child → say → drugs
"[My daughter] told me two, three weeks after she told [child safety]," Nikola said.
asserted
Nikola → tell → safety
"She said she was telling them for a long time and they didn't move her; they're not listening to her."
asserted
they → say → her
Nikola said her daughter was moved twice in the final week of her life, but child safety did not tell the family about the most recent move until after the death.
asserted
safety → say → death
Before that, the teenager had spent time in hospital receiving mental health treatment, her mother said.
asserted
mother → spend → treatment
Only she said this world is not for her," Nikola said.
asserted
Nikola → say → her
Her father said she had dreamed about being a nurse, and she enjoyed horseriding and writing.
asserted
she → say → horseriding
"Any task, she is the one who stepped in, like ,yes I can do it,," he said.
asserted
he → step → it
The teenager's parents said after their divorce a couple of years ago, they struggled to manage her self-harm and suicidal behaviour.
asserted
they → say → harm
Nikola said she sought help from child safety in the hope it would keep her daughter safe, as she believed there would be around-the-clock supervision.
"
asserted
she → say → clock
I feel my daughter is not safe at home here with me because I have to go to work," Nikola said.
asserted
Nikola → feel → work
"We sent her there.
asserted
We → send → her
A court later made an order placing her daughter in the department's care.
asserted
court → make → care
Due to Queensland's child safety laws, specific circumstances of children in care are not able to be confirmed.
asserted
circumstances → confirm → care
The ABC has spoken with other sources who have supported the parents' recollection of these events.
asserted
who → speak → events
Tony said the family told the department about his daughter's mental health history, and that she had also experienced bullying and racism at school.
asserted
she → say → school
In the months before her death, his daughter had shared social media posts from other accounts about overdose awareness, suicide and self-harm.
asserted
daughter → share → awareness
Among the accounts she was following were profiles dedicated to getting sober and recovering from addiction.
asserted
profiles → follow → addiction
Nikola said she did not learn of her daughter's death until after 2:30pm, four hours after she was found dead.
asserted
she → say → 2:30pm
She said she did not find out from child safety, but from police officers who came to her door.
asserted
who → say → door
The mother said her calls to child safety went unanswered until the department contacted her the following Monday.
asserted
department → say → her
She then organised a visit at the residential care home on Tuesday but said by the time she arrived, the room had been cleaned up and all of her daughter's belongings packed in boxes in the car.
asserted
all → organise → car
"They didn't tell me anything," Nikola said.
asserted
Nikola → tell → anything
"I want answers."
asserted
I → want → answers
A Queensland Police Service spokesperson said police are preparing a report for the coroner following "the non-suspicious death of a teenage girl at Ipswich on 12 September".
asserted
police → say → September
"Emergency services were called to the address around 10:30am following the girl being found unresponsive," a spokesperson said.
"
asserted
spokesperson → call → 10:30am
The girl was declared deceased a short time later."
asserted
girl → declare → ?
A spokesperson for the Coroners Court of Queensland confirmed the death was under investigation and said, "as such, no further details can be provided at this time".
asserted
details → confirm → time
A spokesperson for the Department of Child Safety said the death of any child was "a tragedy" but said confidentiality provisions limited commenting on individual cases.
"When a child dies in care, we undertake a comprehensive review conducted by a specialist internal systems and practice review team," the spokesperson said.
asserted
spokesperson → say → team
A spokesperson for Acting Minister for Child Safety Ros Bates said the commission of inquiry "was a line in the sand" and the department was continuing to review the circumstances of the girl's death.
asserted
department → say → death
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia