GUILTY Australia - Chloe Valentine, 4, tortured to death, Ingle Farm, SA, 20 Jan 2012

[Amee]

Hindle was, at that time, serving a suspended sentence for having sex with and filming an underage girl. They had been in a consensual relationship when Hindle was 19 and the girl was 15.

Despite that conviction and sentence being publicly reported in The Advertiser, Ms Stewart said her supervisors advised she could not tell Polkinghorne of Hindle’s criminal history.

She said that was because Hindle was also in Families SA’s own database as a perpetrator of domestic violence in previous relationships, and so confidentiality protocols had to be observed.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...alentine-inquest/story-fnii5yv5-1227077492095

 

[Amee]

Ms Stewart said that upon being told Hindle had knocked Polkinghorne unconscious and she had awoken to find Chloe standing over her and screaming, she decided to draft a new “safety plan” requesting the child be kept away from him.

Mr Johns robustly questioned the logic of that decision.

“You were informed of a crime, you were a public officer and your informant was a teenage girl known to be irresponsible ... surely it was your duty to inform the matter to police,” he said.

“You were in possession of information that indicated a breach of his suspended sentence.

“He was a violent man who had brutally assaulted Ashlee in the presence of her child.

“You had an opportunity to put him away and you didn’t take it.”

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...alentine-inquest/story-fnii5yv5-1227077492095

 

[Amee]

Mr Johns asked what would happen if a similar incident arose today, and Ms Stewart said Families SA staff were not permitted to access a person’s file without that person’s permission.

“So it’s gotten worse?” Mr Johns replied. “That’s just preposterous.”

Ms Stewart said that after the incident with Hindle, she handed Chloe’s case to a student social worker.

She said she did not want to make that decision but had no choice due to a lack of resources and the fact Chloe’s case was among the least serious in her case load.

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...alentine-inquest/story-fnii5yv5-1227077492095

 

[Amee]

Poor beautiful sweet little girl my heartbreaks for what she went through :tears:

 

[catswhiskers]

How ridiculous to label someone as a registered sex offender, but then not use that information to prevent further offences against both Chloe and her mother (if she was still underage at the time?). What's the point of the label in that case? I'm someone who is on the fence about registers of offenders being made public (purely because of some very minor/foolish indiscretions I have heard about that have earned some folks records as sex offenders). But the records or registers should certainly be available to all branches of law enforcement and welfare departments surely??

 

[SouthAussie]

Looking at the tweets from today, I see that tomorrow is the last day of this round of the inquest. It will then resume on 1st December for another two weeks.

https://twitter.com/hashtag/chloevalentine?f=realtime

Main points from this afternoon's hearing were:
- Families SA closed Chloe's case in 2009
- It was then re-opened after more abuse and neglect reports (two of them Tier One priorities), a 4th eviction, reports of severe and untreated nappy rash by Chloe's child care centre (for the 2nd time)
- Families SA 'scaffolded' that mother .. which the Coroner angrily said meant they continued to prop her up
- Families SA threatened to remove Chloe in January 2010, but they put the student in charge of the case, and she had virtually no power to do anything
- Coroner aghast that Families SA let that mother know who did and did not have power over case
- Families SA continued to drive Chloe to child care centre regularly
- Then in June 2010, Families SA closed the case again.

 

[Amee]

David Penberthy: Chloe Valentine case exposes Families SA as an agency that doesn’t put kids first

If you want to live indefinitely in a drug-addled stupor, without attracting the attention of the police, have yourself a child and make sure you do a really bad job of bringing it up.

There is an entire government department standing by to excuse your every stupid choice and rationalise your every failure.

Earlier this week I interviewed the head of the cumbersomely co-located Department of Education and Child Development, Tony Harrison, and suggested to him that a drug-dependent mother such as Ashlee Polkinghorne was using her daughter Chloe as a human shield to continue making bad choices, safe from police involvement.

I asked Mr Harrison, a decent man and a former senior policeman, if he felt as if he had gone from a policing culture where illegal behaviour was sought out and prosecuted, to one where it was ignored and even condoned.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/...t-put-kids-first/story-fni6unxq-1227078138174

 

[Amee]

But in the case of someone such as Polkinghorne, when all the evidence pointed to continued addiction, with no effort or interest on her part in changing her ways, this drug plan was a nonsense, a form of surrender.

A real plan would be to cut down on her drug use with a view to being clean within six months. No such rigour from Families SA, excuse-makers that they are.

As a society we send stupidly mixed signals on this. If you go down to the wonderful beer garden at the Exeter on a Friday afternoon and there’s 41 patrons for the 40 chairs outside, the cops can fine the pub and the punter who has a single schooner without a seat.

Meanwhile, in Shitsville, all those Ashlee Polkinghornes out there are high on ice and meth, bombed on bourbon, safe in the knowledge that their criminality and neglect is a happy little secret, courtesy of a department which has abandoned all concept of personal responsibility.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/...t-put-kids-first/story-fni6unxq-1227078138174

 

[tlcya]

I have just read this thread and wish I had not. This poor little sweetiepie. Horrible that no one helped this baby.

Being stateside I am not as aware of the fact that child services appears to have some pretty serious issues in Australia just as it does here.

The worst thing and who knows why it has struck me as such, is Chloe's mother saying that when being held in her arms as punches were flying Chloe did not cry because "she's used to violent scenes" or something like that.

I'll just bet she was.

 

[SouthAussie]

Good hard-hitting article in the Advertiser. As it should be. Thanks for the links Amee.

It is an absolute travesty that the parent was enabled and Chloe was left unprotected. Child protection officers indeed - not in this case, they weren't.

Not looking forward to what the last day of this stage of the inquest is going to bring today.

But hear it we must, if we are actually going to get something changed here and the Chloes of our town saved from living a life of abuse and despair.

 

[SouthAussie]

So now we have another case manager. Seems it was first Nicholas Ratsch, then the student social worker Amy Kidner, then this morning’s witness Elizabeth Daniel, then Leanne Stewart (yesterday’s witness), then the student social worker Amy Kidner again/still.

Elizabeth Daniel’s testimony indicates that she continued with the Families SA mode of operation … clean up after 2nd eviction, got back as much of the bond as possible, booked weekly visits that did not happen, was manipulated by that mother, saw the apparent drug addiction, tried to establish a rapport, asked supervisor to intervene.

Supervisor saw that mother twice, then closed case (July 2008). Chloe and mother were homeless, between houses 2 and 3.

Elizabeth Daniel not informed of child abuse reports … the info went to her supervisor, Carolyn Lockett. (Fantastic … give your staff a case, without the information!! :facepalm: )

https://twitter.com/hashtag/chloevalentine?f=realtime

 

[SouthAussie]

Sean Fewster ‏@SeanFewster 55s55 seconds ago
Q: Was enough being done to keep #ChloeValentine safe? Daniel: Possible not. But I don't know what else you would do.


Umm ... perhaps remove Chloe, and allow her grandfather or godmother to keep her safe, as they had both offered to do. ullhair:


You know, Chloe would have probably died in early infancy imo, if her godmother had not basically moved in for 3 months and fed, bathed and cared for her .. as I read in an older article about the arrests after Chloe's death.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-23/chloe-valentines-godmother-lost-faith-in-families-sa/5763094

 

[SouthAussie]

Thank you for your honesty, Elizabeth Daniel. I smell a cover up. Fortunately, there are too many notes with other agencies for that to happen.


Sean Fewster ‏@SeanFewster 31m31 minutes ago
When #ChloeValentine's godmother took her to hospital, her mum became angry; claimed she had been set up & Chloe "made to vomit".

Sean Fewster ‏@SeanFewster 31m31 minutes ago
Q: That was rubbish, wasn't it? Daniel: Yes. She was making up excuses. #ChloeValentine

Sean Fewster ‏@SeanFewster 28m28 minutes ago
Q: Was your supervisor doing enough? Daniel: It definitely seemed we could have been doing more to make #ChloeValentine's mum accountable.

Sean Fewster ‏@SeanFewster 25m25 minutes ago
Daniel: I wouldn't have felt comfortable having that conversation with #ChloeValentine's mum. I wanted a senior person to do so.

Sean Fewster ‏@SeanFewster 5m5 minutes ago
#ChloeValentine inquest told notes are "missing" from the Families SA case file, including tier 1 child abuse notifications. @theTiser

 

[Amee]

A SENIOR Families SA supervisor closed Chloe Valentine’s case while she was homeless and after she had not been sighted by social workers for a month, an inquest has heard.

During her evidence this morning, former Families SA family support worker Elizabeth Daniel broke down and wept while recalling her supervisor’s July 2008 decision.

When questioned, she agreed that supervisor, Carolyn Lockett, made the decision prematurely after two meetings with Chloe’s mother, Ashlee Polkinghorne.

http://www.news.com.au/national/sou...alentine-inquest/story-fnii5yv4-1227078712880

 

[SouthAussie]

The inquest has now ended until 1st December. The Supervisor, Carolyn Lockett, will be on the stand at that time .. the one that did not pass along child abuse notifications to the case manager, and closed the case while little Chloe was homeless and being abused.

These are the last few bits of testimony given by former social worker, Elizabeth Daniel. I feel for this person. While I think she was under an illusion in thinking that mother loved Chloe, and Chloe loved that mother - we all hope a mother loves her child, and can treat them in a loving manner - I think she truly wanted the best, had little support from her manager, and is telling the truth.



Sean Fewster ‏@SeanFewster 1h1 hour ago
Q: Do you think #ChloeValentine was safe with her mum? Stewart: At times. But at other times, no.

Sean Fewster ‏@SeanFewster 1h1 hour ago
Daniel: I wanted them to be together, but where #ChloeValentine was safe.

Sean Fewster ‏@SeanFewster 1h1 hour ago
#ChloeValentine's mum was evicted, though, for rendering the house uninhabitable. Again. Daniel: "Some moments were not so good."

Sean Fewster ‏@SeanFewster 1h1 hour ago
The eviction ended Daniel's 18mth involvement with #ChloeValentine. She left Families SA in 2010 after having a baby. Asked why, weeps.

Sean Fewster ‏@SeanFewster 1h1 hour ago
#ChloeValentine's friends and family, in the public gallery, start crying as well.

Sean Fewster ‏@SeanFewster 1h1 hour ago
Daniel: I realised after having a baby what it was like, how difficult it was for me. #ChloeValentine

Sean Fewster ‏@SeanFewster 1h1 hour ago
Daniel: I couldn't go back, seeing & knowing what was happening to children, young children, and... #ChloeValentine

Sean Fewster ‏@SeanFewster 1h1 hour ago
Daniel: ... probably not being able to do as much as you wanted to do to change that for them. #ChloeValentine

Sean Fewster ‏@SeanFewster 1h1 hour ago
Daniel: I always wanted the best for #ChloeValentine. I believed her mum really loved her & felt Chloe loved her mum.

Sean Fewster ‏@SeanFewster 1h1 hour ago
Daniel weeps loudly as she leaves court. Rest of the court reduced to tears by her final comments. #ChloeValentine

 

[SouthAussie]

A former Families SA employee says she was concerned about the future management of Chloe Valentine's case more than three years before the girl's death, but trusted her supervisor.

Ms Daniel's supervisor wrote that the child's mother was able to meet the physical and emotional needs of her baby.
But the inquest heard no-one had actually seen where she was living.

The court was also told Chloe was seen drinking from a beer can at about 12 months of age and exposed to drunken parties, however she was still not removed from her mother.

Family friend Tricia Foord praised Ms Daniel's honesty.
"(Ms) Daniels is the only worker that I've seen in the two weeks that clearly showed remorse and some guilt," she said.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-...loe-concerns-three-years-before-death/5788544

 

[SouthAussie]

October 3 2014

AT least 25 Families SA workers will be stood down after an audit raising questions about their suitability for working with children.

EDUCATION and Child Development Minister Jennifer Rankine on Friday said 25 residential carers would be immediately suspended from working one-on-one with children following the examination of the employment records of almost 500 staff.

The audit by former police commissioner Mal Hyde also identified a further 77 staff as being of "high concern".

The audit has been provided to Royal Commissioner Margaret Nyland, as part of her inquiry into South Australia's child protection system.

http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/...hildcare-workers/story-fni6ul2m-1227079357423

 

[SouthAussie]

I looked and looked for a happy picture of Chloe, because I thought that was the least we could do .. show her at a happy time.

I finally found one that was just released today, when she was enjoying a hug and some caring from a kind person who watched and cared for her sometimes.

Rest peacefully, dearest Chloe. You have touched the very heart of our city.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-03/chloe-valentine-had-happier-times/5789950

 

[ceecee30]

I looked and looked for a happy picture of Chloe, because I thought that was the least we could do .. show her at a happy time.

I finally found one that was just released today, when she was enjoying a hug and some caring from a kind person who watched and cared for her sometimes.

Rest peacefully, dearest Chloe. You have touched the very heart of our city.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-10-03/chloe-valentine-had-happier-times/5789950

Your last line sums it up... I don't think there's probably one person little Chloe's story hasn't touched...

RIP angel... May your death not be in vain for all the changes you'll create in South Australian welfare because others failed you when you needed them the most x x

 

[Amee]

Something needs to be done!!

Adelaide couple face court accused of starving son in ‘house of horrors’ neglect case

She said the couple had been getting $1200 a fortnight after falsely claiming a single parent payment, as well as a disability payment, providing them with “plenty of money, plenty of food.”

The court heard there had been “well over six attempts” from government authorities to check the boy’s welfare but none had actually seen the child in at least the past five visits.

After asking what policies the State Government had in place to ensure a similar incident to this won’t happen again, Judge Cuthbertson said: “You would think it would be a telltale sign to see the child, you would not have to be an expert to realise there was something wrong.”

http://www.couriermail.com.au/news/...ors-neglect-case/story-fnii5yv5-1227104747683