Media Release

Webb-Shanahan Review sets out pathway for child protection reset

20 October 2026

• Finocchiaro CLP Government has accepted all 45 recommendations of the Webb-Shanahan Review.

• Audit of every current Safety Plan in the Territory is already under way.

• Reform will put child safety first and give frontline workers the support they need.

An independent review of the Department of Children and Families has called for a system-wide reset of child protection in the Northern Territory.

The Report of the Independent Review into the Conduct of the DCF, led by former NSW Police Commissioner Karen Webb and long-standing senior Territory public servant Greg Shanahan, makes 45 recommendations for change.

It was tabled in the NT Parliament today by Minister for Children and Families and Minister for Child Protection Robyn Cahill.

Minister Cahill said the Finocchiaro CLP Government had accepted all 45 recommendations and work on implementation was already under way.

The Minister extended the Government’s thoughts to the family and community of Kumanjayi Little Baby, the little girl at the centre of the Review.

“We will never know whether earlier intervention would have changed the trajectory of her life. What we do know is that the Review found a system working to a policy framework that had drifted from what the law requires,” Minister Cahill said.

“The Review made no adverse findings against individual staff. Our child protection workers do one of the hardest jobs there is, often in remote places and often short-staffed. The failings are in the system, and many of these recommendations are about giving our frontline workers the support they need.

“Some of that work could not wait. The Review found an immediate audit of every current Safety Plan in the Territory was needed. I directed that audit to begin as soon as I received the report, and it is already under way.”

The Review was conducted following the death of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby, who was reported missing from the Ilyperenye Old Timers town camp in Alice Springs on 26 April 2026, after last being seen late on 25 April.

Following a five-day search by Police and hundreds of local volunteers, her body was discovered south of Alice Springs on 30 April 2026.

The Review found Kumanjayi Little Baby was repeatedly exposed to domestic and family violence (DFV) throughout her life, and that her mother was, in the Review’s words, effectively responsible for protecting her children while experiencing violence herself.

Child protection received 16 notifications about Kumanjayi Little Baby, including two while her mother was pregnant with her. Domestic and family violence was present in every one, but the Review found no DFV-informed risk assessment was carried out.

The law allows a child protection officer to apply for a domestic violence order (DVO) to protect a child, but the Review found this power is not embedded in DCF assessment or decision-making.

Despite the pattern of violence, a DVO was never sought through child protection to protect her.

The Review found no evidence that police or background checks were done on the adults nominated in a Safety Plan for Kumanjayi Little Baby’s family.

Departmental policy and procedure did not include routinely checking the background or police history of anyone nominated in a Safety Plan.

Timeliness was also identified as an issue, with the Review finding the time between notification and assessment or closure in Kumanjayi Little Baby’s case was sometimes lengthy, even where serious concerns were recorded.

In one instance, 229 days passed between a report that Kumanjayi Little Baby was injured during an assault on her mother and the matter being closed in March 2023.

The Review found DCF needs a clear, consistent and overarching child protection framework that sets out its statutory role and how its policies, practice frameworks and risk tools support it.

While DCF has policies, procedures and practice frameworks in place, the Review found they need to be consolidated and brought into line with current legislation.

The Review also recommends a stronger performance and assurance framework so DCF can show it is consistently meeting its statutory child protection responsibilities.

The Report stated: “Taken together, the Review’s findings indicate that DCF requires a system-wide reset of its child protection function.

“DCF’s senior leadership must take ownership of the reform agenda and establish a clear environment for change.”

A targeted review of DCF’s structure is also recommended, so frontline workers get the support they need. Staff raised the limited visibility of executive leadership in regional and remote areas as a significant concern.

As a result, the Review recommends scheduled visits by the Chief Executive and senior officers to regional and remote offices.

More training and development is also needed to support staff as they step up into more senior roles, the Review found.

Key recommendations

The Report states that priority areas requiring attention in the Department include:

• DCF undertake an immediate audit of all current Safety Plans to identify children whose safety depends on adults within their family or natural network and assess whether the suitability of those adults has been adequately considered.
• DCF should undertake searches of its own records and seek Police checks of adults relied upon to undertake protective roles, including criminal history and relevant police intelligence on matters such as violence, DFV, sexual offending and drug misuse.
• DCF and NT Police to review existing arrangements for the provision of police information to DCF to ensure that information relevant to child protection decisions is timely, accurate and detailed – including repeated police attendance, DFV incidents, breaches of orders and relevant offending.
• Going forward, DCF must assess DFV risk as an integral component of child protection risk.
• DCF to require a reassessment of the child’s overall risk when new information about DFV is received.
• DCF to remove unnecessary processes that contribute to delays.
• Improve information sharing and the availability of timely and relevant information to support risk assessment and decision-making.
• Build workforce capacity, capability and sustainability.
• Improve timeliness and the management of demand.

Media contact: Nathan Vass - 0405 799 790