Kumanjayi Little Baby child protection review finds departmental failings

Kumanjayi Little Baby child safety review makes seven recommendationsPosted Tue 21 Jul 2026 at 11:24amTue 21 Jul 2026 at 11:24amKumanjayi Little Baby's death rocked the nation. (ABC News: Xavier Martin)In short:A review into the NT child protection department’s handling of the circumstances of five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby prior to her death is being tabled in NT Parliament.Led by former New South Wales police commissioner Karen Webb, the review has found failures in how the department responded to reports of violence within the girl’s family.The review features seven recommendations, including the need for a “comprehensive reset” of the department’s operating model.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 family circumstances of Kumanjayi Little Baby prior to her tragic death has found serious departmental failures over how her case was managed.The five-year-old girl was allegedly abducted and murdered from an Alice Springs town camp house in April this year, in a case that shocked Australia.Vigils for Kumanjayi Little Baby were held across the nation in the wake of her death. (ABC News: Marcus Kennedy)A 47-year-old man, Jefferson Lewis, has been arrested and charged over the alleged murder.In the wake of the tragedy, NT Child Protection Minister Robyn Cahill announced that an independent review would be held into the girl's circumstances prior to her death.These circumstances were not to do with Mr Lewis, but were in regards to reports that the little girl was the subject of child protection notifications prior to her disappearance.Five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby died in April this year. (Supplied: NT Police)The review, led by former New South Wales police commissioner Karen Webb and former acting NT anti-corruption commissioner Greg Shanahan, is today being tabled in NT Parliament.“The review found that the key issue in the [Kumanjayi Little Baby] matter was not a lack of statutory authority or available protective mechanisms, but the timeliness and effectiveness with which risk was identified, assessed and responded to,” the report reads.“Despite repeated indicators of domestic and family violence, the cumulative impact of the violence and its implications for the child’s safety were not adequately recognised, and protective responses were not pursued in a timely manner.”Karen Webb co-lead the investigation. (ABC News: Keana Naughton)Kumanjayi Little Baby’s father, Raphael Granites, was in prison facing aggravated assault and domestic violence charges at the time of the little girl’s alleged murder.The Webb-Shanahan review has come back with seven recommendations, including the need for a “comprehensive reset of [the Department of Children and Families] operating model”.“To ensure its structure, resource allocation, decision-making pathways and workforce arrangements enable the effective and timely delivery of statutory child protection responsibilities,” the recommendation reads.The review is being handed down on the same day that new controversial child protection laws are being introduced to NT Parliament.