The murder of a toddler in Queensland shocked the state, but child safety and politicians still cannot answer key questions

Warning: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that this article contains the name and image of a deceased person.

The silence echoes.

The trial over the murder of toddler Kaydence Mills has ended – her stepfather is serving a life sentence – but the Queensland Child Safety Authority and the minister are still unable to answer questions about the case.

Chief among them: How could a child already known to the department have been dead for more than two years before authorities discovered he was missing?

The question is all the more relevant considering that it was admitted at trial that 18 months after Kaydence's murder, child protection officers visited her mother, who falsely told them that the girl was living with her aunt “Jessica.”

She couldn't give them the woman's last name or a phone number.

Police investigations into the toddler's whereabouts did not begin until the following year.

Did the department take any steps to verify Kaydence's whereabouts after that home visit in 2018?

It does not say that “legislation prevents us from commenting on individual cases”.

Queensland's Child Protection Act is intended to “ensure the protection of children” and “promote the safety of children”.

It prescribes strict regulations that everyone – especially the media – must adhere to.

And that's what we do. Journalists often know more about a case than we are allowed to publish.

But Kaydence has been dead for more than seven years now, and aside from details emerging from court hearings, the child safety dealings are still largely secret – including whether they missed opportunities that had previously led police to her murder could have drawn attention.

Building public trust is about answering questions

The second explanation the ministry has given for its inability to answer questions about Kaydence's case is that it would be “inappropriate to comment before any judicial inquiry that may take place in this case.” .

An investigation into the girl's death has yet to be confirmed, but the government appears to say the possibility of such an investigation would be inappropriate to act on.

Child Safety Minister Charis Mullen repeated the same statements as her department when pressed on the issue during a press conference on Friday.

However, the Queensland government has in the past been able to reveal some details ahead of an investigation.

Darcey and Chloe

Last year, Kerri-Ann Conley was sentenced to nine years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter for leaving her daughters Darcey-Helen and Chloe-Ann in a hot car in Logan for nine hours in 2019.

A month after Conley's sentencing, the government released an unidentified summary of an external “systems” review – which it said concerned the sisters – that found evidence that child safety had previously occasionally “overlooked or failed to respond to clear warning signs” of their deaths .

The investigation did not begin until the following month.

When asked simply why the same could not be done in Kaydence's case, Ms Mullen replied: “I cannot speak to that individual case, but it could be that related children are involved in ongoing matters.”

What the government would say is that it has continued to invest “heavily” in the child safety system “to ensure it is as robust as possible” and has increased the number of child safety officers funded.

It is recognized that trust in the system is crucial.

“We understand that Queenslanders need to have confidence that vulnerable children can and will be cared for and that systems are in place to keep vulnerable children safe,” a department spokeswoman said.

But building that public trust also includes answering questions – especially when it comes to the death of a vulnerable child.

Time for answers is running out

Kaydence was killed a year after another shocking child safety case: the death of Caboolture toddler Mason Jet Lee.

Opposition Leader David Crisafulli said Thursday the latest details raised questions about “why” the system was “still broken after Mason Jet Lee.”

Child safety is an extremely important but increasingly complex area.

There have been numerous questions over the last 25 years about the system in Queensland and what more could be done to protect vulnerable children.

Experts say the reforms will continue.

However, former child safety commissioner Vish Chandani noted: “I'm not sure how we as a society can do a better job of keeping children safe if we don't learn from the mistakes made.”

That starts with answering questions about tragic cases like Kaydence Mills.

But with the government moving into transition mode tomorrow, time appears to be running out for answers before next month's state election.