Decisions made by Queensland Child Safety Services will be scrutinized as part of a coronial inquiry into the deaths of two sisters who were left in their mother's car for hours in high temperatures.
Darcey-Helen, two, and Chloe-Ann, 18 months, died after their mother, Kerri-Ann Conley, left them in the car in direct sunlight for more than nine hours.
Conley had arrived back at her home in Brisbane's southern suburb of Waterford West after 4am on November 23, 2019.
She left her children in their car seats in the back of the car before going into her house and falling asleep.
When she woke up, she went outside to the car around 1 p.m. and found both daughters unresponsive.
Two-year-old Darcey-Helen Conley (left) and 18-month-old Chloe-Ann died after being left in the car for more than nine hours by their mother, Kerri-Ann Conley
Paramedics arrived a short time later, but both girls were pronounced dead at the scene.
They had all died of hyperthermia after being left in the car, which had reached more than 50 degrees Celsius at the height of the day.
Conley was sentenced to nine years in prison in February this year after pleading guilty to manslaughter.
Coroner Terry Ryan will now investigate whether any mistakes or missteps were made in the lead-up to the girls' deaths.
Counsel assisting the coroner, Simon Hamlyn-Harris, said at a pre-inquest hearing in Brisbane on Monday that the inquest would examine whether the responses of Child Protective Services, Logan Hospital and Queensland Police before the death of the girls were appropriate.
It will also examine how the departments' knowledge of Conley's drug use affected the children.
Mr Hamlyn-Harris said Conley was a heavy user of methamphetamine and was known to pass out while taking drugs.
“Her behavior as a result of her drug lifestyle clearly placed the girls at significant risk of harm,” he said.
“There is evidence that she regularly left them in the car while they were asleep when they got home.”
“She had a habit of leaving the children with whoever was in the house, saying she would get cigarettes but not come back for a long time.”
Kerri-Ann Conley was jailed for nine years for the manslaughter of her two children
Mr Hamlyn-Harris said Child Safety was first made aware of Conley after the birth of her first child, Darcey-Helen, in May 2017.
He said hospital staff where Darcey-Helen was born had raised concerns about Conley's lack of attachment to her child after delivery, and that she appeared to leave the maternity ward without concern for her baby's needs.
The court was told the hospital was unaware of Conley's drug use.
Child Services was involved in Darcey-Helen's care from her birth until July 2018, when United Care took over the care plan.
The court was told Conley withdrew from services and care ceased on February 11, 2019.
Mr Hamlyn-Harris said Child Protective Services had received an anonymous 'report' when Darcey-Helen was about four months old that Conley was a 'daily ice user, driving all night with the baby in the car' and 'since three destroyed cars'. the baby was born because she fell asleep'.
“She would ask for money for milk or formula and would stay awake for days, then sleep for a few hours and then look for medication,” Mr Hamlyn-Harris said in the message.
Darcey-Helen was removed from her mother's care on November 7, 2017, but was returned to live with her mother a month later after Conley agreed to a parental agreement.
Mr Hamlyn-Harris said that when Conley's second daughter, Chloe-Ann, was born in October 2018, child protection services were “not involved with the family” at the time.
He said Logan Hospital had raised similar concerns about Conley's lack of attachment to her second daughter just days after giving birth, which appeared to be a “pattern.”
“When they were discharged from Logan Hospital, Kerri-Ann denied drug use,” Mr Hamlyn-Harris said.
“They found it somewhat reassuring that the intervention had been withdrawn by Family Services.”
Mr Hamlyn-Harris said Child Protective Services received three reports in early November 2019 about Conley's ability to care for her children.
“After receiving these concerns, a child care report was recorded,” he said.
The girls were left in the station wagon when she went inside and fell asleep, the court heard
'The report stated that a report had been received that the mother was using drugs and that people who used drugs frequently were spending time at home.
'Child Safety was skeptical about the reliability of the reports and also skeptical about the motivations of the reporter. It was therefore decided on November 12, 2017 that the threshold for reporting a report under the Child Protection Act had not been met.'
Darcey-Helen and Chloe-Ann died eleven days after this decision was made not to investigate further.
Mr Hamlyn-Harris said the inquest will look at why child protection took the decisions it did in relation to the girls' care and will also look at “better practices to avoid similar circumstances in the future.” to avoid'.
He said police had previously had “limited involvement” with Conley before the children died “but had received information from time to time about her drug behavior.”
The inquest will also investigate the process the police go through when providing information to Child Safety about any concerns raised.
Coroner Ryan set the five-day inquest for April 29, 2024.
Conley, who had served three years behind bars when she was sentenced, will be eligible for parole after Nov. 22, 2024.
