Child safety system sent girl back to cult before death

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 14 Oct, 07:32 · Archive

An eight-year-old girl died after Queensland child safety officers sent her back to her parents, who withheld insulin.

Elizabeth Rose Struhs died on 7 January 2022 at her family's home near Toowoomba, west of Brisbane. Her father Jason Struhs had agreed to stop providing insulin for her type-1 diabetes in line with the Saints church group's ban on modern medicine. She died after her parents, brother and 11 other church members gathered to pray around her. Her death resulted from ketoacidosis, which poisoned her blood and damaged her organs.

The girl had suffered a near-death incident two-and-a-half years before, when her mother Kerrie Struhs did not seek medical treatment for her. After weeks of intensive care, Elizabeth was diagnosed with diabetes and returned to her family against medical experts' wishes. Queensland's Child Safety agency was not likely to change its decision to send her home, an education department senior guidance officer told a coronial inquest in Brisbane on Wednesday.

The inquest heard that child safety officers had no formal training for new staff and no specific process to track cases or manage handovers. Officers faced an 'incredible workload', the officer said. The Department of Child Safety 'accepts some risk', the officer added, contrasting it with the Department of Education's 'risk averse' approach.

How it is being reported

• Child safety 'took risk' in sending girl back to cultChild safety officers had no formal training and no way to track cases before a young girl was killed by her science-denying parents, a coroner has heard.Perth Now · 14 Oct, 07:09
• Child safety 'took risk' in sending girl back to cultChild safety officers had no formal training and no way to track cases before a young girl was killed by her science-denying parents, a coroner has heard.The West Australian · 14 Oct, 07:09

In this story: Elizabeth Rose Struhs · Jason Struhs · Kerrie Struhs · the Saints · Queensland · Toowoomba · Brisbane

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