Chloe Valentine: Veteran social worker Tony Tonkin slams Families SA over handling of case
A veteran social worker has slammed Families SA for its handling of the Chloe Valentine case, saying the agency could have prevented the four-year-old girl's death.
Chloe died on January 20, 2012 after she was forced to ride a 50-kilogram motorbike, which she repeatedly crashed.
Her mother, Ashlee Polkinghorne and her former partner Benjamin McPartland were jailed for manslaughter by criminal neglect because they failed to get medical attention when the girl was knocked unconscious.
More than 20 notifications were made to Families SA before Chloe's death, from family and friends who were concerned for the four-year-old's welfare.
Social worker Tony Tonkin said Chloe could have been saved if Families SA had handled the case differently.
"The reality here was that Chloe could have been saved if the supervisor at the time had chosen to engage with Belinda Valentine [Chloe's maternal grandmother]," Mr Tonkin said.
"If they had made the decision at that time to interview her and get to know her, Chloe probably would be alive today. I find that really sad.
"I think people have got to realise that Chloe hadn't needed to die, there could have been a way by which they could have saved her had the system decided to act appropriately."
Three years after her tragic death from abuse and neglect, Chloe is now at the centre of one of the most highly publicised coronial inquests South Australia has ever seen.
The inquest, which began in September 2014 will conclude on Friday, February 26, and has heard from social workers and supervisors at Families SA, those that made notifications to the agency before her death and Chloe's grandmother, Ms Valentine.
For three months, the South Australian coroner has heard shocking testimony about the short life of Chloe, including the fact she spent her life surrounded by drugs and squalor.
"It's hard to remember an inquest of this nature at all, let alone one that's gone on for 40 days ... it's amazing," Mr Tonkin said.
Families SA not responsible for Chloe's death, Grandmother says
While Ms Valentine believes Families SA could have prevented Chloe's death, she said the department was not responsible for what happened to her.
"No-one is responsible for anyone else's choices, no-one else is responsible for anyone else's behaviour," Ms Valentine said.
"So Ashlee and Ben are responsible for what happened to Chloe on those days.
"Families SA are definitely neglectful in their duty of care, and they could have prevented this."
Ms Valentine gave evidence at the inquest last week.
She told the court how in August 2009 she was called to Polkinghorne's house after Polkinghorne was bashed by a boyfriend.
"Chloe was cowering, she was on her own, so I went over to her and she was really frightened," she said.
"She buried her head in my shoulder, she wasn't crying she was just shaking."
Complaints weren't taken seriously
It was during this incident that Ms Valentine contacted Families SA again about Chloe's welfare.
She spoke to a Families SA social worker Leanne Stewart who was also called to give evidence at the inquest in October.
"I rang Families SA from the house," Ms Valentine said.
"I rang Leanne Stewart, I explained [what had just happened] to Leanne ... and she said to me, 'you can't tell Ashlee where she can live, you have no right to take Chloe, I'm not giving you permission to take Chloe at all' ... and Ashlee just laughed at us.
"We contacted Families SA on a regular basis and told them our concerns, and they weren't every day concerns. They were valid, they were serious, and they just weren't taken in that way."
In court, Ms Stewart denied the conversation took place, and accused Ms Valentine of lying.
Ms Stewart was recalled to give evidence at the inquest this week, and denied lying in court to protect herself.
