Chloe Valentine inquest: Mother 'allowed drug use' by SA authorities
A coroner investigating the death of four-year-old Chloe Valentine in Adelaide has been told government agency Families SA changed a care plan to let her mother use drugs provided a "sober adult" cared for the girl.
Chloe's death in January 2012 was preceded by more than 20 notifications to Families SA expressing concern about her care.
An inquest has been told the girl's mother, Ashlee Polkinghorne, agreed to stop taking drugs.
It was told a recording had been found in which Polkinghorne said she was a better mother while on drugs.
A social worker for the government agency, Nicholas Ratsch, was put on the case after the recording surfaced in October 2007.
He told the coroner a zero drug tolerance approach was hard to enforce so Polkinghorne's safety plan had been modified.
Mr Ratsch said it would have been preferable not to condone drug use but it was important there was a back-up plan.
Chloe died after her mother and then-partner forced her to repeatedly ride and crash a motorbike in the backyard of their Adelaide home.
Polkinghorne and Benjamin Robert McPartland have been jailed over the death.
The coroner was told Polkinghorne frequently lied to social workers and told them she did not want their intervention.
In earlier evidence a case manager from the Salvation Army said Polkinghorne had asked for emotional support to deal with her pregnancy.
The inquest heard Families SA had classified Chloe as an "infant at risk" a week before she was born.
The inquest continues.
