Autistic girl starved to death by mother.

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How could this little girl have starved to death?

Dan Proudman and andra

November 7, 2007

THIS is Shellay Ward, the seven-year-old autistic girl who weighed

just 9 kilograms when she was found dead in her bed, having

apparently starved to death.

" We're a modern prosperous state, " the Premier, Iemma, said

yesterday. " I know there are pockets of severe disadvantage but I

shake my head that a child dies, allegedly, through starvation. "

At least three independent investigations are now under way into how

Shellay died at her family's home at Hawks Nest, north of Newcastle,

on Saturday, despite being under the supervision of the Department

of Community Services.

The Community Services Minister, Greene, admitted yesterday

that " on the face of it, the system has let this child down " .

Today, he said he was " distressed that a child had died " . However,

he brushed off calls in the media for his resignation.

" I won't be resigning, " he said on ABC Radio. " I will be working

with the deaprtment to improve the processes we have in place. "

Mr Greene admitted that NSW did not have a " perfect " child

protection system but added that such a system existed nowhere in

the world.

Shellay's father, Blake, declared his love for her and defended the

care that he and his wife, Sharon, gave their disabled daughter.

" Help me, someone, help me find out what happened to my little

girl, " Mr Ward said.

Emergency services found Shellay's body on a mattress in her room.

An autopsy later found she had allegedly died from starvation and

dehydration.

The Department of Community Services has refused to confirm what

contact it had had with the Wards, who had moved from Maroubra to

Hawks Nest on August 31 to " get a better life " , Mr Ward said. He

said the family had had dealings with the department since the late

1990s. Mr Ward said that Shellay was not malnourished. Instead, he

said his daughter had suffered from a physical condition that

delayed her development.

" Starvation. We didn't starve her. She was a tiny kid, " he said. " I

have co-operated in every way. I want to get to the bottom of it. "

Mr Ward was interviewed by detectives for several hours on Monday

before being released without charge.

He said he had been told by police during the interview that Shellay

had weighed only 9 kilograms.

Mr Ward told yesterday of the harrowing moments when he realised

Shellay was dead.

He had got up mid-morning and when he asked where his wife was, he

was told she was in the bedroom with Shellay. He said his wife was

desperately trying to resuscitate her daughter.

" Sharon was leaning over crying. I said: 'Hon, what's wrong? Where's

Shellay? What's wrong?' and she couldn't talk. "

As he walked back into the lounge room, his wife followed.

" I said: 'What's wrong, it's not Shellay is it?' " he said.

" I knew by the look and I said: 'She's not dead is she?'

" I said: 'What's wrong with you, you're kidding'?

" Sharon just said: 'My princess is dead so what is the use of me

living'. "

Mr Ward said the Department of Community Services visited on a

regular basis until at least 2003, when the visits became less

frequent. The last visit from a case worker came in the weeks before

they moved up the coast. He said he told them there was no one home.

" Now they are claiming I didn't want anyone to see Shellay because

she was sick, " he said. " I don't know. It is all wrong. Life is not

fair. "

Mr Greene said he had received a " preliminary brief " on the

department's involvement and the NSW Ombudsman had been asked to

conduct a " full external investigation " into the death. " This case

is likely to be complex and for that reason it would be

irresponsible to draw any conclusions until it has been

comprehensively investigated, " Mr Greene said in a statement.

" Our child protection system is not perfect. No system in the world

can prevent children from dying in every circumstance.

" And while we now identify and respond to more reports of abuse and

neglect than ever before, on the face of it, the system has let this

child down. None of us can ignore that. "

Mr Iemma said: " I find it difficult to come to terms with a child

starving to death in our community. "

The girl is one of 115 children to have died in NSW in the past 12

months while under the watch of the department. The Ombudsman, Bruce

Barbour, said he had immediately begun investigating the case. " We

will pursue all necessary avenues of inquiry to ensure a thorough

and proper examination of the circumstances leading to the tragic

death of this child, " Mr Barbour said.

The Opposition community services spokeswoman, Katrina Hodgkinson,

said that on average a child known to DoCs died every three days,

indicating systemic failures in child protection.

" Since 2003, 440 children known to DoCs have died in circumstances

of neglect or abuse or in suspicious circumstances and every year

the NSW Ombudsman has urged improvements, " she said. " Yet the number

of children who die following child protection reports being made

about them to DOCS is continuing to increase. "