Police had no way to share child abuse tips with safety services in 2019
In 2019, Queensland police had no formal process to share criminal information with child safety services.
A senior Queensland police officer testified at an inquest into eight-year-old Elizabeth Struhs's death in 2022. The officer said police and the Department of Child Safety had no official arrangement to share information about criminal cases.
Elizabeth died in her Toowoomba home after her father stopped giving her insulin for type 1 diabetes. Kerrie Struhs, Elizabeth's mother, had already served prison time for child neglect.
This was for refusing medical treatment for Elizabeth based on extreme religious beliefs. The officer said he assumed child safety workers learned about Kerrie's case from news reports, not from formal channels.
An agreement between the two groups was set up in December 2019. This was months after Kerrie's arrest.
Police started new measures in June 2026 to identify people with concerning ideas, including religious extremism.
Why it mattersThe poor communication between police and child protection services raises questions. Could better information-sharing have prevented Elizabeth's death?
AustraliaQueensland authorities have since changed how police flag and track people with extremist beliefs, but the case highlights systemic gaps in how agencies protect vulnerable children.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
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