Child Safety Workers Failed to Spot Coercive Control in Elizabeth Struhs Case

Child safety workers missed critical signs of coercive control exerted by Elizabeth Struhs's mother and a fringe church group on her father during an assessment of the eight-year-old's risk of harm, an inquest has heard.

Elizabeth Struhs's body was found at her Toowoomba home in January 2022 after her father, Jason Struhs, stopped providing her with insulin for her type 1 diabetes. Her death was a tragic culmination of her parents' failure to manage her medical needs, influenced by their religious beliefs.

Coercive Control and Risk Assessment

The inquest, which has run for over a week and heard from more than 20 witnesses, has examined the involvement of various government agencies in the case. A child safety worker testified about the mistakes made during Elizabeth's initial risk assessment and case plan.

"Child safety were too narrowly focused on Elizabeth's diabetes management and failed to identify the power imbalance of Mr and Mrs Struhs," she said.

The witness stated that staff "failed to identify the serious risk of harm Mrs Struhs's beliefs surrounding medical intervention could have had on Elizabeth", as well as the presence of domestic and family violence. She noted that the case plan only identified one form of abuse, when in fact there were two.

"Exposure to domestic and family violence in terms of coercive control," she said.

The child safety worker added that if staff had recognized the coercive control factor, they would have looked for other ways to support Jason Struhs.

"To withstand the coercive control, if possible, that was occurring in relation to the importance of the religious beliefs of Mrs Struhs and their older children which then weighed heavily on Jason," she said.

Missed Opportunities for Intervention

The Brisbane Coroner's Court heard that Elizabeth's risk of future neglect should have been flagged at various stages, including when Mrs Struhs was questioned by a doctor and two child safety workers.

Queensland Child and Family Commissioner Luke Twyford stated that domestic and family violence cases require careful assessment. "While a parent may state they are willing to care for their child, it does not mean they are able to. Their motivation and capability both need to be assessed," he told the inquest.

Counsel assisting Simon Hamlyn-Harris questioned the child safety worker about whether the department should have intervened when Kerrie Struhs was first sent to jail in 2021. The worker replied that this fact would have been viewed as a positive that would have reduced Elizabeth's risk rather than increased it.

Commissioner Twyford emphasized that more work is needed to shift community attitudes and understanding around child abuse. "Unless we find a way as a community to do more together and not rely on government departments to intervene, we're not going to reach the point where all children are safe," he said.