Teenager's death in state care sparks calls for answers

The family of a 17-year-old girl who died in state care in Queensland is demanding answers about the circumstances surrounding her death, which they believe was preventable.

The teenager was found dead in an Ipswich residential care home on September 12 at about 10:30am. Her parents were informed by police that she died of a suspected overdose, but they have yet to receive a written explanation from the Department of Child Safety.

Calls for answers

The girl's parents, Tony* and Nikola*, are seeking answers as to why their daughter was not checked on earlier that morning and how she was able to access drugs while in the department's care.

“This was totally preventable,” Tony* said. “I don’t want this to happen to other kids.”

Nikola* said she had asked child safety to move her daughter out of a residential care home in August, after the teenager reported that another child there had been asking her for drugs.

“[My daughter] told me two, three weeks after she told [child safety],” Nikola* said. “She said she was telling them for a long time and they didn’t move her; they’re not listening to her.”

A troubled history

The girl's mother said her daughter had spent time in hospital receiving mental health treatment before being moved to a residential care home. Nikola* described her daughter as “a very good girl, she’s very nice. Only she said this world is not for her,” adding that she had dreamed of becoming a nurse and enjoyed horseriding and writing.

Tony* said the family had told the department about his daughter's mental health history, including her struggles with self-harm and suicidal behaviour after the family’s divorce a couple of years ago.

“We sent her there. What is the safety there?” Nikola* asked, expressing her concerns about the level of supervision and care provided by the department.

Investigation underway

A Queensland Police Service spokesperson confirmed that police are preparing a report for the coroner following “the non-suspicious death of a teenage girl at Ipswich on 12 September”. The Coroners Court of Queensland is also investigating the death.

A spokesperson for the Department of Child Safety said the death of any child was “a tragedy” but that confidentiality provisions limited commenting on individual cases. The department has promised a comprehensive review of the circumstances surrounding the girl's death.

Rising concerns about child safety

The girl's death comes as Queensland reports a significant increase in the number of children known to child safety who have died, with the Queensland Family and Child Commission's latest annual report revealing that child deaths are at a five-year high.

The Chief Executive Officer of PeakCare Queensland, Kelly Jebb, expressed concern about the death, saying “any death of a child in care is a great concern to us.”

The Queensland Family and Child Commission's latest annual report also revealed that the Child Death Review Board reviewed 13 suicide deaths of children known to the system in 2025-26, more than double the previous year and the highest number recorded during the six-year reporting period.