Three child protection workers have been stood down from their positions following the alleged murder of a five-year-old girl in Alice Springs.

It comes after it emerged that six child protection reports were made about Kumanjayi Little Baby in the six weeks before she died.

It’s understood one of the referrals was filed just two days before she disappeared.

The Northern Territory’s Department of Children and Families received the reports about the girl living in a ‘dangerous environment’ from mid-March until two days before she disappeared from Old Timers town camp, in Alice Springs.

More than a dozen child protection reports centred around Kumanjayi Little Baby since her birth, but none of the six recent reports were investigated, The Australian reported.

The latest report was in connection to an alleged aggravated assault on the girl’s mother on April 22. Her father was charged and remains in custody.

Police responded to two of the reports in March and the other four in April, with sources claiming officers were frustrated by a lack of action by child services.

The reports alleged Kumanjayi Little Baby was living in a dangerous environment, had been neglected and was exposed to domestic violence.

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Three child protection workers have been stood down following the alleged murder of a five-year-old girl in Alice Springs (pictured, Kumanjayi Little Baby)

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Child Protection Minister Robyn Cahill (pictured) confirmed that three workers have been stood down and that an independent investigation would be launched

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It comes after reports emerged a total of six child protection reports were made about Kumanjayi Little Baby shortly before she was allegedly murdered (tributes at her home)

Child Protection Minister Robyn Cahill confirmed that three workers have been stood down over the incident and that an independent investigation would be launched.

‘Three people have been stood down from their positions as of today, and I am calling for an independent investigation by someone removed from the existing situation, so we can have total accuracy and to be sure that we are getting the information that we need to get to understand how this failure could happen,’ she said on Wednesday.

Ms Cahill said she contacted the child protection department on Monday, April 27 – the day after Kumanjayi Little Baby had been reported missing – to ask if any reports had been made about her welfare.

She claims she didn’t receive a response from the department until the Friday.

The minister told Sky News she had been clashing with her own department as she prepared to introduce new legislation to the Northern Territory Parliament, which will remove some of the emphasis from the Aboriginal Child Placement Principle.

It states that if an Aboriginal child is removed from their family, they must be placed with a family member first and only with an non-Indigenous carer as a last resort.

Instead, the legislation will see the emphasis be placed on the safety of the child.

‘I’ve already been accused of being a racist and I’m OK with that because if caring about children makes me a racist, I will wear that badge with honour,’ she said.

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The little girl’s family (pictured) has slammed the Northern Territory legal system for failing to provide them with proper information during her accused killer’s first court hearing

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Jefferson Lewis has been charged with the murder of the five-year-old girl

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There has been widespread anger over the five-year-old’s death (pictured, riots in the NT)

‘We are not looking at creating a second generation of the Stolen Generation. What we are doing is saying, I’m not going to abandon these kids.

‘We can’t hide behind a situation that happened many, many years ago and say that that’s a reason to remain inert and not take action.

‘These children deserve better. They absolutely deserve the opportunity to live their best possible life.’

It’s understood Kumanjayi Little Baby’s mother was given referrals to support services but authorities had trouble staying in touch with her.

The five-year-old was never removed from her mother’s care.

Jefferson Lewis, 47, has been charged with murder and other offences after Kumanjayi Little Baby was found dead in bushland near Alice Springs on Thursday, five days after she went missing.

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