Disciplinary action against child safety staff who ‘significantly failed’ toddler Mason Jet Lee was ‘manifestly inadequate’
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Mason was found dead in a home, days after being punched in the stomach by his mother’s then-partner in June 2016. (Facebook: Emmy Louise)
Disciplinary action taken against frontline Queensland child safety officers over the handling of 21-month-old toddler Mason Jet Lee’s case was “manifestly inadequate”, a review has found.
The Public Service Commission (PSC) chief executive said, in the most significant cases, some employees should have been sacked, but there was no legal grounds to further discipline those staff because they cannot be punished for the same conduct twice.
Mason was found dead at a Caboolture home, north of Brisbane, days after being punched in the stomach by his mother’s then-partner in June 2016.
An inquest into his death found the Department of Child Safety failed in its duty to protect the little boy from “the risk of serious harm he faced in the months prior to his death”.
The Deputy Coroner said the handling of Mason’s case “was a failure in nearly every possible way by the relevant employees of the department”.
Eight of the nine frontline officers had faced disciplinary action, with five of them receiving a reprimand, while two of the officers — who left the department — faced no disciplinary action.
Only one officer received a penalty more serious than a reprimand — a declaration stating that the staff member’s classification level would have been reduced had their temporary employment not ended.
In a statement, PSC chief executive Robert Setter said the discipline taken against the employees was in no way proportionate to the seriousness and extent of the failings.
“It is the opinion of the commission review that the discipline imposed at the time was severely inadequate,” Mr Setter said.
“In the most serious cases, some employees should have had their employment terminated.
“We would have expected that some other officers would have received a reduction in pay and others demoted.”
But he said it was not legally possible to take further action against any of those employees who had already faced discipline.
“Those employees whose actions most significantly failed Mason are no longer working for the Queensland public service,” he said.
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Source: Thanks msn.com