Inquest into the death of Harmony

Case Number: 2020/0014031

Date of Findings: 3 March 2025

Magistrate: Deputy State Coroner, Harriet Grahame

CORONIAL LAW – intentionally self-inflicted death; death of a young person; family violence and neglect – family known to the NSW Department of Communities and Justice; educational neglect; systemic response to homelessness, abuse and neglect of a minor; recommendations. 

Responses

Recommendations

To the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ)

1. DCJ should undertake the following, to ensure practitioners are aware of the support available to community members who take on care of the child for whom they do not have parental responsibility:
   • As part of DCJ’s current review into triage processes DCJ provide written guidance to triage practitioners about the provision of support to community members or family members who do not hold parental responsibility but are providing care and housing to a child, including practical information such as counselling resources and parenting support; and
   • Communications are issued to triage practitioners with a link to the Responding to a person who contacts a CSC mandate and explaining DCJ’s direction to provide supports referrals and information regardless of whether the person is a parent, or a family or community member who is caring for a child to whom they do not hold parental responsibility.

1. That DoE consider prioritising the redesign of the HSLP as a matter of urgency, taking into account the Home School Liaison Program Draft Report and the findings of this inquest.
2. That the DoE review its current suspension policy as to whether it adequately addresses the needs of children and young people experiencing abuse, neglect and homelessness, including the need for suspensions to be carried out in places external to the home environment when that environment presents a risk.
3. That DoE give consideration to amending the suspension policy to mandate consideration of the impact of school holidays when setting a suspension period. Particular consideration should be given to using the commencement of a new term as a reset wherever possible.
4. Where a student subject to a suspension is not in the care of the person who holds parental responsibility and is subject to an out of school suspension, procedures be developed to address, inter alia: 
   • To whom the school is to issue mandatory correspondence 
   • Whether the expectation of engagement by the parent or carer who the student would otherwise have resided with continues, and if not, who is responsible for engaging with the student during the period of the suspension.
5. That the DoE consider using Harmony’s experience as a case study for the training of DoE staff on the impact of suspension on school connectedness.