Child safety officers did not have a proper understanding of a Queensland mother's mental health six months before her death alongside her four children in a car crash, a coronial inquest has been told.
Coroner Kerrie O'Callaghan late last month opened an inquest into the death of Charmaine McLeod, 35, and her children Aaleyn, 6, Matilda, 5, Wyatt, 4, and Zaidok, 2, on May 27, 2019, on the Bunya Highway at Kingaroy northwest of Brisbane.
The inquest heard from three people on Monday who worked as child safety officers in 2018 when Ms McLeod reported allegations that Wyatt had been sexually abused to the Department of Children, Youth Justice and Multicultural Affairs.
Manik Backwell, now a senior team leader, testified that she was tasked with investigating the allegations on July 11, 2018 but was unable to start work until November 23 because of a backlog.
Ms Backwell said she did not refer Ms McLeod for further mental health treatment as her file showed she had a history of seeking help from government and community services.
"There were no behavioural indications from Charmaine at that time to make me think she was unable to care for children," she said.
The team leader agreed with counsel assisting the coroner Kylie Hillard that Ms McLeod's GP had not provided further information.
Ms Backwell also agreed she would have found it alarming if she had been fully aware of the symptoms from Ms McLeod's schizophrenia and borderline personality disorder and knew she might have lowered her intake of antipsychotic medication.
One of the areas the inquest is investigating is the appropriateness and adequacy of responses by the department to the protection, safety and welfare of Ms McLeod's children.
Ms Backwell became emotional when Ms Hillard read to her the detailed disclosures of alleged sexual abuse that Matilda made to police.
She said she had asked for any such details during the child safety investigation but the police only supplied a summary of its interactions with the family, as was usual practice at the time.
A barrister for the department objected during later questioning about Ms Backwell's efforts to verify statements made about Ms McLeod, telling the hearing that Ms Backwell had been investigating allegations involving Wyatt and not his mother.
"If the officers were to look at every other possible allegation they would get nothing done," the barrister said.
Ms Hillard asked Ms Backwell what it meant to her from a child protection point of view that the police's summary stated Ms McLeod had made unfounded and vexatious allegations against her former partner and father of her children, James McLeod.
“Vexatious ... meant maybe she was making things up," Ms Backwell said.
Ms Backwell said Ms McLeod and her children were never subject to a multi-agency suspected child abuse and neglect meeting.
The inquest is expected to finish its public hearings on Friday.
