State failing children at risk TWENTY-TWO toddlers and six school children have died from physical abuse despite being under state watch, which has the aim of protecting children from violent parents. This month a baby died after being shaken by a parent. The death is now the subject of a coronial inquiry. Victoria Police also said the death of a 14-week-old twin boy from regional Victoria, who died in October 2011, eight days after being taken to the Royal Children's Hospital with severe head injuries and a broken leg, was still being investigated. Two mums were charged with murder in 2011 over the deaths of a three-month-old boy and an eight-week-old girl. Child safety advocates are now calling for longer and more stringent supervision of problem parents, saying the deaths are preventable. The new Commission for Children and Young People starts work this week as part of an overhaul of child protection. An analysis by the Child Death Review Committee shows 324 children died through illness, accident or neglect while under the watch of the department between 1996 and 2011, with 105 of those children aged under six months. The figures show 28 children died from "non-accidental trauma," with most of the toddlers, up to three years, suffering head injuries. Child protection authorities had closed the cases on eight of the 28 children before their deaths. Separate figures from the Coroner's Court of Victoria show that over the past 11 years family violence was behind the deaths of 12 children aged less than one year and 21 children aged one to nine years. Most of these children were under state watch. Child Safety Commissioner Bernie Geary said providing better services to families was the key to preventing more deaths. "It means these kids have not been being looked after by their family or the community," he said. Any child that is harmed by an adult is one too many. Australian Childhood Foundation chief executive officer Dr Joe Tucci said the system needed to stay involved with vulnerable children longer, and parents believed to pose a risk needed to be closely supervised. "These deaths could have been prevented," he said. "I'm still concerned there is a lack of focus on child protection, intervening early and staying involved," Dr Tucci said. Department of Human Services spokeswoman Ruth Ward said child deaths were reviewed to enable the "development of systems and initiatives to protect children and strengthen intervention." The report into child deaths said the deaths resulted from "physical abuse, homicide, and any instance where a child or young person is missing, presumed dead." Over the past 15 years in Victoria, more children have died from physical abuse than those dying of drug overdoses (24) and suicides (20).