Three Northern Territory child protection workers have been sacked over their handling of the case of a five-year-old girl allegedly murdered in Alice Springs.

NT Minister for Children and Families Robyn Cahill is reportedly furious about how her department handled the case of the little girl, now referred to as Kumanjayi Little Baby for cultural reasons, and has ordered an external investigation.

Kumanjayi Little Baby disappeared from Old Timers Camp late on April 25.

Her disappearance sparked a major land and air search before her body was found five days later, on April 30, in the dry Todd River bed.

Minister Cahill told Sky News she had asked the department for information about their interactions with the girl and her family on April 27.

She wasn’t given a briefing until May 1, which is when she was told about the little girl’s child protection notifications.

“Three people have been stood down from their positions as of today,” Ms Cahill told Sky News.

“And I am calling for an independent investigation from someone who is removed from the existing situation so we can have total accuracy and be sure that we are getting the information that we need to get to understand how this failure could happen.”

The minister was similarly scathing in her comments to another media outlet on Thursday.

“On hearing of Kumanjayi Little Baby’s disappearance I reached out to the department asking if we have any connection with this family, any concerns,” Minister Cahill told news.com.au.

“They told me there was nothing to see here.

“I called for a briefing, which took too long to reach me and that’s when I learned there was a lot to see there. I was shocked and questioned how could this possibly happen.”

An internal ­investigation into the department’s failure to respond to multiple referrals from police and others has resulted in three child protection workers being sacked.

“I started an investigation process and that has resulted in three people being stood down today,” she said.

“There is an absolute reluctance to move children from Aboriginal families for fear of being accused of creating another stolen generation.

“You cannot use that as an excuse if they are not safe.”

Jefferson Lewis has been charged with murdering the little girl and other offences which cannot be published for legal reasons. The 47-year-old is in custody in Darwin. His case is scheduled for a second mention in the Alice Springs local court on July 30.

The development comes amid escalating scrutiny of the NT’s child protection system and the department’s prior contact with the little girl and her family.

The Nightly has sought a response from Minister Cahill and the Department of Children and Families (DCF).

This follows revelations that there had allegedly been repeated warnings to child protection authorities before Kumanjayi Little Baby vanished from Old Timers Camp on Anzac Day.

According to The Australian, the little girl was the subject of six child protection reports in the six weeks before her death, including one made by police just days before she disappeared.

Police reportedly made the most recent notification to child protection authorities on April 22 after responding to an alleged assault on the girl’s mother at Old Timers Camp.

The newspaper also reported that more than a dozen child protection notifications had allegedly been made about the child during her short lifetime, but no investigations were launched in response to the six most recent reports.

Sources told The Australian that concerns had been raised by police, domestic violence workers and relatives about the child’s exposure to domestic violence and a “dangerous environment”. They were also concerned about her neglect, lack of supervision and unsafe living conditions.

NT Police declined to comment.

The revelations come after NT Children’s Commissioner Shahleena Musk declined to investigate Kumanjayi Little Baby’s case, saying she would leave that to the coroner.

The Territory’s child protection watchdog has not initiated an own-initiative investigation into the life and death of Kumanjayi Little Baby and will not seek to determine whether the child’s death was foreseeable.

“We are aware of ongoing police investigations and legal proceedings,” her spokesperson said on Tuesday.

“In addition, the Commissioner has today contacted the coroner requesting that a formal coronial inquest be undertaken into this tragedy.

“These mechanisms are most appropriately placed to investigate and review the circumstances of this matter and potential contributing and systemic factors.”

However, former NT children’s commissioner Colleen Gwynne said the Office of the Children’s Commissioner was the most appropriate body to undertake “a full inquiry into the circumstances of this child”.

Ms Gwynne said the watchdog should urgently examine every interaction between the family and government agencies, including police, child protection, health and housing.

“You put it all together and say: what could we have done? Have we missed an intervention point that may have prevented the death?” she said.

“The main question here is ‘was the harm foreseeable?’”