The office of Children's Minister Kelvin Davis received a call from Malachi Subecz's family seeking help as the five-year-old lay in Starship Hospital with serious injuries and in an induced coma.
Malachi died on November 12 last year from his injuries, later proved to have been caused by carer Michaela Barriball. She was jailed for at least 17 years in June.
Malachi's whānau had raised concerns with Oranga Tamiriki that Malachi was being abused by Barriball but the agency failed to protect him.
Today, Te Pāti Māori co-leader Debbie Ngarewa-Packer asked the Children's Minister Kelvin Davis if at any stage his office had been alerted to the abuse by Malachi's family.
Davis told Parliament that a member of Malachi's whānau phoned his office on November 3 last year seeking help.
1News understands Malachi's wider family were aghast that Barriball was in the hospital with Malachi and making decisions on his behalf and urged the Government to intervene.
Davis said while he was never personally made aware of the call, a private secretary promptly passed the details on to Oranga Tamariki which established Barriball was a suspect in the case.
1News understands Barriball was banned from the hospital ward the following day.
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