SHE lived in a bug and rat infested home; her mother was addicted to drugs and she was so mistreated she was always vomiting, and even lost her hair.

Little Chloe Valentine’s tragic life has been laid bare in an at times distressing inquest at the Coroners Court in South Australia.

It was ordered by State Coroner Mark Johns who wanted to examine the months leading up to her death and the role authorities played in her case.

Throughout her four years alive Families SA received a staggering 21 child abuse notifications, meaning she could have instantly been taken into their care.

But that didn’t happen and she died on January 20, 2012 from 39 injuries she suffered after repeatedly falling of a motorbike she was made to ride in the backyard over three days.

Her mother Ashlee Jean Polkinghorne, 22, and her partner Benjamin Robert McPartland, 28 stood by and laughed at each fall.

Girl's tragic backyard death WARNING: UPSETTING CONTENT. Home video footage of Chloe Valentine, who died after repeatedly falling off a motorbike in her mother’s backyard in suburban Adelaide.

Polkinghorne was jailed for eight years, and McPartland for seven years, but both received non-parole periods of more than four years.

THE ABUSE

The two week hearing has heard from witnesses who have detailed the “convincing lies” Polkinghorne told to cover the abuse her daughter was suffering.

The inquest heard recordings of a phone conversation Polkinghorne had with a friend where she was heard to say she was a better mother when she would take amphetamines “ because she would pick Chloe up and feed her and change her nappy”.

Polkinghorne's shocking admissions In a phone conversation with a friend, Ashlee Polkinghorne admits being under the influence of illicit drugs while looking after her daughter Chloe Valentine.

One witness, Nikki Behsmann, told the court Polkinghorne and McPartland, relaxed in their lounge room taking drugs while Chloe cried in her room.

If she tried leaving the room McPartland and Polkinghorne would yell abuse down the hallway.

She described one moment Polkinghorne made her stand in a corner and wouldn’t let her go to sleep.

Other witnesses said they heard Chloe say she “hated” her mother while Krystal Lee Benyktold of trying to care for Chloe and finding vomit that had caked under the child’s chin and seeing her “filthy and black” hair.

THE ROLE OF FAMILIES SA

Families workers have given evidence they knew Polkinghorne wasn’t telling the truth. “Some of the information Ashlee gave was conflicting, I was wary whether the information was correct or not,” Leanne Sowerby said.

She thought her home was messy but not unhygienic and she didn’t believe Chloe was at immediate risk.

Ms Sowerby said the agency had taken a “softly, softly” approach with Polkinghorne, The Advertiser reported.

She said that, when she confronted Polkinghorne about her lies, she also reassured her she was “there to help”.

“We hoped she would engage, not lie, and understand our role in protecting Chloe,” she said.

Another social worker, Amy Kidner, confirmed she helped Polkinghorne clean her filthy flat and

decided not to confront Polkinghorne about her drug use as that would have “damaged the trust” between them and “set her back” when she was “doing well”.

In a shocking revelation, the court heard Polkinghorne effectively received a license from Families SA to take drugs provided she had first found a sober person to care for her infant daughter, an inquest has heard.

The social worker who drafted the agreement, thought Chloe was deemed to be at high risk of abuse, but still saw nothing wrong with his decision, years after Chloe’s death.

Families SA principal social worker Nicholas Alexander Ratsch said while drug use was inappropriate, and not condoned by Families SA, the plan was “only a back-up”.

He said it was written “in the language of” Chloe’s mother, Ashlee Polkinghorne, and based on her prior history of drug use.

He also admitted filling his car with rubbish from her flat and said it was “possible” he told Polkinghorne a salvation Army worker

NO DRUGS TEST

The State Coroner accused Families SA of failing to drug test Polkinghorne because it was “too difficult”.

He told Families SA supervisor Kelly Francou: “It was never seriously going to happen ... the fact is you just didn’t want to do it because it was too difficult.

“You knew, at the time, it would have been a difficult thing to put in place, you’d never done it before — you never had any intention to realistically accept the offer from Ashlee.”

Ms Francou denied that was the case.

“I have never been fearful of things being too difficult ... we were trying to build a rapport with this woman,” she said.

CHLOE LEFT WITH TEEN

A 15-year-old was left to look after Chloe when her mother wandered off intoxicated.

A police officer told how he came into contact with them.

“She said she was with Polkinghorne down at Glenelg beach earlier that day, and that Polkinghorne was grossly, paralytically intoxicated and had wandered off,” he said.

“Miss Bretons had no contact details for Polkinghorne, had been left with custody of Chloe and had no choice but to return home with her and call police.”

“LESS THAN PERFECT” — BUT STILL “GOOD ENOUGH” PARENTING

Senior social worker Leanne Stewart doubted Polkinghorne’s parenting skills but did not think they were bad enough to warrant Chloe being taken away from her.

She dismissed “exaggerated” claims Chloe was undernourished, ignored and had ears “filled” with wax.

Her report said Chloe was “sometimes exposed to less-than-perfect parenting by Ashlee, but her parenting is considered above the threshold of adequate and good enough”.

She believed her problems were not ongoing and Polkinghorne had improved.

“Perhaps it was not just about her being lazy and not bothered but being a teenager and not prioritising,” she said.

THE SEX OFFENDER

Chloe Valentine and her mother lived with a convicted sex offender who once made illegal videos of his underage girlfriend.

Families SA senior social worker Leanne Stewart told the court Chloe’s grandfather alerted her to the relationship between Hindle and Chloe’s mother, Ashlee Polkinghorne.

But her supervisors wouldn’t allow her to tell Polkinghorne about his past because it would breach confidentiality.

The court heard Polkinghorne was knocked out by Hindle and when Ms Stewart heard that she devised a safety plan.

But this came inform harsh criticism from the Coroner.

The Advertiser reported he told her “you had an opportunity to put him away and you didn’t take it”.

“You were informed of a crime, you were a public officer and your informant was a teenage girl known to be irresponsible ... surely it was your duty to inform the matter to police.”

CASE CLOSED, DESPITE BEING HOMELESS

Former Families SA family support worker Elizabeth Daniel believed her supervisor, Carolyn Lockett, made the decision to close Chloe’s case prematurely after two meetings with Polkinghorne.

“(It was premature) because she was a baby and a young mum and they didn’t have a home of their own ... You want the best for the baby.”

She said although she was told to keep working with the family but not provided with resources or time to do it.

Asked if enough was being done she replied: “Possibly not. But I don’t know what else you would do.”

The inquest has now adjourned until December 1 and will run for two weeks.