Warning: This report includes references to self-harm and details some readers may find distressing.

The WA Coroner is investigating how a 10-year-old Indigenous boy died while under the care of the Department of Communities.

A coronial inquest which began Monday in Boorloo/Perth will seek to determine whether the boy's death, on April 12, 2024, was accidental or suicide.

The boy, who cannot be named and is being called Child SJ during this ongoing coronial inquest, would be the youngest recorded child in WA ever to take their own life while in the care of child protection authorities.

It is understood a window blind cord was involved in his death.

The inquest will also examine the standard of treatment and supervision the boy received from the Department of Communities. It will assess if the Department should have got Child SJ to have an in-depth psychological and medical assessment when he was first put into the child protection system, and whether such a measure should have been implemented after Child SJ displayed repeated instances of challenging behaviour, both at home and in school.

In 2020, Child SJ was removed from the care of his parents, who were working towards being reunited with Child SJ and his siblings, who also were living in out of home care.

The court heard on Monday that, at the time of his death, he was living with two legal carers - a relative of his, and their partner.

While being questioned in court on day one of the inquest, Child SJ's relative carer said they had never heard him talk about self-harm, and they didn't believe he even understood the concept of suicide. They also told the court that, although Child SJ had experienced trauma in the past, he did not seem sad or depressed.

The relative carer said Child SJ enjoyed playing video games with them, as well as camping or crabbing. She said she had seen him play with the window blind cords and warned him not to.

Child SJ's second carer told the court on Monday that while Child SJ was staying with them their home had undergone a safety assessment by the Department of Child Protection. They said the DCP had lodged no concerns about the safety of the window blind cords.

After the questioning of both of Child SJ's carers, Coroner Robyn Hartley said she had no criticisms of the pair. Coroner Hartley said the carers clearly loved Child SJ and had provided him with a welcoming home.

Meanwhile, Child SJ's parents released a statement saying they simply wish to know the full details of their son's final days.

"We want the Department to answer for any failures that have contributed to his death," the parents said via their lawyer, Karina Hawtrey, senior solicitor at National Justice Project.

"SJ was a much-loved son and brother. He was a gentle and cheeky little man with a love of animals, Minecraft and kicking a ball around."

Ms Hawtrey added that the parents' grief is being intensified by "the lack of clarity around his death".

"His family deserve answers, and the community deserves transparency," she said.

"We hope the Coroner will closely scrutinise the Department's oversight and any decisions, or lack thereof, that have led to his death."

Suicide is the most common cause of death for Australian First Nations children and young people. The risk of suicide is higher for children removed from their families, who also are statistically more likely to have contact with the criminal legal system.

Across Australia, it is 10 times more likely for First Nations children to be placed in out-of-home than non-Indigenous children. This figure has doubled over the past two decades.

Since 2008, WA has held two inquiries into the deaths of Indigenous children and young people. The most recent, by State Coroner Ros Fogliani in 2019, examined 13 such deaths, and found 12 were suicide. That inquiry was prompted by the suicide of a 10-year-old Indigenous girl in the Kimberley community of Looma in March 2016.

Ms Fogliani made more than 40 recommendations to help address the safety of Indigenous children and young people. Including that school staff and child protection workers be better trained in identifying, and caring for, youths at risk of suicide.

She also recommended enhanced services for people with foetal alcohol syndrome, and the creation of a state-wide Aboriginal cultural policy by the WA Government.

On a national level, meanwhile, First Nations health bodies have stated that Australia's State, Territory and Federal Governments must execute key proposals from dozens of studies on Indigenous child safety over the past three decades. Such as investment in community-led support services, and greater training for child protection and mental health staff in understanding cultural responsiveness.