The Northern Territory Government must urgently halt proposed changes to legislation designed to ensure children removed by the government maintain a connection to family and culture, two Indigenous children's commissioners say.

This week, the NT CLP Government is expected to introduce legislation to change parts of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Placement Principle (ATSICPP). It comes in the wake of the death of Kumanjayi Little Baby and revelations that three child protection workers had been stood down over circumstances leading up to her abduction and death.

Child Protection Minister Robyn Cahill announced the CLP government would undertake an extensive review of the child protection system after 47-year-old Jefferson Lewis — who is not related to Kumanjayi Little Baby and had nothing to do with her care — was charged over her alleged murder, along with two other offences.

The government is "not prepared to accept the status quo and will announce the scope of an independent review", Ms Cahill told the ABC.

"Every Territory child deserves to be safe," she said in a statement. "That is not negotiable."

In a statement on Tuesday, Northern Territory Children's Commissioner Shahleena Musk and National Commissioner for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Children and Young People Sue-Anne Hunter called for the government to halt any changes.

While acknowledging the system requires significant reform, the commissioners argued rushed changes risk unintended consequences and will not lead to meaningful systemic reform to ensure children's safety.

Commissioner Musk — a Larrakia woman and former Crown prosecutor in both the NT and Western Australia — offered to lead the inquiry, with support from Commissioner Hunter, citing the national commissioner's experience in the sector.

"This is not just about the Child Protection system; there are many other systems outside of my legislative remit that are failing vulnerable children and families and must be included within the review," she said.

"Currently, I do not have the resources and legislative powers to undertake a systemic Inquiry to the level that it is needed."

She said the NT Government has the power to establish a board of inquiry with legislative powers to examine the child protection system and interconnected systems affecting child safety, including housing, family violence, criminal justice and policing.

"Any review or Inquiry that is not adequately resourced or given independent statutory powers will be set up to fail," Commissioner Musk said.

"This is not about one case in isolation — but rather a system in crisis that requires comprehensive systemic investigation and critical oversight. Any review that falls short of this is a missed opportunity to create true, transformational change."

Despite Ms Cahill's repeated comments on the ATSICPP, data shows only 17.5 per cent of Indigenous children aged 0-17 in out-of-home care in the NT were placed with an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relative or kin — the lowest rate in the country.

Commissioner Hunter said the Principle exists because Australia is still reckoning with the intergenerational harm experienced by the Stolen Generations. Weakening it through rushed legislation, without a proper review, "risks repeating the very harms it was designed to prevent," she said.

"Decisions about our children must be made with our children, our families and our communities at the centre, in line with Australia's obligations under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples," the national commissioner said.

"Rushing legislative reform in the absence of a robust and independent review is short-sighted. Instead, we need to pause amendments and undertake an independent systems-wide inquiry to fully understand what aspects of current systems need the most immediate attention and whether legislative reform is indeed required".

Last week, a coalition of eight legal and family violence prevention services issued a statement criticising Ms Cahill for comments they say "again demonstrate a fundamental misunderstanding of the legislation she administers".

"Earlier public commentary by the Minister repeatedly suggested that the ATSICPP somehow competes with the safety and well-being of children," they said. "That proposition is legally incorrect...The Act already makes the best interests of the child the paramount consideration in every child protection decision."

Commissioner Musk said the NT has a history of failing to implement recommendations from numerous inquiries, and an independent inquiry would examine "previous recommendations made in these reports and consider their application in the current system".

"We call on the NT Government to work with us, Aboriginal leaders and other experts to establish a Board of Inquiry as a matter of priority," she said.

"It is time our Child Protection system and related systems have the essential coordinated attention they deserve. We know we can and must do better for the Territory's most vulnerable children."