South Australia must have a minister dedicated solely to child protection in the wake of a series of tragic and distressing incidents, the state opposition says.
Opposition child protection spokesman Josh Teague said SA is facing a child protection crisis.
"We need a dedicated child protection minister right now," he said.
"Someone whose sole focus is the increased safety of vulnerable children to ensure we do not see a repeat of recent tragedies.
"That urgent action is the least we can do to protect our children."
Katrine Hildyard is the Labor government's child protection minister, but also has the sport and recreation, women and the prevention of domestic violence portfolios.
Mr Teague is the shadow attorney-general, the Aboriginal affairs spokesman, and the opposition's spokesman for the prevention of family and domestic violence.
His calls for the ministerial change come after a string of recent incidents, including the deaths of two young children from separate families.
The deaths of a six-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy are both being investigated by a police task force as possible cases of criminal neglect.
In other cases this week, a woman was charged with two counts of attempted murder after allegedly stabbing her two boys aged eight and three.
A woman and her partner were also charged with criminal neglect on Monday after a two-year-old child was taken to a medical clinic with serious injuries.
Responding to the opposition's calls, Deputy Premier Susan Close said they were not particularly helpful.
"What's more important than the opposition trying to play politics with whose got what title, is for us to be taking very seriously the challenge in child protection," she said.
Ms Close said importantly there were reviews underway to make sure the work that was happening was both productive and effective and getting to the heart of supporting and protecting children.
In one of those, former police commissioner Mal Hyde is looking at how government departments handled the two cases of suspected fatal child neglect.
Premier Peter Malinauskas said previously the appointment of Mr Hyde would ensure the review was both independent and robust.
He also pledged to make the findings public.
