Alberta Children and Youth Services must share the blame for the death of a four-year-old girl killed by her aunt in January 2009, an Edmonton sentencing hearing was told Thursday.

Provincial officials placed the girl and her five high-needs siblings in their aunt's home in August 2008 under an arrangement known as kinship care, where foster care is provided by family members.

The court was told the aunt, who was 24 at the time, was ill-prepared to care for the children, who ranged in age from three months to seven years.

"It's going to be suggested Child Welfare set [the aunt] up for this type of failure," defence lawyer Lisa Trach said. "She couldn't possibly have the skills to parent a child, let alone six children."

The little girl was covered in bruises when she was found dead on her bedroom floor on Jan. 13, 2009. She had also suffered severe head trauma and had two broken ribs. On Monday, the aunt pleaded guilty to manslaughter in her death.

The woman endured a childhood filled with abuse, the court was told. Her common-law husband was addicted to crack cocaine and her heroin-addicted stepfather lived in the basement.

Psychologist Les Block, who prepared a report on the woman and testified as an expert witness, said the barrage of stress continued.

The children came down with the flu and the four-year-old desperately wanted her father. She sat looking out the window and at one point even packed her bag.

One day the woman lost her temper. She shook and struck her niece. The child then hit her head on a bed rail.

"I think at some level she can't believe she did this," Block testified. He believes there is no chance the woman would ever do the same thing again.

Defence lawyer Lisa Trach hopes the judge sends a message to the government when he sentences the woman: "You'd better be watching who you're giving these children to, because look what happens when you don't watch."

The Crown asked the judge to sentence the woman to 12 years in prison. Trach argued that the time her client has already spent behind bars is punishment enough.