Daily roundup 14 August: Mortality rates, Kids Company, and children's services

Infant death rates in Britain’s hospitals are among the worst in Europe, research by Nottingham University has found. The Daily Mail reports that 14 times as many babies die in Britain because they are born premature than in Sweden, even with the smaller population taken into account.


Trustees of children's charity Kids Company have submitted a winding up petition at the High Court in London. The Express reports the case is expected to be heard this month. If a specialist insolvency judge agrees to wind up the charity and its associated limited companies, the Kids Company finances will be pored over by receivers, in a bid to secure any cash back for creditors.


Children's services in Stoke-on-Trent have been graded as "requires improvement" by Ofsted. The BBC reports that although inspectors found no widespread or serious concerns about the service, the quality of practice was not consistently good.


A sports charity has received £5,000 from South Yorkshire’s police and crime commissioner to allow more children to play sports for free. The Rotherham Star reports that Alan Billings has donated the money to charity South Yorkshire Sport, which engages with children from all backgrounds to keep them out of trouble.


The number of children in Hull being placed on the city’s child protection register has soared by 60 per cent over the past 15 months. The Hull Daily Mail reports 369 children were officially classified as being at risk in Hull in June compared with 230 children at the end of March last year.


A children’s home run by Doncaster Children’s Services Trust has been rated "outstanding" by Ofsted. Morrison Drive children’s home is the third establishment run by the trust to be praised by the watchdog in the last six months.