Daily roundup: Child protection, 'avoidable deaths', and violent extremism

Education Secretary Michael Gove has ordered a review of child protection work in Doncaster. The BBC reports that the review will be conducted by Professor Julian Le Grand of the London School of Economics, who will report back to Gove by May. The review will determine whether Doncaster can improve services itself or whether an independent organisation should take over its children's services.

Nearly 2,000 children a year in the UK are dying from “avoidable” causes because doctors lack training in paediatric care, a study has claimed. The Independent reports that the study, conducted by Evelina London Children’s Hospital, found that the UK is at the bottom of a European league, with the highest number of excess child deaths among 15 EU member states. The researchers blamed the UK’s health system, saying it had not adapted to meet children’s needs.

A government programme supporting people at risk of violent extremism and terrorism has helped more than 500 young people in the past five years. The Guardian reports that a total of 2,500 people have been referred by the police and other agencies to Channel, a £3m-a-year anti-radicalisation programme.

A youth scheme that aims to teach young people about the dangers of racism and extreme groups, such as the English Defence League, has received backing from communities minister Don Foster. Funded by the Department for Communities and Local Government and the National Union of Teachers, the No Place For Hate project is led by the charity Show Racism the Red Card. Foster said: “The far right must be isolated, undermined, outflanked and subject to the ridicule they deserve. This is why we are supporting Show Racism the Red Card to work in schools with 10,000 students across the country to give them the tools to reject the far right’s messages.”
 
Brighton & Hove City Council has selected its new director of children’s services. Pinaki Ghoshal has been assistant director for children and young people’s services for Warrington Borough Council since January 2007. Ghoshal said: “The city council is highly ambitious and I look forward to making a lasting difference - from raising educational attainment to reducing the number of looked-after children.” His appointment will be confirmed shortly.

And finally, the shadow education secretary will today warn that schools will face a 15,000 shortage of teachers by 2015. In a speech to the Association of Teachers and Lecturers conference in Liverpool, Stephen Twigg will argue that the average of one teacher per 17.6 pupils, plus more than 500 existing vacancies, amounts to a lack of more than 15,000 teachers. The Guardian reports that Twigg will argue Education Secretary Michael Gove has created "a crisis in the teaching profession".