Daily roundup: Pelka report, adoption figures and SCR database

The chair of Coventry Local Safeguarding Children Board (LCSB) has confirmed a “further analysis” into the death of four-year-old Daniel Pelka will be published. Amy Weir has said a follow up "brief publication” will be written addressing issues raised in a letter from children and families minister Edward Timpson to the LSCB. The letter, published last week at the same time as the SCR into Daniel's death, questioned the investigation methods used by the LCSB, and requested more details on where failures occurred.

The Department for Education has revealed that 3,980 children in care were adopted between April 2012 and March 2013. The annual Looked After Children Statistical First Release, published today, shows an increase of 15 per cent on the previous year, when 3,470 children were adopted. The figures also show that the number of children fostered rose two per cent over the same period.

The NSPCC will publish serious case review (SCR) reports on its website from October. The decision to publish SCRs is the result of an agreement between the charity and the Association of Independent LSCB Chairs. Karen Childs Smith, head of knowledge and information at NSPCC, said lessons need to be learnt from SCRs, which tend to “raise the same issues over and over again”, and that publishing them in an easily accessible central location is the solution.

Northern Ireland’s health minister Edwin Poots has announced an independent inquiry into child sexual exploitation. The BBC reports that the announcement follows the arrests of more than 30 people as part of a major child sex abuse investigation. However, the NSPCC has said Poots should focus on providing “immediate help” for victims of sexual exploitation, rather than on an inquiry.

The charity YoungMinds has criticised Asda’s “huge error of judgment” in selling a “mental health patient” Halloween costume. The Daily Mail reports that the costume – a blood-splattered straitjacket – was advertised as part of the supermarket’s George clothing brand. Lucie Russell, director of campaigns at YoungMinds, said the marketing of the costume “makes it harder for children and young people to speak out and get help about mental health”. Asda has apologised and said the product has been "withdrawn immediately”.