New head for Doncaster Council's children's services

Eleanor Brazil will take up her post at Doncaster Council in June

The woman brought into Haringey Council in the aftermath of the Baby P scandal has been appointed to help turn around children's services in Doncaster.

Eleanor Brazil will take over as interim director of the service next month following the departure of Chris Pratt who is retiring.

The newly-elected mayor Ros Jones is to make children's services a priority.

Child protection in the town has been under government supervision since 2009 after it was deemed to be failing.

Ms Brazil was interim deputy director of children and families services following the death of Peter Connelly, also known as Baby P, in 2007 after social workers missed signs of abuse.

She has also worked in Leeds and Birmingham and is currently interim director of children's services at Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

Child deaths

Ms Brazil said she would bring her "experience of dealing with similar issues at other authorities to Doncaster".

Ms Jones said their new appointee had "the experience and skills to take forward our improvement".

"With my two cabinet members, the search for an improvement partner and the appointment of Eleanor, I am bringing in the additional skills and capacity to place children's services firmly and sustainably on the right track.

"Improving children's services is my number one priority."

In March 2009, the government ordered a takeover of Doncaster's children's services after the deaths of seven children in the district through abuse or neglect over five years.

Less than a year later a serious case review found the attacks in the nearby town of Edlington in which two young boys were tortured by two brothers, aged 11 and 12, had been "preventable".