Longfield to examine Muslim fostering case

According to The Times, the girl was taken from her family by children's services at Tower Hamlets Council and forced to live with a niqab-wearing foster carer in a home where she was allegedly encouraged to learn Arabic.

It said that in a confidential council report on the case, a social services supervisor describes the child sobbing and begging not to be returned to the foster carer's home because "they don't speak English".

Anne Longfield, children's commissioner for England, said she was concerned by the reports.

"A child's religious, racial and cultural background should be taken into consideration when they are placed with foster carers.

"We will be contacting the director of children's services at Tower Hamlets to establish more about the facts of this case."

Neil Carmichael, former chair of the education select committee, which launched an inquiry into foster care prior to the general election, has also raised concerns about the case.

Carmichael, who lost his seat at the general election and has been replaced by Robert Halfon as committee chair, told the BBC's Victoria Derbyshire Show that while the precise facts of the case are unclear, the situation appears to be "unacceptable".

"It is of course completely unacceptable for this to have arisen where a young child is in a situation where neither her culture or language is being properly respected, and of course, the United Nations makes it clear that such considerations must be taken into account," he said.

"So the council has not done that and I think that is a failure of children's services.

"The outcome is unacceptable that this young girl is in the situation she is found herself in, despite pleading to her family, pleading to the council and there are wide questions to be asked here.

"Were independent sources of fostering consulted or accessed and so on?"

The Adolescent and Children's Trust tweeted that UK Muslim foster carers "bring hope to vulnerable children".

While @thetimes & @DailyMailUK bring only hate, hundreds of UK Muslim foster carers will today,& everyday, bring hope to vulnerable children

— TACT Foster & Adopt (@TACTCare) August 29, 2017

And Sir Martin Narey, who is conducting a stocktake of fostering provision in England on behalf of the government said that ethnic or religious matching is not necessary.

Whatever the circumstances here, successful and loving fostering does not require ethnic or religious matchinghttps://t.co/PmORzylXiC

— Martin Narey (@martinnarey) August 28, 2017

Andy Leary-May, chief executive of Adoption Link, said that, from reports, it does not appear that the foster parents have been supporting the child's cultural identity.

Carers should be willing & able to support child's identity, culture etc. Doesn't *sound* the case here, irrespective of carer's beliefs.

— Andy Leary-May (@learymay) August 28, 2017

Tower Hamlets Council said it does not comment on individual cases. It added that: "Our fostering service provides a loving and stable home for hundreds of children every year and in every case we give absolute consideration to our children's background and to their cultural identity."