The five-year-old who was reportedly placed with a Muslim foster family has been reportedly taken to her grandmother's home after a judge ruled she should live with one of her relatives. The move came after the girl was placed within a foster home where her Christian roots were allegedly discouraged. A media report said the Muslim foster family had sought to impose its values and traditions on the girl.
Local authority Tower Hamlets Council, involved in the case, denied claims that the foster family did not speak English. It said the foster carers were in “English speaking family of mixed race” and claimed there were other “inaccuracies” in reporting of the case. Family court judge Khatun Sapnara reportedly said it was in the girl's best interests to live within a family. They said it could meet her needs in relation to “ethnicity, culture, and religion”.
“Tower Hamlets Council has the welfare of children at the heart of what we do. The decision to choose foster carers for a child is based on a number of factors, including cultural background and proximity to promote contact with the child's family and the child's school in order to give them as much stability as possible. We have always been working towards the child being looked after by a family member and we continue to do so,” a statement issued by the local authority said.
