Allegations made about a 'white Christian' girl placed with Muslim foster parents have been rubbished in a report by the council that made the placement.
An investigation by the Times newspaper, which was subsequently reported widely by other media, claimed the five-year-old was left distressed after one of her foster carers wore a burqa, banned the child from eating pork and forcibly removed her cross necklace.
The paper reported the girl had 'sobbed and begged' not to return, saying her carers 'don't speak English'.
But an official investigation by Tower Hamlets council roundly rejected the allegations, which were made by the mother and a social servicers agent, and insisted 'that at all times the foster carers provided warm and appropriate care to the child'.
A report on the investigation said: 'The local authority has been impressed with the care and commitment shown by the carers to the child. This is reflected in the child's description and reaction to the carers and the MGM's [maternal grandmother's] positive relationship with them.'
The investigation revealed that the child was placed in two separate Muslim households as a temporary measure while her maternal grandmother awaited approval for custody after her mother was deemed unfit to look after her.
But referencing claims made in numerous media reports, including by Christian Today, the investigation found the original foster carer wore a hijab, not a niqab or a burqa, and the second wore a burqa in public but not in the home.
The council said there had been no rejection of food for religious reasons and the cross was a large gold necklace and the second carer was concerned about its value so sent it back to the maternal grandmother.
The grandmother herself was 'distressed and angered' by the claims about the foster carers which she said were 'false and lies', according to the report.
'She has a good relationship with the carers and is grateful for the excellent care she says that they have provided to the child,' it says.
A spokesman for the Times said: 'The Times reported concerns about the suitability of this foster placement raised by the child's mother and a social care worker who supervised regular meetings between the girl and her birth family.
'Tower Hamlets was ordered to investigate the allegations and invited by the judge to publish an "alternative narrative" in respect of them.
'Its report today rejects the allegations but records that the mother disputes the findings.'
