Latest information that I have thanks to Cllr Gail Engert, LibDem Children’s Services Spokesperson on Haringey is about CRB checks.
It would seem that the foster couple were relatively long term foster parents and had something like twelve placements from Haringey previously. They are CRB checked (advanced) as is the elderly father of one of them who lives in the same house – and he has been CRB checked (advanced). They have four daughters – three of whom have been CRB checked (advanced) but the youngest is only eleven – and they don’t apparently CRB check at that age.
They have CRB checked the neighbours. They have CRB checked frequent visitors.
Seemingly the only person Haringey Council didn’t CRB check was Abdulla Achmed Ali. They say they didn’t CRB check him becuase he wasn’t a frequent visitor.
But as I understand it – he was living there. He had all his bomb-making equipment there and his books there.
More digging required I feel.
Lynne Featherstone 
The council say this man now convicted did not live in the house with the foster child. From their website:
“The stories that have appeared in national newspapers are misleading and innacurate (sic). The facts are these:
“Abdulla Ahmed Ali did not live in the same property as the fostered child.”
Possibly Gilligan who first broke this story has overstated the case as he’s notoriously done before.
Perhaps we should not rush to judgement. As you rightly say: “we don’t know how badly or otherwise Haringey has performed in its duties to safeguard children it places in foster care”; A contrast with your lib dem council group leader, quoted in your blog, opportunistically describing this as another Council failure.
I agree that the Council should be saying more than they have; but this is a serious issue of confidence in the local fostering services and the future of vulnerable children, and I would prefer my MP to get to the facts rather than the politicking. Look forward to your updates on this.