During the October half-term, local fostering households came together for an afternoon filled with fun, food and laughter to launch the first Mockingbird constellation in BwD.
The event took place at Family Hub Livesey and was attended by the stakeholders from the BwD Senior Leadership Team, Family Learning and the Fostering Services.
The family event mirrored an extended family coming together for a celebration. After the cake cutting ceremony, everyone engaged in an activity facilitated by the BwD family learning service which was all about using Lego and robotics to build moving objects.
The launch coincided with two key national initiatives: the Family Learning Festival which is a month-long celebration of learning as a family and Children of Foster Carers Month.
Our Fostering Service is part of exciting plans to nationally roll-out Mockingbird.
Mockingbird, a global award winning and pioneering programme led by The Fostering Network in the UK, delivers sustainable foster care. It is an evidence-based model structured around the support and relationships an extended family provides.
The model nurtures the relationships between children, young people and foster families supporting them to build a resilient and caring community.
Led by a hub home carer and liaison worker, the constellation community offers vital peer support and guidance alongside social activities and sleepovers to strengthen relationships and permanence.
Cllr Julie Gunn, Executive Member for Children, Young People and Education said
“I’m proud that we have launched the first Mockingbird constellation in BwD because it is all about helping foster carers feel better supported, and for our young people to make friends, enjoy sleepovers, and build relationships with trusted families outside of their immediate fostering families.”
Joanne Siddle, Strategic Director Children and Education (DCS) and Chair of the Foster with Us Regional Fostering Support Hub said
“It was lovely to see families come together to be part of this important point in our journey, which celebrated our first constellation of fostering families in BwD getting together to strengthen friendships, have fun, make memories, and build a strong sense of community.
What I loved to see the most at our event was that everyone in our fostering families were included in activities and that this is a central theme of the Mockingbird Family Model™.
With its continued success, our goal is to expand the model further across our local authority and partners across our region.”
Warren and Ruth, Hub Home Carers and Becky, Mockingbird Liaison Worker said
“We‘ve been on a shared journey with families for the last couple of months and this launch is one more important stepping-stone towards building that real feeling of an extended family and peer support between our families”.
For further information about the Mockingbird Model see What is Mockingbird? and The Mockingbird programme | The Fostering Network
Councils across the North West are calling on more people to consider becoming foster carers and provide space for children in need of a loving home.
Anyone interested can get in touch with our Regional Fostering Support Hub Foster with Us on 0300 019 0200.
The hub is open 7 days a week, where you will be able to speak with one of our friendly advisors, or request a call back / information pack.
For more information, please visit our fostering webpage www.fosterwithus.org.uk or email hello@fosterwithus.org.uk
Taken from the Shuttle Published Thursday 31 October 2024 at 12:22
If you want to learn how you can make a difference in a child’s life, get in touch with us today. Call 0300 0190 200 or fill out the form, and one of our friendly team members will reach out to you.
Blackburn with Darwen offers full training and support, local offers and discounts like Blue Light Card, BwD Leisure, and Days Out. We offer a generous payment package as well as set-up costs, travel allowances and additional holiday and birthday allowances. You will have your own Social Worker who will be there with you every step of the way and the chance to be part of a team, passionate about making a real difference to children and young people in our area.
There is a national shortage of foster carers, so there has never been a more important time to start your fostering journey. With record numbers of children in care and around 13 per cent of the foster carer workforce retiring or leaving every year, The Fostering Network estimates that fostering services across the UK need to recruit at least a further 6,500 foster families in the next 12 months alone.
That’s 760 fostering households in the North West where there is a particular need for foster carers to look after teenagers and sibling groups.
