What is Mockingbird?
The Fostering Network’s programme is an innovative method of delivering foster care using the Mockingbird Family Model. This is an extended family model that provides respite care, peer support, regular joint planning and training, and social activities.
The programme improves the stability of fostering placements and strengthens the relationships between carers, children and young people, fostering services and birth families.
How Mockingbird works
The innovative Mockingbird model brings together up to ten satellite foster families to form a constellation. At the heart of each constellation is a hub home where a specially recruited and trained foster carer supports all carers within the constellation.
This support provided could include:
- monthly social events for families, providing peer interaction and support for caregivers, children and young people
- unlimited access to social support and mentoring for satellite carers
- planned and emergency respite care 24/7, including daycare and overnight stays
- help to navigate the system and access community resources
This creates a community of foster carers and young people in care who have regular contact with each other, helping everyone involved to build new networks and relationships.
Why we are taking part
The Mockingbird model aims to improve placement stability for children in care, prioritise sibling connections, promote active child protection, support permanence and improve the support provided to foster carers.
This means that foster carers are more likely to have reduced feelings of isolation and continue to foster for years to come.
The global impact of the programme has seen improved:
- placement stability
- experience of peer support
- sibling contact
- experience of birth family contact
- process and experience of respite care
- skills, confidence and role satisfaction for foster carers
- levels of carer retention and recruitment
Our networks of strong and authentic relationships can replicate the support offered by an extended family. With robust and resilient structures, we can support children, young people and foster families through times of crisis and transition.
