Mockingbird
"It takes a village to raise a child." Mockingbird supports foster families and gives children a supportive experience of fostering.
What is Mockingbird?
The Mockingbird programme is led by The Fostering Network in the UK and aims to deliver sustainable foster care that is nurturing, resilient and replicates an extended family.
Mockingbird empowers foster families to support each other and overcome problems before they escalate and offers children a more positive experience of care.
The programme uses the concept of a ‘constellation’ which features around six to ten fostering homes (‘Satellite carers’) that live near to a central hub home. Experienced foster carers are employed as the ‘hub home carers’ and provide practical and emotional peer support, planned and emergency short break care (including valuable sleepovers), regular social activities and hub member support and training opportunities.
Satellite carers vary from hub to hub – some feature new foster carers, Kinship carers, short break or long-term carers – all are welcome, and all are actively involved in the constellation. Mockingbird is coordinated by a dedicated liaison worker from the fostering service.
“Mockingbird has given us great support, it's like a big family! It has been a positive experience and very child-centred. Children thrive with the stability and familiarity...”
(Satellite Carer)
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We currently have two Mockingbird constellations in Gloucestershire; The Rockstars and The Beehive.
The Rockstars, launched in April 2024, have ten satellite families within the constellation which includes 17 children in care. The Beehive, launched in September 2024, has seven satellite families including 14 children in care. Hub home carers have supported emergency foster placements being extended to longer term foster homes, supporting children through adoption proceedings and on to their forever homes.
Children’s relationships
The children within both constellations represent a wide range of ages and needs, reflecting the inclusive and adaptable nature of the Mockingbird model. The constellations have fostered strong interpersonal relationships among carers and children. Children within the groups have formed meaningful connections, regularly attending each other’s birthday celebrations and social events, contributing to a sense of belonging and peer support.
Monthly socials
Each constellation comes together on a monthly basis for a social activity which has included things such as a picnic in the park, bugsboarding, animal experiences, arts and crafts and adventure golf. These regular social activities are an excellent opportunity for the families to come together, build relationships and have lots of fun!
Planned and emergency sleepovers
Our hub home carers have provided over 100 sleepovers for children within the constellations. This has meant children have been able to stay with foster carers they know and trust. These sleepovers have also contributed to foster home stability and foster carer retention.
Foster carer support groups
Our hub home carers also facilitate monthly foster carer only meetings (support groups), some of which have included training such as life story workshops. We cannot underestimate the value of peer support for foster carers and Mockingbird is evidencing that the additional layer of support the constellation can offer promotes carer retention and enhances well-being.
