Mockingbird

What is Mockingbird?

Mockingbird is a support network which recreates the dynamics of a family within foster care. By joining Mockingbird, you will become part of an extended family which offers support, advice, sleepovers (respite) and access to monthly social events and activities throughout the year.

At the centre is the hub home, managed by experienced foster carers. The hub home carers open their family home to support up to 10 foster families, known in Mockingbird as satellite carers. This network of carers, or community, is referred to as a constellation. The hub home carer is there to offer advice, 1:1 support, sleepovers (respite) where needed and organises social activities and events throughout the year. These events are exclusively for the families within the constellation. Based upon the idea that it takes a village to raise a child, Mockingbird nurtures the relationships between foster carers and care experienced children, creating a resilient and caring community. Watch this short film, created by the Fostering Network, What is Mockingbird? to hear from hub home carers and satellite families about their experience being part of Mockingbird. The Constellation Community

Relationships are central to Mockingbird. The hub home carers build strong relationships with everyone in the constellation, empowering families to support each other and overcome problems before they escalate or lead to placement breakdown.

This increases the protective factors around the children, but also fosters a sense of belonging, helping to reduce isolation and improve placement stability for children. 

Satellite Carers

By becoming a satellite carer within the constellation, not only will you benefit from the extra guidance, training and exclusive events organised by the hub home carer, you will become part of an extended network of like-minded foster carers. Foster families within the constellation are there to support each other on their foster care journeys, in the same way that an extended family supports one another. 

Monthly coffee mornings are held to advise, train and talk together on how the constellation is developing, and the monthly social activities are an opportunity for the whole constellation to have fun, get to know one another and strengthen the relationships within the group.

Impact of the programme

The Fostering Network gathers monthly monitoring data from all active sites. Independent evaluation of Mockingbird published by the Department for Education found the programme to be a cost-effective, sustainable model of foster care, with more capacity to care for children and young people than other existing fostering models. 

Learn more about the impact and growth of the Mockingbird programme:

Impact report: DfE Mockingbird Programme Evaluation Report (September 2020) Mockingbird Fostering Network Evaluation

Are you interested in joining Mockingbird? For further information please e-mail mockingbird@rbkc.gov.uk or call 07795 127307. There is limited space available, so please get in touch as soon as possible to avoid missing out.

For more information about Mockingbird:

Watch our short film to learn about What is Mockingbird? 

Mockingbird: A really big family - Hear from young people about their experience of being part of a constellation. This film was co-produced in 2021 with young people who are part of Mockingbird in the UK. 

If you want to hear more about up-to-date information on the national Mockingbird programme, then please visit the Fostering Network’s web site at thefosteringnetwork.org.uk/mockingbird