Mockingbird is an innovative method of delivering foster care, which we call 'an extended family model', that provides sleepovers, peer support, and social activities as a large family.
Having a Hub home foster carer in the centre, up to 10 foster families come together to form a Mockingbird constellation (family) and support each other.
Each Mockingbird family will be given their own liaison worker. Everyone within your Mockingbird constellation will naturally become extended members of each other's families.
Children and young people within the Mockingbird family will see the other adults as Aunts and Uncles and not necessarily foster carers offering respite care.
The children within the Mockingbird family will view the other children and young people as close friends, normalising being looked after and helping our carers to build strong friendships.
This type of fostering helps with continuity and unconditional care for our children and life-long friendships are made young and old.
Group Manager for Hull Fostering, Jayne Betts, said
The Mockingbird model in essence matches up-to 10 foster families together, providing a family style relationship, meeting up, organise day trips out together, sleepovers and offer support to one another like a typical extended family would.
Mockingbird 1 Hub carer, Lisa said
“These people came into my life only a few months ago as strangers and now I call them my family. Being a foster carer is unique and having a fostering family made up of carers to lean upon when needed is enormously helpful.
“When one of us is needing support, is poorly, or requires some respite, I know someone within my Mockingbird family will come to my rescue. Our foster children regularly play together, we go out for day trips and arrange sleepovers. The children do not class these sleepovers as respite, instead it’s a sleepover with their mates, which is how it should feel.
“Whenever other foster children come to my house, it feels so natural, they open my fridge, change the TV channel, go and play with my children, because they have become genuine friends."
Another Mockingbird carer, Heather, said
"In just a couple of months, us adults have helped each other out so many times, wrapping our arms around the ones who are having a bad time and cheered on those who are doing well. I am so proud of the Mockingbird Family and would encourage any other foster carers to join a Mockingbird family. It’s like we’ve known each other forever."
Annette, another Mockingbird foster carer, said; “We wanted to join the first Mockingbird Family in Hull so our foster child could make friends. But what we have gained being part of the Mockingbird Family has surpassed our expectations. I’ve made friends with other carers who are in a similar situation to us, I know I can reach out to anyone of these people and know they understand me and want to help all of us.”
