Grab some popcorn and get ready to feel good, as we showcase the benefits of the Mockingbird Family Model in this film where foster carers from South Glos talk about the difference it is making to them.
Mockingbird is probably, in all the 16 years we fostered, the best thing we’ve ever done really and we’ve enjoyed every second of it.”
Mandy, Home Hub Carer
South Gloucestershire Council collaborated with The Fostering Network to launch the first Mockingbird Family Model in 2023. It has since launched two family constellations, with plans for a third. Foster Carers talk about the benefits of the Mockingbird Family Model in this short film.
What is Mockingbird Family Model?
The Mockingbird Family Model, led by The Fostering Network, 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.
Based on the model’s structure, Mockingbird helps alleviate the sense of isolation some foster carers can feel and offers immediate practical support – similar to that a non-fostering family might receive from friends and relatives.
As part of a Mockingbird Constellation, our carers benefit from:
- Foster carer led advice, guidance and emotional and social peer support
- Monthly social events and days out giving you and the children and young people you care for the opportunity to build friendships and have fun
- Planned breaks and if required, emergency sleepovers for the children and young people in your care
- Support with sibling and birth family time
- Formal and informal training and development opportunities
- Support through to permanence (birth family, long-term fostering family, adoption and transitioning to independence)
