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Mockingbird in Devon
Mockingbird, is a global award winning programme aimed at embedding a relational model of sustainable foster care.
The programme has been delivered nationwide and provides 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.
Child protection sits at the heart of the model and the resilience Mockingbird embeds within Fostering Services. This feeds into Devon County Council’s commitment to children and young people in Devon, our responsibility as corporate parents, the council’s strategy and our Restorative Practice.
The Mockingbird Model
The Mockingbird model is based on the creation of a constellation of 6 to 10 satellite fostering families who are supported by 1 hub home that is operated by an experienced foster carer, offering planned and emergency sleepovers, advice, training and peer support.
Key elements:
- Peer guidance and support
- Sleepovers
- Training and development
- Socials
- Support to permanence
- Siblings and birth family
Key roles:
- Hub Home Carer
- Liaison Worker
- Satellite carers
Meet our Mockingbird Team Manager
On seeing the impact our first Mockingbird constellation has had and the benefits it brings to foster families and outcomes for children, Fostering Devon will be expanding the Mockingbird model countywide.
In recognition that this will take significant planning and will need a dedicated senior manager, Cathy Dickson has been recruited as Mockingbird Team Manager to lead the development, growth, nurturing and management of the model across the county.
Cathy brings with her extensive experience of Fostering from Local Authorities across South England. She has experience as a Supervising Social Worker, working in assessment teams, kinship and has a really good understanding of what makes a good Social Worker and spotting the support Foster Families need.
Cathy joined Devon 6years ago and has been a Team Manager in North Devon for 3 years so she is very familiar with Devon and is passionate about implementing Mockingbird countywide to provide Foster Families with a sustainable support network.
Meet our Home Hub Carer
Every Mockingbird constellation is led by a home hub carer in partnership with a liaison worker. These roles are unique in foster care, building a community and supporting whole families. Sarah Whitby was successful in her application to become Devon’s first Mockingbird home hub carer. Sarah is a former primary school teacher and it was teaching children in care that fuelled her ambition to become a foster carer.
Whilst working as a foster carer for Devon County Council, Sarah applied for the Mockingbird home hub carer role. She could see the real need foster carers had for support and felt it provided an opportunity for her to utilise some of her professional experience and skills. Especially from teaching children with special educational needs and disabilities as well as supporting and mentoring newly qualified teachers and approved foster carers.
Sarah is supported in her role by her husband Andy who works within the housing sector in the Salvation Army and her children. Meg who is 20yrs old and has left home but often comes to Mockingbird events to help, Jack who is 17yrs old and Joe 12yrs old. In preparation for the launch of Mockingbird, Sarah and Andy hosted many coffee mornings/afternoons, organised walks on the beach or games of football in the park so the Mockingbird families could get to know one another. This has allowed a very natural and organic growth of supportive relationships and bonds within the constellation.
Since launch, Sarah and her family have really opened up their homes and hearts to the satellite families, foster carers and the constellation children enjoy spending time at the hub home and look forward to seeing Sarah and her family
“The greatest part of being a foster carer is making a difference to the life of every child we have been blessed to have in our care unconditionally. It makes me happy to watch them thrive, grow and develop, exceed expectations; overcome trauma related behaviours; experience firsts and watch them flourish”.
Devon’s 1st Mockingbird Constellation
Current Constellation Make Up
- No of Satellite Families: 9
- No of cyp in the constellation: 16
- No of sibling groups: 5
- No of boys: 10
- No of girls: 6
- No of children under 5yrs old: 6
- No of teenagers: 2
Our Mockingbird launch
Our first Mockingbird constellation was launched on 5th November 2022. The launch event was child centric focusing on the Mockingbird constellation families. The launch was held at Sarah’s house (our Hub Home Carer). Planning had taken into account bad weather which turned out to be very intuitive of Sarah (Liaison Worker) and Sarah (Hub Home Carer). The launch was a huge success, despite the torrential rain, 44 people came including siblings of the constellation children.
Feedback from Our Mockingbird Families
“I wasn’t sure about Mockingbird at first, but now I love it as I’m made a friend in Joe” – Leon, 10yrs old
“You’re just like my family now” Billi, 7yrs old
“The hub home is just amazing” – Lydia, 10yrs old
“My experience before Mockingbird was that after transitions you go through a period whereby you feel lost and abandoned by the fostering network, but Mockingbird really helped with that this time, I still feel very much a part of our community based constellation and have enjoyed attending the socials and coffee mornings” Roo, satellite carer since transitioning siblings to adopters”.
“I think having the Mockingbird group has made it easier for me to want to foster a second child as I do feel so much more supported” – Nikki, Satellite Carer
“What would I do without you… I feel I can be me at your support groups” Glenda, Satellite Carer
“Mockingbird gives other people a better insight into another way to be a family” Roo, Satellite Carer
“I was probably one of the more sceptical people at the beginning but that’s also because I was new to fostering….you have won me over!!” Nikki, Satellite Carer
Evidence of Success
Local Authorities that have implemented Mockingbird have found:
- A network of strong and authentic relationships able to replicate the support offered by an extended family
- A strong, robust and resilient structure able to support children, young people and fostering families through times of crisis and transition.
- Improved experience of birth family contact
- Costs saved and costs avoided.
“Mockingbird is a place where you can belong. Mockingbird is a place where you will make new friends that you will have for life really […] You get opportunities. You become part of a family.” – Foster child, age 15
“All [of the foster carers in the constellation] care about us and I have so many aunties and uncles! I wish I had always had Mockingbird throughout my life in care.” – Foster child, age 14
Devon Mockingbird Case Example
The Foster Family
Teenager and sibling both who have experienced early life trauma placed with a single carer who has a birth child with high medical needs.
Due to experienced trauma, teenager has had missing episodes
Why Mockingbird?
This foster family were identified as good candidates for the Mockingbird project due to the trauma experienced by the siblings and the Foster carer having limited support therefore finding it difficult to juggle priorities and manage the needs of their birth child along with their foster children. Foster carer was finding it especially difficult during crisis events such as the young person going missing.
Mockingbird Support Provided
Weeks after launching Mockingbird, The foster carer called the hub home carer – Sarah distraught on a Sunday morning to inform her that their foster child had gone missing. The foster child had taken the carers bank cards and alcohol from the house but had not taken their coat or mobile phone.
Sarah and her husband both immediately made their way over to the foster carers house to provide reassurance and then drove around for 5 hrs looking for the missing teenager.
The young person eventually returned home safe in the evening. Sarah was able to provide support and reassurance, helped the foster carer repair the relationship and supported the young person with expressing their emotions.
Sarah visited the foster family the following day to ensure they were ok and has provide a high level of support and daily check in calls or coffee meet ups since the incident.
Sarah has been having the siblings over for sleepovers and has been accompanying the foster carer to placement stability meetings. Sarah is supporting getting the wrap around support needed for the young person e.g. CAMHS support and mentoring in the community
Impact for family
- Prior to joining Mockingbird, The foster carer was finding it had to manage her fostering role, felt isolated and was considering leaving fostering or potentially requesting just one child be place with her.
- Since joining Mockingbird, the foster carer has felt part of the fostering community and has really enjoyed engaging in the Mockingbird events, but most importantly has not felt alone when juggling priorities or when managing a crisis.
- Foster carer has been able to call on Sarah for support where there has been an issue and if help is needed, even if it has been to take the siblings whilst attending hospital appointments for birth child.
- Both siblings look forward to spending time at the hub home with Sarah and her family
- On the sibling’s last sleepover Bobby told both Sarah and Andy individually that they felt like family
Thank you
If you would like any further information on Mockingbird, please contact Cathy Dickson – Mockingbird Team Manager: cathy.dickson@devon.gov.uk