The Mockingbird Family

Embrace Therapeutic Fostering will implement the Mockingbird Family model of foster care with the aim of providing a better support network to foster carers and young people in their care.

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The Mockingbird Family model is proven to have significant benefits to both foster carers and foster children and aims to normalise foster care for everybody in the fostering household.

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This is based on a community of foster carers becoming each other’s extended family members and will be associated with Embrace Fostering's therapist and therapeutic support workers.

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This model will have the potential to improve placement stability and offer permanency for children and young people, while additionally providing much more value and support to everyone in the fostering household and community.

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The aim of this model is to have a hub foster home with satellite foster carers around the hub- fostering community.

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Hub Foster Carers will be especially recruited and are skilled or trained foster carers, who will provide support to other foster carers alongside the Embrace team.

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Embrace Fostering wish to develop this in terms of carers receiving advice and short breaks, even some sleepovers and social activities. Most importantly a listening and understanding ear from somebody who knows exactly what foster carers may be going through.

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The Mockingbird model is proven to empower families in supporting each other and identifying possible problems before they have escalated. It is envisaged that this model will show significant benefits to the lives of children and young people by normalising foster care and minimising placement disruption, whilst building a strong support network for foster carers with other foster families, nor forgetting other members of the fostering household also.

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The Fostering Network describe the Mockingbird model being an evidence-based model structured around the support and relationships.