A ground-breaking fostering scheme – first founded in America – has launched in North Somerset.
North Somerset Council is the first local authority in the south west to adopt the Mockingbird Family Model to support young people in care.
The initiative originated in America 15 years ago, with the model being introduced in the UK.
North Somerset Council is only one of 11 local authorities across the UK to use the method.
Funded as part of the Home Office Trusted Relationships project, The Fostering Network’s Mockingbird Family programme is an innovative method of delivering foster care using an extended family model which provides respite care, peer support, regular joint planning and training, and social activities.
The model centres around a ‘constellation’ where one foster home acts as a hub, offering planned and emergency sleep-overs and short breaks, advice, training and support, to six to 10 satellite households.
The programme improves the stability of fostering placements and strengthens the relationships between carers, children and young people, fostering services and birth families.
North Somerset Council’s Executive Member with responsibility for children’s services Councillor Catherine Gibbons said: “This is about making sure our foster carers receive the help and support they need, and of course improving the home life stability for our looked after children and young people.
“The model replicates the network and support of an extended family and normalises foster care – for example talking of ‘sleepovers’ rather than ‘respite care stays’.
“Our ultimate long-term aim is that all of our foster carers, children and young people will eventually belong to a constellation and experience the benefits this method brings. With the first constellation now up and running, we hope our second will follow before the end of this year.”
Lily Stevens, Head of Mockingbird at The Fostering Network, the UK’s leading fostering charity, said: “We’re delighted about the launch of the Mockingbird constellation in North Somerset which joins 50 other constellations throughout the UK.
“We believe it will benefit fostered children and young people and their foster families by providing a strong, familiar and resilient support network, increased skills and confidence for foster carers, and a better experience for fostered children of maintaining contact with their birth families.”
Anyone interested in finding out more about becoming a foster carer can email fostering@n-somerset.gov.uk, call 01275 888 999 or visit www.n-somerset.gov.uk/fostering.
