Voices of Fostering

Darren and Kate - Exploring the Mockingbird Program

• National Fostering Group • Season 4 • Episode 3

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In this episode of Voices of Fostering, we dive into the Mockingbird Program, an innovative fostering model based on the philosophy that it takes a village to raise a child. Hosts Darren, a foster carer, and Kate from Heath Farm, explain how the program works, its benefits for both children and carers, and why it has been successful for over a decade. 

Learn about the community-driven support system that provides foster families with a network of care and resources, making fostering a more enriching experience for all involved.

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Helen:

Hello and welcome to this episode of Voices of Fostering. And today we're gonna be learning about something really interesting. It's called The Mockingbird Program. And to tell us more about the Mockingbird program, I'm joined by Darren, who's one of our foster carers. And Kate, who is from Heath Farm, she's one of our carer recruitment officers. So hello guys.

Darren:

Hi. Uh,

Helen:

hi. Thank you so much for joining us. Now I know both of you quite well 'cause I've had you on various podcasts and different events that we've done, and I have heard the Mockingbird program being referred to and we thought it was high time that we got you both back. And you can tell us more about it and we can have a real deep dive into it. So tell us, for anyone who's not heard of it before, what is the Mockingbird program?

Darren:

So, uh, the, is the, based on the philosophy of it takes a village to raise a child, uh, and it originated in America. And, um, the carers got together and said There needs to be a better way of fostering children whereby we can help and support each other. And so, uh, they devised the model, which is six to 10, fostering families who get together. And they help and support each other. And they're led by dedicated Hub home, which is, uh, a fostering household with experience and knowledge that they can bring to, uh, the community. Uh, two spare beds. So children go and stay there for sleep pavers. Uh, and it's a bit like. Uh, a large extended family and you are go and stay depending on whether I'm being polite or not. Grandma and granddad or aunt and uncle, but like the matriarch or the patriarch of the large family. And everyone gathers at that home and they all get together. Um, and yeah, it's, it's about giving the children a community to live in.

Helen:

And Kate, this is quite well established, isn't it? How long has the Mockingbird program been going for?

Kate:

I might as well Darren at that one, to be honest. Um, I know farm, it's definitely been going for about

Darren:

Yes. 10 years.

Kate:

10 years now. Wow.

Darren:

This year. And we were the first, uh, independent fostering agency involved. Uh, and, uh, we've been involved right from the pilot project. So from the very, very beginning.

Helen:

So tell us about how, how that looks in sort of everyday life for a fostering family. Um, how often would, would they be mixing with other families for instance?

Kate:

I mean, from what I've witnessed, um, the foster carers will meet up for coffee mornings at the hot home. Um, so it is that sort of every four to six weeks that they're going through a coffee morning. Um, the breakfast is always superb. Can I just say, um. So that would be a coffee morning with the carers, and then they organize school, um, in the school holidays, activities for all the families. Um, so every half term, every, every six weeks, Christmas parties, Halloween parties, I. Easter parties. I know Darren just recently went to an amazing Easter party that mm-hmm. One of our hop homes, um, put on. So, and they will, because they've all got a WhatsApp group, they will naturally meet up anyway, so if they're going to the park, I mean, it's really nice wherever at the moment, they might just have sort of a, um, spontaneous trip to the park as well. Yeah, but

Darren:

I was just gonna say we've like, uh, the activities are really a chance for children to experience things that they may not otherwise experience. So, um, I'm thinking about like children who maybe can't sit still for very long, might call out when they're in the cinema of things. Uh, one of the groups has actually just hired a cinema. And they've had the screen to themselves so that everyone's understanding of that child's needs. And so if they crawl out or like run around the room a bit in the middle of the film, everyone understands what's going on. So it means that the carer can relax and the child actually gets to enjoy something that they otherwise wouldn't get to join in with.

Helen:

Yeah, which is

Darren:

really nice.

Helen:

Brilliant. And Kate, how does it benefit children to, to. To be with others that are also, um, you know, in, in fostering families. How does it benefit them to be with their peers?

Kate:

I would just say they may not have friends at school, but they will have friends within Mockingbird. These children are all in care together. Um, so actually they feel normal. So when they go to an event, they're not feeling like the outsider, they're not isolated. They've got all of these sort of aunties and uncles, if you like, and almost like cousins going to their homes, um, or at the event. So I just think it gives them that social aspect that they may not have had to begin with, but it grows their confidence by being around others.

Helen:

And Darren, what about for you as a foster carer? How does this program help help you?

Darren:

Uh, so I think for foster care, it's, it's a real sense of, uh, community not being on your own. Um, and just knowing that there's people to call on if you need it. So that works in every single way. I. From like the practical sense of I'm held up in traffic, I can't pick them up from school, can someone help us out? That kind of very quick, immediate, 'cause everyone's local to each other so everyone is, uh, living in the same town or nearby. So you are all able to help each other out or to like the emotional stuff whereby, um, I know. Life is hard sometimes, isn't it? And that might be foster related or it might be completely unrelated to fostering. Um, so I can think of a carer who like had a bit of a, uh, illness within their family. And so we were all like going around with food parcels and taking the kids out while they went to visit them at the hospital and, and all those kind of things. So we really did like. As a group community, like hold that family together, I suppose. Mm-hmm. Um, and, and when, like things seem a bit unstable at home for whatever reason, you have the hub carers who really know and understand everyone in the household, and then they just come and support us. So yeah, it's, it's just support, but. In many different ways.

Helen:

And do you think this is something that happens quite naturally in fostering families, you know, all over the country? Or do you think it's important to have a name on it and to, to have it really structured? Or do you think it's something that just happens quite naturally that you support each other?

Darren:

So I believe you make friendships, uh, but I think nowhere near the level of, uh. Help and support. Yeah. That Mockingbird crew is. And so when I think of like a constellation that broke down, uh, so that Hub carers decided not to carry on for a little while, and so for six months there was no hub carers. And although all the families intended to still meet up, actually it became really difficult to manage without having like that linchpin of the hub carer overseeing it, making decisions, knowing everybody's needs because obviously Hub Carer has. Shares the same information as foster carers about the children. So on a very need to know basis. So then they can take into account all the needs of the entire group. Um, so that could be safeguarding or education or, um, whatever that might be.

Helen:

So is this something that you implement straight away, Kate? When somebody does become a foster carer with Heath Farm. If they want to. Yeah. So

Kate:

I will sell them essentially, um, what the services that we provide. But some people will have their own network and big families. So actually they're always having barbecues. They're always got lots of aunties and uncles that can help with the CPOs and to provide short breaks for the foster carers. Um, saying not, not everyone wants to be involved. However, I think once they see, once they, uh, get approved at the agency and see how it works. They then sort of get interested and I might say to Damara, like, I think they'd really benefit from it. Yeah. Um, and then we have conversations. So it is always a conversation. Um, and yeah, everyone will say that they've benefited from it and the feedback from the children as well. I mean, it's just heartwarming when you do read it back.

Helen:

And I have to ask guys, I feel like I might be missing something really obvious that I should know about Mockingbirds, but why is it called Mockingbird?

Darren:

Uh, because I mentioned the people in America. Yeah. Who decided to create the scheme. Uh, they lived in Seattle and they, uh, the only thing that these people agreed on, they were such a diverse group, and the only thing they all agreed on is that they loved the book To Kill a Mockingbird. And that is the reason why. Which is ridiculous because actually mockingbirds are known for if a bird leaves, um, eggs in a nest unattended. Yeah. A Mockingbird will go in and hatch those eggs. So actually the metaphor of other people coming along and helping to raise children. He's really there. Yeah. But yeah, that isn't the reason it was called Mockingbird, right. Um, is because of the book. Well,' Helen: cause I thought that's Like that I should, I should know. You know, it's common knowledge that mockingbirds just help each other out and stuff. Brilliant. So if people wanted to find out more about Mockingbird, then how do they do that?

Kate:

So initially they would have a little look on our website, um, or have a little look at the offices where they live locally, just key in the postcode of where they are. And then it will sign post into the agency that's local to them. Then it would just be a case of putting in their contact details and our foster advisors will give them a call, um, and then they would be able to speak to the care recruitment officer who'd be able to give them more information about it.

Helen:

Okay, wonderful. And just to sum up, guys, you know, you, that that phrase it, it takes a village to raise a child. Um, it really does, doesn't it? And that, that's exactly what, what Mockingbird is all about.

Darren:

Yeah. And it absolutely, um. It just stabilizes everything, so you just don't feel on your own. So, uh, if you, uh, work in an office, you have people that you speak to. If you're having a bad day or you're trying to problem solve something, maybe you'd go to someone we all know as foster care as you're in your own home, and sometimes you can be in your own head and it just gives you a whole group of people around you who. Maybe notice things who can spot things, who you feel safe to trust, to be open with. Um, and I think we have a very therapeutic approach at Hefa'cause we're a therapeutic agency. We have a therapy process groups for Mockingbird, where the whole group get together every other month and we'll sit round and we'll just share, um, a look at. What's going on in each family for a therapeutic perspective, but mainly it's about just going out and having fun. And sometimes, I don't know, like all children have their moments where they have an extra need and you may not understand what's going on, and that might even lead to conflict sometimes just having someone new walk in the room. Just brings everything down. Everyone just calms down. So, uh, although the model is about like having a spare bed in case there's emergencies and things, we find we don't get emergencies now because we are looking ahead. There's a community of people whereby we're able to say, no, I feel like you're struggling. Should we book in a sleepover? Should give everyone a break. So it's kind of like, um, pulling the. Release valve before, before the pot ball's over. Um, and, um, sorry, I'm full of like metaphors and cliches. I love that one. I love it. But, but that's, that is how it runs. It's, um, yeah, it just, it feels very instinctive. Um, and probably I. Takes the isolation away from being a foster carer.

Helen:

Yeah. And Kate, I, I think as well just listening to this, even if somebody isn't able to access Mockingbird, I think it's just a, a really good, um, food for thought about reaching out to others for support and supporting those around you really, isn't it?

Kate:

Yeah, definitely. And I know a lot of agencies, they have body system, so if you are to become a new carer, straight away could be, uh, buddied up with an experienced carer, which really will automatically feel like you'll feel part of that agency and ask a recruitment officers can go out and talk about fostering, but the foster carers are the ones that are doing it in their home 24 7. So I think. Use your buddies, go to the support groups, build your own network, um, within the agency, um, and just get to know everyone because foster carers from what I've, when I've recruited them, are normally the most selfless people and really, really nice people to have in your life. And for children, that's just gonna be invaluable as well.

Helen:

Brilliant. Well, Darren Kate, thank you so much for coming on today and telling us about Mockingbird. Best of luck with the future. Thank you for having. Thank you for having

Darren:

us.

Helen:

Thank you so much for joining us for another episode of Voices of Fostering. If you'd like to find out more, head online and search National Fostering group and make this the year you foster.