FOSTERING families across East Sussex are now able to join Mockingbird, a scheme offering an additional layer of practical and emotional support.

East Sussex County Council has launched The Mockingbird Family Model, a programme that creates a familiar network around an experienced fostering household, known as a Hub Home.

Known as a Constellation, the six to ten families come together like an extended family. Mockingbird families will share experience and understanding, celebrate successes, and support each other through challenging times.

The Hub Home carers arrange monthly meetings and bring everyone together for social events such as lunches, picnics and fun activities. They also provide a menu of support including sleepovers at the Hub Home, peer support for the carers, and 1:1 support for children and young people in the constellation.

Cllr Bob Bowdler, the county council’s lead member for children and families, said: “Fostering is an incredibly rewarding experience and makes an enormous difference to the lives of children and young people, but it can also be challenging at times.

“The Mockingbird programme provides a wonderful opportunity for families to build a closeknit network with others who can offer them and the young people in their care encouragement and additional support.

“It’s great to see that East Sussex have appointed their first Hub Home carer and several fostering families having already signed up to the scheme and I hope many others are able to benefit.”

East Sussex County Council received a 12-month grant from the Department for Education to set up the Mockingbird Family Model project which was launched with the support of The Fostering Network.

Each Constellation will have a liaison worker from the county council appointed to provide support and act as a link between the foster households involved and the fostering service.

The Constellation operates like a family and could help alleviate the sense of isolation that carers can sometimes feel. Through the scheme they can access immediate practical and emotional support, in the same way that others in a non-fostering family might be supported by friends and a wider family network.

To find out more about the Mockingbird scheme visit https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/EastSussexMockingbird

To find out more about fostering with East Sussex County Council visit https://www.eastsussex.gov.uk/children-families/children-in-care/fostering