“One of the Best Decisions We’ve Ever Made” – Meet Our Mockingbird Hub Carers
For foster carers Bob and Kay, becoming part of the Mockingbird programme has helped create something truly special, an extended family built around support, friendship and stability for children in care.
Bob (70) and Kay (59) have been foster carers for around six years and recently celebrated their silver wedding anniversary shortly after becoming Hub Home carers within the Mockingbird programme.
Mockingbird is an innovative fostering model that brings foster families together into a close support network, known as a “constellation.” At the centre is the Hub Home, experienced foster carers who provide practical and emotional support to other foster families and the children they care for.
Since November 2025, Bob and Kay’s constellation has brought together nine foster families and eighteen children, ranging from babies just five months old to teenagers aged seventeen.
Kay explained: “It’s like a family. We step in to support foster families as extended family may do in other circumstances. Whether it’s covering a school drop-off or pick-up, attending meetings, or lending an ear to help solve a problem, we’re there for the children and the carers.”
The support they offer comes in many forms, from sleepovers and playdates to trips out, coffee mornings and shared activities for the whole constellation.
“We have fun together, eat, play, and share in the good times and the difficult ones together. It’s a support network really, how care should be, wrapped around the child, with them at the centre.”
Careful thought has gone into matching families within the constellation, helping children build friendships with others who understand their experiences.
Kay believes this has had a powerful impact on the children: “Socialising with other children has definitely helped them realise they are not alone in their experience of not living with their own family. It helps break down the stigma they may feel about being in care.”
For Bob and Kay, fostering and now leading a Mockingbird Hub, has been one of the most rewarding experiences of their lives.
“Fostering has been overwhelmingly positive for us,” Kay said. “It’s made me a better parent overall because it has caused me to think more intentionally about how I parent.”
They also believe the Mockingbird model provides something invaluable for foster carers themselves, a strong support system.
“With Mockingbird, we’ve seen the benefits for carers too. You have a much more established support network. It helps carers be better for those children, because the carer has their own safety net as well.”
When asked about becoming foster carers, Kay reflected on the moment they decided to take the leap: “Our girls were of an age where they were in school and settled and it felt like the right time to go for it. We have a house and garden with space for others to share in and our girls were very much onboard, we wouldn’t have done it without them being happy too.”
Today, Bob and Kay continue supporting foster families across their constellation, helping children and carers feel connected, supported and part of something bigger. “It’s one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. We really are like an extended family.”
