1. What is the cost of running the scheme?
The cost to set up and run a Mockingbird constellation is approximately £40,000 per annum. Delivering the Mockingbird programme includes some core costs, and some additional costs such as affiliation with the national Mockingbird organisation. Mockingbird is a nationally recognised model of good practice that supports good outcomes for children in care.
2. Where is the funding coming from?
The Mockingbird programme so far has been funded by a combination of external grant funding from the Department for Education, and additional Devon County Council monies.
3. If the funding is taking away from other non-mockingbird carers and if so how much?
No, Mockingbird does not take away funding from carers who are not participating in the scheme. It is an additional budget provision allocated to support Devon County Council’s fostering community and children in care to enable implementation of the approach, because of the benefits for children in care.
4. Is the mockingbird scheme going to be rolled out to all carers? If not why not?
Mockingbird is not right for everyone. As the programme is expanded across Devon, carers will be matched to constellations and offered the opportunity to join Mockingbird. Devon County Council plans to have five Mockingbird Constellations set up by summer 2024, this will provide capacity to deliver Mockingbird support to between 30 to 50 foster families across Devon. It is anticipated that there will be learning and benefits of the programme that can also benefit the wider fostering community.
5. What are the savings / benefits of the mockingbird scheme to Devon County Council?
The financial benefits of the programme are linked to improved foster carer retention, improved placement stability and the prevention of children requiring residential care in children’s homes. The primary goal of Mockingbird is to improve the experience and outcomes for children in care, such as improving the stability of care arrangements through the prevention of placement breakdowns.
By delivering Mockingbird, Devon County Council is following recommendations set out within the Independent Review of Children’s Social Care (May 2022) . “As part of the National Children’s Social Care Framework, all Local Authorities should develop a model of foster carer support based on the principles of Mockingbird…….. Every local authority should look towards robustly evaluated evidence led models, such as the Mockingbird Family Model, when designing the support they provide”.