Mockingbird places community and connection at the heart of the offer for both children and carers
Since 2019, five Mockingbird constellations have been launched, comprising 43 fostering families and 52 children. Each constellation is anchored by a hub home and led by an experienced foster carer who provides stability, advice, and practical support to surrounding satellite families.
This collaborative approach reflects the programme’s founding principle: it takes a village to raise a child.
The LSWC team spoke with foster carers and staff to hear more about how the model works in practice and why the community it creates is changing lives. Watch our interview with Shada and Eman, two experienced foster carers and hub leads:
The Mockingbird model has made a tangible difference for both children and carers. It reduces isolation, increases placement stability and gives young people a wider network of safe, familiar adults.
Sleepovers and monthly activities allow children to bond, while carers are able to share responsibility and offer one another real-time support - often outside of standard working hours.
Hub carers described the constellation as the “fourth emergency service” in that it not only prevents breakdowns, but also nurtures belonging.
“We’ve become a family. We’ve become a community, and our children belong to that community. Even after they leave, they still want to be part of it.”
Constellations are diverse and representative of Waltham Forest’s communities. The local model has been shaped by a commitment to cultural relevance, child-centred care, and practical support. Liaison workers from the borough’s fostering team help facilitate training, monthly reviews and development opportunities for carers and young people alike.
In addition to the core programme, Waltham Forest has delivered a wide range of innovations. The borough partnered with Leyton Orient FC and Leyton Orient Trust to raise the profile of fostering in the community, including stadium campaigns and public commitments to become a Fostering Friendly employer.
The service also leads the Local Community Fostering (LCF) recruitment hub for northeast London, a DfE-funded collaboration across six boroughs. Through this partnership, Waltham Forest launched its latest constellation in 2024 and has significantly increased enquiries about fostering, with a steady average of 117 carers now active and five new approvals in the past year alone.
Children and young people supported through Mockingbird are speaking for themselves, too:
“It’s like having loads of aunties and uncles.”
“They take care of you as if you’re their own.”
“I feel understood through hard times. I know I’m always going to be loved and supported.”
Waltham Forest’s model is clear, consistent, and proven. It strengthens resilience, builds real relationships, and embeds a culture of mutual support across its fostering community.
This work was exhibited at the Practice Spotlight marketplace at the 2025 London Children’s Services Summit, where the borough shared its story with sector leaders, professionals and elected members from across the capital.
Practice Spotlight shines a light on the most innovative and impactful work happening across London’s Children’s Services. Led by the London Innovation and Improvement Alliance (LIIA), the initiative drew over 100 submissions across 9 themes:
Discover more about fostering in Waltham Forest