The Mockingbird Society

MISSION

The Mockingbird Society’s mission is to transform foster care and end youth homelessness. We empower and elevate the voices of youth with lived experience in the child welfare system and homelessness to serve as experts, advocates, and powerful change agents. Working in partnership with these young leaders, we change policies and perceptions standing between every child and a safe, supportive, and stable home. 

When you make a gift to The Mockingbird Society for Give Local, you're not only standing with our young leaders, but also investing in the wellbeing of our community's children, youth, and families. Thank you for your support!

IMPACT

For more than twenty years, Mockingbird's youth leaders have been dedicated to transforming the systems impacting them and the generations of young people who will come after them. We have won 70 major policy reforms in Washington state, changing the outcomes for over 200,000 young people and prompting more than $252 million in state investment in services and support. 

Mockingbird focuses on positive youth development in support of advocacy—being visible and vocal—which has been identified as a “protective factor” for at-risk youth and young adults. Our community-building activities support our young advocates by bolstering their confidence in their abilities, values, and voice. The skill of self-advocacy is powerful in building youth's leadership and awareness that they can have a role in not only improving their individual circumstances, but also enacting societal change. 

Our agency has:

• Pioneered legislation to extend foster care from age 18 to 21, preventing youth aging out of care and into homelessness. This revolutionary reform has been adopted in more than half of U.S. states and counting.
• Ended the use of jail for non-criminal adolescent behavior (think skipping school and running away), interrupting the pipeline to incarceration that disproportionately impacted youth of color and girls.
• Expanded access to driver's licenses, college scholarships, and ensuring education credits transfer when students move schools - removing barriers to opportunity.
• Passed HB 1219 providing legal representation to children ages 8+ in dependency court proceedings to help children achieve permanency more quickly, after more than a decade of advocacy with young people, partners, and allies.
• Developed MOCKINGBIRD FAMILY™, an alternative to traditional foster care. proven to better support children and families through an extended family model. MOCKINGBIRD FAMILY™ has been adopted across Washington, the U.S. and even worldwide, with the U.K implementing the program as their primary foster care delivery system.

2024 LEGISLATIVE WINS

• SB 5908 Extended Foster Care (EFC) was passed and signed into law, going into effect on June 6, 2024. Any young person who is a dependent of the state at age 18 will be eligible for EFC; Young people can agree to participate in EFC anytime before or within six months of their 18th birthday; and young people who enroll in EFC must receive their first subsidy within one month. 
• We supported Northstar Advocates and The Bridge Coalition in getting SB 5805, The Bridge Residential, to the finish line. The Bridge will create two 6-10 bed community-based housing programs that young people can stay in for 1-90 days as they identify long-term housing. Behavioral health services, consultation, and technical assistance will be provided.

OTHER RECENT ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Mockingbird Youth Network

• 131 unique youth and young adults directly engaged in Mockingbird’s advocacy and youth development work across WA (+156% since 2022)
• 1,610 hours dedicated to advocacy, community workgroups, trainings, chapter meetings, and speaking opportunities 

These activities supported our youth and young adult participants to grow their skills and self-confidence while building a solid foundation to launch their future careers. 

MOCKINGBIRD FAMILY™

Building on years of work with government systems and child-placing agencies across Washington State, national partners in California, New York, and Oklahoma, as well as international partners in Australia, Nova Scotia, the Netherlands, Japan, and the United Kingdom, MOCKINGBIRD FAMILY™ is pleased to share:

• 91% Average foster parent retention in Washington throughout 11 MOCKINGBIRD FAMILY™ constellations of 91 foster families 
• 70 child-placing agencies in 6 countries worldwide are utilizing MOCKINGBIRD FAMILY™
• MOCKINGBIRD FAMILY™ provided stability and support to an estimated 1,629 families and 2,172 young people in care worldwide through 181 Constellations

We continue to do more each year in partnership with young people and families and with the support of community members like you! Thank you for prioritizing youth and families this Give Local!