Amaze

Amaze offers information, advice and support to families with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities aged 0-25 in Brighton & Hove and East Sussex.  

Information and advice 

You can get in-depth information about SEND issues such as education, health or benefits on Amaze’s website at https://amazesussex.org.uk or contact the free SENDIASS (Special Educational Needs Information, Advice and Support Service) advice line for more individual guidance. The SENDIASS advice line is for parent carers and young people up to 25 in Brighton & Hove and East Sussex. If you can’t speak to Amaze in English, contact Sussex Interpreting Services for help with getting in touch. https://sussexinterpreting.org.uk/make-a-social-prescribing-referral/  

Workshops & courses  

Amaze runs regular, free workshops for parent carers in Brighton & Hove and East Sussex on topics such as SEN support in school, EHCPs, disability benefits, the transition to adulthood, and more. https://amazesussex.org.uk/events 

Support and social groups for parent carers 

Amaze offers emotional support and regular social groups for parent carers of children and young people with SEND via their Face 2 Face befriending project (https://amazesussex.org.uk/parent-carers/services-and-support/face-2-face-befriending)  

Parent carers can also attend regular coffee mornings at different locations in Brighton & Hove, organised by the Parent Carers’ Council https://paccbrighton.org.uk/what-we-do/coffee-mornings/  

Support and social groups for young people 

Young people aged 14 to 25 with SEND can join Amazing Futures peer support and activity groups in Brighton & Hove https://amazesussex.org.uk/young-people/groups/peer-support-groups  

They can also get one to one guidance and workshops about employment, education and training from Amazing Futures Careers Support. https://amazesussex.org.uk/young-people/get-support/career-support  

Help with claiming disability benefits 

If you want to make a claim for Disability Living Allowance (DLA) or Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for a child or young person, Amaze can offer you free advice and sometimes practical support, if you have extra challenges. Find out more athttps://amazesussex.org.uk/parent-carers/services-and-support/help-with-dla-claims 

NDP Family Training and Navigation Service 

The NDP Family Training and Navigation Service supports families at each stage along the neurodevelopmental pathway (NDP) from referral to diagnosis and after. The conditions covered are autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and tics/Tourette Syndrome. You need to be referred to the service via a professional who works with you. https://amazesussex.org.uk/parent-carers/services-and-support/brighton-hove-ndp-family-training-and-navigation-service/  

Leisure discount card 

The Compass Card gives leisure discounts and offers to 0 to 25 year olds with special educational needs or disabilities who live or go to school in Brighton & Hove. To qualify, a child or young person needs to have an additional need or disability that has a significant impact on their daily life. https://www.compasscard.org.uk. 

Getting your voice heard 

Amaze supports Brighton & Hove Parent Carers’ Council (PaCC) to make sure the voice and views of parent carers are central to planning SEND services in the city. https://amazesussex.org.uk/parent-carers/parent-voice/parent-carer-forums/ 

For information and advice, contact the Amaze SENDIASS advice line on sendiass@amazesussex.org.uk or 01273 772289,Monday to Friday,9.30am - 2.30pm. Leave a message and someone will get back to you. 

YouTube channel - Amaze Sussex - YouTube