face 2 face befriending and groups

Amaze Face 2 Face offers peer support to parent carers through regular social groups, workshops, events and one to one befriending.

Face 2 Face support groups

Face 2 Face groups bring parent carers together. We have a range of online and in person groups that offer a way to connect with others, share ideas and mutual support. Sometimes there are themed sessions, speakers or events. Once parents get in touch we can link them to a group quickly. They can join in as much or as little as they choose. Face 2 Face workers and volunteers make sure all our groups are safe and friendly. See details below.

Click to see all our Brighton & Hove groups

  • Autism group for parent carers of under 8s with autism or going through autism assessment.  This group has a very active WhatsApp group for parents.  Parents ask each other questions and support and encourage each other through their shared experience.
  • Breakfast club for parents of any age child with any disability meets once a month at Al Campo on London Road, Brighton. This group also has a very supportive and active WhatsApp group.
  • Dads group meets on the last Thursday of the month in person at the Stoneham Pub in Hove and is for Dads in Brighton & Hove and East Sussex. There is also a closed, private Facebook group.
  • Portslade parent group for parents whose children attend Hillpark special school or parent carers who live in the Hove, Portslade and Mile Oak area. This group meets at the Old Village centre in Portslade once a month.
  • Multi-cultural support group for parent carers. This group is for parent carers from an ethnically diverse background and is run in partnership with the Hangleton & Knoll Project. There is also a small, supportive WhatsApp group available.
  • Whitehawk NDP (neurodevelopmental pathway) group. This group meets once a month at St Cuthmans Church, Whitehawk Way and has more of a focus on children and young people with a neurodevelopmental condition, such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia, although any parent carer will be welcomed whether their child or young person is on the NDP pathway or not.
  • Woodingdean NDP group. This group meets once a month at the Parish Church of the Holy Cross and has more of a focus on children and young people with a neurodevelopmental condition, such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia, although any parent carer will be welcomed whether their child or young person is on the NDP pathway or not.
  • 16 to 25 group for parent carers of young people aged between 16 and 25 in Brighton & Hove. Meets once a month at Mamma Mi’s in George Street, Hove. This group also has a very supportive and active WhatsApp group as well as occasional, specific themed workshops.

We also support a PRESENS (Pre-school Special Educational Needs Support Service) group for under 5s every Monday during term time at the Jeanne Saunders Centre in Hove.

The Mental Health Room is a WhatsApp group across Brighton & Hove and East Sussex providing a safe space for parent carers to come together to talk about the mental health of their child or young person, as well as their own mental health. It’s a positive place to share strategies and self-care tips with others.

For more information or to get involved, contact marie@amazesussex.org.uk.

Our Face 2 Face Facebook group is a private, closed Facebook group just for parent carers linked to Face 2 Face.

Click to see all our East Sussex groups

  • Cuppa, Cake and Chat Eastbourne is an informal, friendly in-person group, meeting once a month at the Kings Centre in Hampden Park. This group is for parent carers, and other family members, who have a child or young person with SEND in Eastbourne and the surrounding areas.
  • Cuppa, Cake and Chat Hastings is an informal, friendly in-person group, meeting once a month at the FSN St Nicholas Centre in St Leonards. This group is for parent carers, and other family members, who have a child or young person with SEND in Hastings, St Leonards and the surrounding areas.
  • Cuppa, Cake and Chat Lewes is an informal, friendly in-person group, meeting once a month at Church End Hall in Cockshut Road in Lewes. This group is for parent carers, and other family members, who have a child or young person with SEND in Lewes and the surrounding areas.

Get dates and book a place by emailing kathy@amazesussex.org.uk.

  • Hailsham NDP group meets once a month at the Children’s Centre in Vega Close and has more of a focus on children and young people with a neurodevelopmental condition, such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia, although any parent carer will be welcomed whether their child or young person is on the NDP pathway or not.
  • Uckfield NDP group meets monthly at the Victoria Pavilion and has more of a focus on children and young people with a neurodevelopmental condition, such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia, although any parent carer will be welcomed whether their child or young person is on the NDP pathway or not.
  • Heathfield NDP group meets monthly at Union Church and has more of a focus on children and young people with a neurodevelopmental condition, such as autism, ADHD and dyslexia, although any parent carer will be welcomed whether their child or young person is on the NDP pathway or not.

For information on dates and times for Hailsham, Uckfield or Heathfield please email ruth@amazesussex.org.uk

  • 16 to 25 group for parent carers of young people aged between 16 and 25 in East Sussex. There is a WhatsApp group, as well as specific themed workshops running throughout the county.

We also run the following WhatsApp groups:

  • Kids Squad for parent carers of children up to 10 years old with Autism or going through autism assessment
  • Escape Club for parent carers of children aged 11+ with Autism or going through Autism assessment
  • Brunch Club for parents of any age child or young person with any form of SEND

Our Dads Group in Brighton is also open to dads and male carers in East Sussex.

The Mental Health Room is a WhatsApp group across Brighton & Hove and East Sussex providing a safe space for parent carers to come together to talk about the mental health of their child or young person, as well as their own mental health. It’s a positive place to share strategies and self-care tips with others.

Our Face 2 Face Facebook group is a private, closed Facebook group just for parent carers linked to Face 2 Face.

I honestly would not have got through the last 4 years without the groups, workshops & all the phone backs I have had. All of the support workers are kind, non-judgemental & often have lived experience which is so important. You get it, you understand & you offer the support that us parents need so it’s a massive thanks from me to you all.

One to one befriending

Two cups of coffee, both held in hands

We also offer some one-to-one peer support where a parent really needs a more individual connection. This type of befriending is delivered by a team of volunteers, all parents of children with additional needs, who receive intensive training and ongoing supervision.

A Face 2 Face project worker will carry out an initial telephone assessment with new parents and explain more about the service we offer.  Following this, eligible parents will be matched to one of our befrienders who will continue to support them flexibly for up to six months.  This might range from weekly to fortnightly visits or just keeping in touch via phone, text or email. It may not be possible to match parents to a befriender straight away, in which case parents will be held on a waiting list and a member of the Face 2 Face team will keep in contact every few weeks.

For more information contact Marie Baker via marie@amazesussex.org.uk or on 07484 051755.

When my son, Billy, 6, was diagnosed with autism my first thoughts were how will I cope, how will I stay strong, how am I going to do this? My befriender was there for me as another mother who had already been on this journey and to let me know it would be alright, I would cope, and there was light at the end of the tunnel.  Without her my son’s world could have been a very different place. Because of her, we face the future together strong and with hope.
Could you be a Face 2 Face befriender?
Are you a parent carer? Do you have the knowledge and experience to support other parents? If so, why not become a Face 2 Face volunteer befriender? Our befriender training programme will build your listening skills, help you to identify and develop the qualities of a befriender and establish boundaries. You will also have training in safeguarding and the parent journey. Find out more about becoming a volunteer befriender
Translate »