news
See what PaCC & amaze are talking about...
Join the Union – Amaze’s new group for young autistic people in East Sussex
Make friends, have fun and be yourself. Our Amazing Future’s project is launching a new community group for 14-25 year olds with ASC in East Sussex – the Young Autistic Union (YAU). The Young Autistic Union is all about empowering young people with autism to have a voice and have an active role in becoming an...
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Amaze seeks two Young People’s Peer Support Interns
Paid Internship Opportunity Two roles available: in Brighton & Hove and Eastbourne Amaze Young People’s Peer Support Interns 12 hours a week for up to 9 months (in Eastbourne) and for 6 months (in Brighton) with the potential of extending this to a year, funding permitting £9 per hour (based on living wage guidelines) Watch a...
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Home to school transport issues in Brighton & Hove – update
[Scroll down for update from Brighton & Hove City Council.] We know that there have been some delays confirming home to school transport (HTST) arrangements, and mistakes made, for some families in Brighton and Hove in receipt of HTST for their child. We know how essential it is for both the child or young person,...
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Face2Face Befriending Training Opportunity in Brighton & Hove starting in September
Are you the parent of a child with additional needs or disabilities? Do you feel you have knowledge and lived experience that could help support other parents and carers? Would you like to take up a valuable and fulfilling role as an Amaze face to face befriender? Face2Face offers emotional peer support to parents of...
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Amazing Futures in East Sussex want to hear your views!
Our Amazing Futures project in East Sussex wants to expand and develop a group for young people with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). We’d love to know what you think and your opinions will help to design the project. Please take a few minutes to complete the questionnaire and share with anyone you think may...
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SENDIASS East Sussex volunteers wanted
Would you like to help parents and young people with SEN and disabilities in East Sussex get the information and advice they need about education, health and social care? Amaze is recruiting now for volunteers to support parents who use our Special Education Needs and Disabilities Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) We are keen...
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Amaze seeks DLA volunteers
Could you be a DLA volunteer? Amaze are recruiting volunteers to help our families make claims for Disability Living Allowance (DLA). We all need support to do the hard stuff… and DLA claims are tough! We’re looking for volunteers who are warm, approachable and have a non-judgemental attitude. You will be good at listening, enjoy...
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Amaze and PaCC chosen as beneficiary charities by new mayor of Brighton & Hove
Introducing the new mayor of the city of Brighton & Hove! Congratulations to Councillor Alexandra Phillips, the youngest ever mayor of Brighton & Hove, taking up the ceremonial chains at 33 years old. Amaze and the Parent Carers Council PaCC are delighted to have been chosen as two of the beneficiary charities for her year...
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Amaze seeks Database Co-ordinator
18 to 21 hours per week Location: Brighton Salary: NJC 25-26 £28,785 – £29,636 (pro rata) Fixed-term for two years, with likelihood of extension subject to funding Amaze is a Sussex based charity that supports families with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). We are looking for an experienced Database...
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Amaze seeks Monitoring and Evaluation Officer
12 to 14 hours per week Location: Brighton Salary: NJC 23-24 £26,999 – £27,905 pro rata Fixed-term for one year, with likely extension, subject to funding Amaze is a Sussex based charity that supports families with children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). This new role offers an exciting opportunity to maintain...
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Looking Forward launches in Brighton & Hove and East Sussex
Looking Forward is a new programme from Amaze for young people with special educational needs and disabilities aged 14-25 who are thinking about options for education, employment and training. We are based in Brighton & Hove and Eastbourne. As part of the preparation for adulthood young people need to think about their next steps in...
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Amaze is seeking Compass volunteers (Brighton)
We’re seeking one or two volunteers to help ensure the smooth running of the Compass Project at Amaze. The Compass Project has been running in Brighton & Hove for over 16 years, and in West Sussex for three years, managing the Compass ‘disability register’ and Compass Card scheme. With over 4,000 Compass Card holders across...
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Sue White retires from Jeanne Saunders Centre
We’re sad to report that after 16 years working for the Pre-school Special Educational Needs Service (PRESENS), Sue White will be retiring as Head of the Jeanne Saunders Centre at the end of this term. Sue says, “I feel very privileged to have worked with such amazing children and their families, as well as alongside such...
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My favourite day – Renaissance Legal artwork competition for children and young people with SEND
Our friends and partners Renaissance Legal have just moved to a lovely new office space and really want some bright new artwork to liven up their bare walls. They would like children and young adults (between 4 and 25) with disabilities or SEN to share a pictorial story of their favourite day. There will be...
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Amaze seeks Data and Performance Manager
21-30 hours per week Location: Brighton Salary: NJC 29-34 £26,460 – £30,756 pro rata Fixed term contract for two years but with likely extension Amaze seeks a Data and Performance Manager to lead and develop the effective use of data and information within Amaze, to inform both our service improvement and the work of partner agencies...
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Amazing Futures for young people with SEND in East Sussex – peer supporters needed now!
Amaze is really excited to be expanding our Amazing Futures project into East Sussex and we are now looking for Peer Supporters aged 18-25 who can help support young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Training is free and takes place on Thursday 15 and Thursday 22 November from 5 to 7.30pm at The...
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National Stress Awareness Day 2018
November 7th is National Stress Awareness Day. Whether you’re a parent carer, or a young person with additional needs, the extra challenges you face can lead to extra stress. When you’re stressed out, everything is harder to deal with. On top of that, stress can be very bad for your health and cause all kinds...
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Amaze seeks two Young People’s Information, Advice and Support (IAS) Interns
Paid Internship Opportunities Two roles available: in Brighton & Hove and Eastbourne 12 hours a week for up to 12 months £8.75 per hour (based on living wage guidelines) Watch this short film to find out what it is like to be an Amazing Futures intern at Amaze. Amaze is offering two paid internships, one...
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Increase in autism and language support in Brighton & Hove schools
Brighton & Hove Inclusion Support Service (BHISS) has announced an increased level of support across the city for children with autism. From September 2018, BHISS will have a combined Autism and Language Team which will include seven advisory teachers (including SEN Specialist Teachers), three family practitioners and an administrator. From the start of the autumn...
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Give us your views on new standards for Information, Advice and Support Services
Amaze is the Special Educational Needs and Disability Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) for Brighton & Hove and East Sussex. This means we are funded by these two local authorities to provide impartial advice and support to parent carers of children and young people with SEND and to young people themselves up to 25....
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New Assistant Director of Health and SEND in Brighton & Hove
Brighton & Hove has a new Assistant Director for Health, SEN and Disabilities, Georgina Clarke-Green. We asked Georgina to introduce herself to parent carers in the city: “I am delighted to be the newly appointed Assistant Director for Health, SEN and Disabilities. I feel privileged and excited to have been given the opportunity to work...
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Sort out some fun activities for the summer
If, like many of us, you’ve only started thinking about what to do in the summer, it’s not too late to get some activities sorted to keep the kids busy over the summer. Where to start? Amaze’s Fun Stuff leisure guide Amaze’s brand new Fun Stuff leisure guide [pdf 2mb] is a great starting point –...
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Amaze seeks Amazing Futures East Sussex Project Coordinator
21 hours per week Location: Eastbourne Salary: NJC 29 £26,470 pro rata (actual for 21 hours £15,882) Fixed term contract for one year but with likely extension Exciting opportunity to set up a new project with well-regarded Sussex charity Amaze. You will have experience of working with young people with additional needs and the development...
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Celebrate Disability Pride with lots of Compass Card offers
Disability Pride 2018 is from 11.30am to 7pm on Sunday 14 July on Hove Lawns and the Compass Team at Amaze is celebrating with six unmissable, time-limited Compass Card offers from our lovely Compass Card Partners. Catch them while you can! You can see more information about each of these organisations on our free Compass...
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More specialist nursery hours at PRESENS Jeanne Saunders Centre in Brighton & Hove
From September 2018 children attending the Jeanne Saunders Centre (JSC) specialist nursery will be able to use all of their 15 hours of free early learning funding. And children entitled to 30 hours of free early learning will be able to use up to 15 hours at an alternative setting. PRESENS JSC will also be...
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Tell us why you’re proud for Disability Pride 2018
Disability Pride 2018 is from 11.30am to 7pm on Sunday 14 July on Hove Lawns and the Compass Team at Amaze is celebrating with an invitation to enter our Pride Prize Draw by telling us what makes you swell with pride. We’ll be asking you on our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/AmazeCompassCard/ and through our weekly e-newsletters...
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Amaze seeks Amazing Futures East Sussex Project Coordinator
Amazing Futures East Sussex Project Coordinator 21 hours per week based in East Sussex Salary: £26,470 pro rata (actual for 21 hours £15,882) NJC 29 Fixed term contract for one year but with likely extension This is an exciting opportunity to set up a new project with a well-regarded charity. You will have experience of working...
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Important changes to support with EHCPs
One of Amaze’s very successful projects, Independent Support, will be closing on 31 July 2018. After nearly four years supporting families with their EHCPs, the Department of Education is ending national funding for this project. We have received a great deal of positive feedback from parent carers and young people who have used the Independent...
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Volunteers lead the way at Amaze
As it’s Volunteers Week, Amaze would like to highlight the work of its inspirational Face 2 Face team. With 26 members, the Face 2 Face team offers emotional support to parents, particularly around the time of diagnosis. All of our volunteers (and our coordinator) are parents of children with SEND and the power of the...
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Sussex Freemasons visit Amaze to celebrate £30k donation to our Disability Living Allowance project
We were delighted to be visited recently by representatives from Sussex Freemasons to celebrate their generous donation of £30,000 towards our Disability Living Allowance (DLA) Project. The funding will help Amaze provide a team of trained volunteers to support the most disadvantaged families in Brighton and Hove to complete disability benefit forms. As part of...
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GDPR and Amaze: taking your data privacy seriously
Amaze and GDPR You might have read or heard about something called GDPR, which affects data protection law in the UK from next Friday, 25 May. GDPR (or the European Data Protection Regulation) is a brand new part of EU law on data protection and privacy that relates to all countries in the EU, including...
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Tell the government what you think about SEND reforms
The government’s Education Select Committee is embarking on a review of the SEND reforms introduced in 2014. They want to evaluate the success of the SEND reforms, how they have been implemented, and what impact they are having in meeting the challenges faced by children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. As...
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New SEND hubs appoint headteachers
Brighton and Hove City Council are entering the next phase of the SEND hubs plan. Adrian Carver has been appointed to lead the East Hub (which incorporates Downs View, the Cedar Centre and Downs View Link College) and Rachel Burstow will lead the West Hub (which includes Hillside and Downs Park). They are currently recruiting...
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New corporate partners support Generation Amaze
Amaze is delighted to announce we have three brand new corporate partners who have decided to support Amaze during our 20th birthday year. Sincere thanks to Currys PC World Hove, Madison Web Solutions and Pyramid Educational Consultants UK Ltd. They are the first of what we hope will be 20 local businesses who want to support our work with...
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Amaze's first ever live Q&A
Amaze held its first ever live Facebook question and answer session yesterday, together with Parenting Kids With Dyslexia / Dyspraxia / SPD / ADHD Sussex. Members of the group posted questions via Facebook, and Amaze’s Services Director, Ros Cook and IAS Coordinator, Emma Parker, shared their advice and knowledge. Ros says, “It was a great for...
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Chailey Heritage Futures Life Skills Centre joins the Compass Card
Our latest new Compass Card offer from Chailey Heritage’s Futures Life Skills Centre is great news for families of over 16s with physical disabilities and/or learning disabilities and a real plus for young people with complex needs. Once registered with the centre, Compass Card holders get a 15% discount on all activities (excluding gym packages). There’s...
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Compass e-newsletters get a new look
Following feedback from our survey this autumn, we’re launching our revamped e-newsletters today! The Compass Team asked families and young people who get our weekly e-newsletters, ‘Compass News West Sussex’ and ‘Compass News B&H’, to let us know what they liked and what they didn’t like about the newsletters via a quick survey. We got...
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Help to raise money for Amaze by making some noise!
This year, we are delighted to have been selected as one of the beneficiaries of Global’s Make Some Noise, the charity for radio stations like Heart and Capital FM. Funds raised by Global will benefit Amaze and six partner organisations who all support families of disabled children in Brighton and Hove: Extratime, Pebbles, T21, mASCot, Barnardos...
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Council's SEN Team reassures parents on home to school transport
We know that some parents are worried that they have not had confirmation about transport for the start of term next week. Anna Czepil, head of SEN has given Amaze and PaCC an update to share about what is happening: “The SEN and Transport team are working hard to process all remaining transport application forms...
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Amaze extends advice services into East Sussex
Amaze is delighted to announce that from 1st September we will be providing the SEND Information, Advice and Support Service (SENDIASS) for East Sussex. We are being funded by East Sussex County Council to provide an independent and impartial service that replaces the ‘SEN and Disability Advice Service’ previously run by the council themselves. Like...
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Reorganisation of Special Schools and Pupil Referral Units
Please see the latest summary briefing regarding the progress of the SEND review, from Brighton & Hove City Council, here: Special School Reorganisation Briefing Mar 2017 This includes the proposals for the reorganisation of Special Schools and Pupil Referral Units. The full committee report will be presented to the Children, Young People and Skills Committee...
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Find out what parent carers at PaCC think about the Council’s budget-saving proposals by reading their new Position Statement
This is in response to Brighton and Hove City Council recently publishing its latest budget position and plan stating that they need to make £24.3m worth of savings next year to balance their budget. Like other councils across the UK, Brighton & Hove has a tough job working out how it can make savings across...
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Coffee meetings for parents of children with ASC in Brighton and Hove
Brighton and Hove Inclusion Support Service is running several coffee meetings for parents of children with Autistic Spectrum Condition (ASC) in February, March and April. ‘Sibling Support’, on Thursday 9 February 10 to 11.30am, focuses on sharing ways to support siblings of children with ASC; ‘Puberty’, on Wednesday 15 March 10 to 11.30am, focuses on...
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Kids Like Us – free Siblings Group for 8-13 year olds
Amaze is delighted to announce that we’ll be running our group for brothers and sisters of children with special educational needs and disabilities again. The siblings group is for children age 8 to 13 and offers them a space for fun alongside thinking and sharing their experiences of what it’s like to be a sibling....
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Group for parents of children with selective mutism
Do you have a child with selective mutism and would you like to meet other parents in the same situation? Kay Watson at St Luke’s Primary School is interested in setting up a parent group for families who have a child identified with selective mutism. Kay is happy to organise and host the group if...
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Become a Volunteer Peer Supporter at Amaze
Amaze’s new Futures Project is looking for young people aged aged 18 and over to be Volunteer Peer Supporters. Young people with and without SEND are invited to apply. Volunteer Peer Supporters will provide support to young people aged 14 to 25 with SEND. You will be part of a small team and receive training...
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events
See what's happening...
Amazing Futures (East Sussex) - life skills sessions in Eastbourne for young people with SEND
11th September 2019 - 04th December 2019 - 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm
Job Centre Plus
St Anne's House, 2 St Anne's Road
EastbourneFace2Face Befrienders training - Crawley
17th September 2019 - 10th October 2019 - 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
Free Amaze workshop (Brighton) - How to claim DLA (Disability Living Allowance)
25th September 2019 - 9:45 am - 12:30 pm
Community Base, Conference Room
113 Queens Road
BrightonAmazing Futures Brighton - free peer support activity sessions for young people
25th September 2019 - 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Community Base, Conference Room
113 Queens Road
BrightonLooking Forward - post-16 options workshop (Hangleton & Knoll)
25th September 2019 - 4:30 pm - 6:00 pm
The Hangleton & Knoll Project, St. Richard's Church and Community Centre
Egmont Road
HoveWhitehawk Coffee Morning for Parent Carers - 'Extended day services for SEND Children’
26th September 2019 - 9:30 am - 11:30 am
Whitehawk Inn
Whitehawk Road
BrightonSENDIASS East Sussex volunteers wanted
26th September 2019 - 9:30 am - 2:30 pm
DC3 Project Space
1-5 Seaside
EastbourneFree Amaze workshop (Brighton) - How to claim PIP (Personal Independence Payments)
01st October 2019 - 9:45 am - 12:30 pm
Community Base, Conference Room
113 Queens Road
BrightonBig Cheer for Amaze - comedy fundraiser event in Brighton
10th October 2019 - 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm
Komedia Brighton
44-47 Gardner St
BrightonAutism Saturday Club for under 8s with lego play (Brighton)
12th October 2019 - 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Tarner Children's Centre
(Morley Street entrance)
BrightonEHC Plans - Annual Reviews
15th October 2019 - 9:45 am - 12:30 pm
St. Richard's Church and Community Centre
Egmont Road
HoveAutism Saturday Club for under 8s (Brighton)
09th November 2019 - 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Tarner Children's Centre
(Morley Street entrance)
BrightonAmazing Futures Brighton - free peer support sessions for young people
10th December 2019 - 4:30 pm - 6:30 pm
Community Base, Conference Room
113 Queens Road
BrightonAutism Saturday Club for under 8s - with Christmas party (Brighton)
14th December 2019 - 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
Tarner Children's Centre
(Morley Street entrance)
Brighton