Our history

Amaze was founded in Brighton & Hove in November 1997 by a group of parents who wanted to guide other parents and carers through the maze of bringing up a child with special educational needs or disabilities.

Our growth

Formed by the merger of two existing Brighton & Hove projects – the Network of Parents and the Parent Link Project – Amaze registered as a charity in December 1999. 

Since then, Amaze has grown steadily from 2 to 50+ employees and expanded both the services we provide and the places where we work. 

Today we support young people aged 14-25 as well as their parents and carers; we work in East Sussex, as well as Brighton & Hove; and we offer emotional and social support as well as information and advice. 

We’ve also diversified our funding from statutory service contracts to trusts and foundations, high profile fundraising events, individual giving and corporate sponsorship. Read more about Fundraising.

Our history in video

Timeline

1997 

  • Amaze launches helpline for parent carers 
  • Amaze becomes Parent Partnership Service for Brighton & Hove (now SENDIASS) 

1998 

  • Amaze launches Out of Amaze newsletter and Through the Maze handbook 

1999 

  • Amaze registers as a charity 
  • Amaze starts giving advice about DLA 

2001 

  • Amaze publishes second handbook, Through the Next Maze, about young people with SEND aged 14-25 
  • Amaze begins managing the Children’s Disability Register for Brighton & Hove 

2003  

  • Amaze launches Compass leisure discount card launched to encourage families to register 
  • Amaze publishes 12 fact sheets on hot topics such as choosing a school, claiming DLA, short breaks and handling tricky meetings  

2004 

  • Amaze launches autism friendly cinema club as part of the Compass 

2005 

  • Amaze runs first Insiders’ Guide courses and a new group for parents of teenagers. 

2006 

  • First Amaze website goes live 

2007 

  • Amaze runs first Triple P stepping stones courses specifically for parents of children with SEND in Brighton & Hove. 

2008 

  • Amaze helps set up the Brighton & Hove parent carer forum, PaCC 

2010 

  • Amaze holds the first BIG Cheer for Amaze stand-up comedy night 

2011 

  • Amaze helps launch Carers Card Brighton & Hove which offer discounts and benefits to carers 

2013 

  • Amaze wins the ‘Biggest Impact Award’ at the inaugural CVSF Sector Star Awards 
  • Amaze develops advice on the new Personal Independence Payment (PIP) 
  • Amaze partners with Sport England to run six new Compass Card activities with local leisure orgs 
  • Amaze launches  
  • Amaze launches outreach coffee mornings with PaCC in Hangleton & Knoll and Moulsecoomb 

2014 

  • Amaze wins GSK Health Impact Award 
  • Amaze wins Independent Support Contract for West Sussex and Brighton & Hove to help families transition from statements to new EHCPs 

2015 

  • Compass Card extended to young people up to 25 
  • Amaze begins to offer Independent Support to parent carers and young people up to 25. 
  • Amaze extends SEND advice services to young people with SEND up to 25 

2016 

  • Parent Partnership Services becomes SENDIASS 
  • Amaze secures contract to run West Sussex Children’s Disability Register and launches West Sussex Compass Card 
  • Amaze wins contract to offer Independent Support in East Sussex 

2017 

  • Amaze launches Amazing Futures groups and peer support for young people with SEND aged 14-25 in Brighton & Hove 
  • Amaze develops Face 2 Face peer support groups and befriending for parents and carers in Brighton & Hove. 
  • Amaze begins to offer SENDIASS service in East Sussex  

2018 

  • Amaze extends its DLA and PIP advice service into East Sussex 
  • Amaze launches Amazing Futures in East Sussex 

2019 

  • Amazing Futures Careers (originally Looking Forward) service launches 
  • Face 2 Face peer support project pilots in East Sussex 

2020 

  • Amaze develops widely used online resource on Covid and SEND 

2021 

  • Amaze launches NDP Family Training and Navigation service to support families with children on the assessment pathway for neurodevelopmental conditions such as autism, ADHD and Tics/Tourette syndrome. 

2022 

  • NDP Family Training & Navigation extends into East Sussex 
  • Amaze secures contract to deliver SENDIASS service in East Sussex and Brighton & Hove until 2025. 

2023 

  • Amaze launches weekly lottery 
  • Amaze secures funding to develop its website for parent carers and launch a new young people’s website 

To get more detail on Amaze’s history or any of our achievements, email [email protected]