“This is my protected timeslot. It is saved in my calendar and my partner knows that this is a non-negotiable for me. I have learnt so much from everyone in the group and I love being able to share and help other parents.”
Who we are
Belongside Families is an independent, not-for-profit peer support organisation for families of children with disability, developmental delays and autism. We help families to navigate complex disability systems and services and build the skills, knowledge and confidence that will see their children and family thrive. Our peer groups and programs, trusted resources, and supportive community are online and free. We're passionate about all children and families living their best lives and discovering a future full of possibility.
Learn MoreNo family should start their journey alone
Help us reach families navigating a new disability diagnosis for their child.
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Don’t worry, we’re not here to overload your inbox. What you’ll get from us will be inspiring stories, details of upcoming events, helpful resources and other opportunities to be part of our community. From our family to yours, every fortnight or so.
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To connect, celebrate and learn with parents and carers on their own beautiful journeys. Ours is a safe space where you can come to ask advice and share experiences on anything from your child's diagnosis to navigating the NDIS.
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@belongsidefamilies Whether you’re feeling stretched by the demands of caregiving, needing support to navigate complex systems, or simply looking to connect with other families raising children with disability, our free virtual events are here to support you.
Here’s what’s on this week — plus a look ahead at the workshops and webinars coming up:
🔶 The Quiet Load – Daytime Virtual MyTime
📅 Tue, 16 Sep | 12:00 pm (NSW Time)
🔶 Session 3: Navigating Systems – Genetic Webinar
📅 Tue, 16 Sep | 12:00 pm
🔶 Supported Playgroups – Webinar
📅 Wed, 17 Sep | 12:00 pm
🔶 8yrs+: When School Isn’t Working – Virtual Autism MyTime
📅 Thu, 18 Sep | 8:00 pm
🔶 Connect & Chat – Virtual MyTime
📅 Fri, 19 Sep | 7:30 pm
🔍 Save the Date
*Webinars
🔶 Paediatric Palliative Care – Medical Webinar
📅 Mon, 22 Sep | 12:00 pm
🔶 Session 4: Shaping the Future – Genetic Webinar
📅 Tue, 23 Sep | 12:00 pm
*Workshops
🔶 Advocacy at School – Interactive Workshop
📅 Tue, 4 Nov | 8:00 pm
🔶 Supporting Your Child in Early Learning – Interactive Workshop
📅 Wed, 12 Nov | 8:00 pm
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📌 See the full event calendar via the Linkin.bio
👩🏻💻All sessions are FREE and online. Times are based on NSW / AEST. 🧡
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#ByFamiliesForFamilies #PeerLed #ParentingDisability #PeerSupport #WalkingWithFamilies #ReframingDisability #SpecialNeedsMum #SpecialNeedsMother #MyTime #AutismParentingTips #DisabilityParenting
Sep 14
🌊 There’s no single ‘right’ way to do life.
Not surfing. Not walking. Not talking. Not learning.
Every child finds their own rhythm. Every family finds their own way.
And if you’re smiling, then you’re doing it right. 🧡
Sep 12
📚 Free Genetics Webinar: Navigating Systems
Feeling overwhelmed by the NDIS, health or hospital systems after your child’s diagnosis? You’re not alone.
This free webinar in the Genetic Webinar Series from Belongside Families and Genetic Alliance Australia will help you feel more informed and prepared.
Hear from Lauren Buck, an experienced NDIS Navigator from Mito Foundation, who specialises in helping families access and navigate supports; Nika Kulaweera, Clinical Nurse Specialist and Rare Kids Care Navigator; and Helen Johnson, parent and advocate with decades of lived experience navigating complex systems.
Together, they’ll share practical advice and insights to help you:
🔸 Apply for the NDIS and navigate reviews
🔸 Work effectively with health professionals and services
🔸 Coordinate care across multiple systems
🗓 Tue, 16 Sep, 12:00–12:45pm (NSW / AEST)
💻 Free to attend | Online via Zoom
🔗 Register to watch live or receive the replay via Linkin.bio
Missed any of the sessions in our series?
Register to receive the replays via Linkin.bio
Sep 10
Missed our When School is Hard Autism Webinar?
Time is running out to catch the replay!
In one of our most popular webinars this year, Dr Siobhan Lamb unpacks why school can be such a tough environment for Autistic students—and what families and educators can do to make things better.
You’ll walk away with practical strategies, advocacy tools, and options beyond the mainstream to help your child thrive.
What we cover:
🔸 Why traditional school environments often clash with Autistic needs
🔸 How to work with schools and advocate effectively
🔸 Ways to nurture your child’s identity and confidence
🔸 Alternatives to mainstream education that support thriving, not just surviving
📌 Register by Sunday 14 September to receive the replay and watch in your own time. Visit the Link in bio.
Sep 9
The government has rolled out new steps to give parents and carers clearer information about their child’s daycare or preschool.
On the Starting Blocks website, you can now:
🔸 See when your service was last visited by a regulator
🔸 View any special requirements or restrictions placed on a service
These updates are designed to give families greater transparency and confidence when it comes to early childhood education and care.
Visit Starting Blocks website via the Linkin.bio, search for your child’s service, and explore the latest information.
#ParentingSupport #ForFamilies #EarlyLearning #ChildCare #EarlyChildhoodEducation #ChildSafety #BelongsideFamilies #DisabilityParenting
Sep 8
As Father’s Day comes to a close, we’re holding in mind all the dads, grandads, and father figures in our community — and the families for whom today may bring complex emotions.
This week, our events are here to support parents and carers — from those in regional and rural areas, to families navigating a genetic diagnosis, to anyone feeling stretched by the demands of caregiving.
Here’s what’s on this week:
🔶 Session 2: The Results Are In – Genetics Webinar Series
📅 Tue, 9 Sep | 12:00 pm
🔶 The Quiet Load – Evening Virtual MyTime
📅 Tue, 9 Sep | 8:00 pm
🔶 Supporting Country Kids – Webinar
📅 Wed, 10 Sep | 12:00 pm
🔶 Under 8yrs: What I Wish I Knew – Virtual Autism MyTime
📅 Wed, 10 Sep | 8:00 pm
🔶 Connect & Chat – Virtual MyTime
📅 Thu, 11 Sep | 7:30 pm
🔶 How We Talk About It – Autism Webinar
📅 Thu, 11 Sep | 8:00 pm
💡 Save the Date — Upcoming Workshops & Webinars
🔶 From Childhood to Teens – Interactive Workshop
📅 Wed, 17 Sep | 8:00 pm
🔶 Session 3: Navigating Systems – Genetics Webinar
📅 Tue, 16 Sep | 12:00 pm
🔶 Supported Playgroups – Webinar
📅 Wed, 17 Sep | 12:00 pm
🔶 Session 4: Shaping the Future – Genetics Webinar
📅 Tue, 23 Sep | 12:00 pm
Sep 7
🧡 Happy Father’s Day to the fathers, grandfathers and father figures in our community.
We see your love, your strength, your presence. The way you show up for the big things, and the quiet, everyday moments. How you help shape your child’s world in truly irreplaceable ways.
Parenting a child with disability brings both beauty and challenge, and today we celebrate those who walk this journey with so much courage and care.
💌 If this makes you think of a father or father figure in your child’s life, send it to them as a reminder of how important they truly are.
Sep 6
Tomorrow we’ll celebrate Father’s Day 💙
Tonight, we’re sharing wisdom from fathers and father figures in our Belongside Community.
Simple lessons. Big reminders. Words worth sharing and saving.
👉 Swipe through and share with an important figure in our child`s life.
📖 You can also read the full resource on our website via the Linkin.bio
#BelongsideFamilies #BelongsideCommunity #ByFamiliesForFamilies #PeerLed #ParentingDisability #SpecialNeedsParenting #FindingJoyInTheJourney #DisabilitiesDads
Sep 6
Content note: This story mentions pregnancy complications and difficult medical decisions.
What would you say if someone asked you what being a parent was like?
Hard? Exhausting? Joyful? All of the above?
When people ask Tom what being a dad is like, he usually says one word:
Depends.
Christopher, his son, is ten. He loves cuddles with his grandparents, movie afternoons on the couch, and he laughs at every fart joke.
He also doesn’t talk.
Can’t walk.
Hasn’t eaten by mouth for seven years.
He spends his days between a wheelchair, a recliner, or a hospital bed.
When Tom’s wife was 31 weeks pregnant, they were told their baby wasn’t “compatible with life.”
Doctors said that if he was born alive, they’d be lucky to have ten minutes with him.
Ten years later, he’s still here.
Still smiling.
Still teaching his family what really matters.
Yes, there are medications every six hours.
More visits to the hospital than anyone would wish for.
But there’s also pure joy.
For a kid who can’t walk or talk, he smiles, laughs and loves in ways most never will.
Because really, it depends on how you look at things.
And from this dad’s perspective...
Being Christopher’s dad is always good.
In the lead up to Father’s Day, we celebrate all the dads walking alongside their children in ways they never imagined and showing us the power of perspective.
You can read more of Tom’s story via the Link in bio.
Sep 5
Is therapy feeling hard?
When sessions don’t click, it’s natural to wonder if it’s time to move on. But before looking for a new therapist, it might be worth trying a few simple shifts.
Because therapy isn’t one-size-fits-all.
Every child has their own likes, dislikes, and motivators — and that’s okay. The goal is working with therapist to find what works for your child and your family.
👉 Swipe for practical ideas to try.
Sep 2
Whether you’d like to build your confidence to raise concerns with doctors, explore what a genetic diagnosis might mean for your child, or simply connect with other parents for support, this week’s free events are here to support and empower you.
Here’s what’s on this week — plus a look ahead at the workshops and webinars coming up:
🔶 Raising Concerns with REACH – Medical Webinar
📅 Mon, 1 Sep | 12:00 pm
🔶 Talking About Disability – Daytime Virtual MyTime
📅 Tue, 2 Sep | 12:00 pm
🔶 Making Your Voice Heard – Medical Webinar
📅 Wed, 3 Sep | 12:00 pm
🔶 8yrs+: What I Wish I Knew – Virtual Autism MyTime
📅 Thu, 4 Sep | 8:00 pm
🔶 Connect & Chat – Virtual MyTime
📅 Fri, 5 Sep | 7:30 pm
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New Genetics Webinar Series
Session 1: Could It Be Genetic?
📅 Tue, 2 Sep | 12:00 pm
Session 2: The Results Are In
📅 Tue, 9 Sep | 12:00 pm
Session 3: Navigating Systems
📅 Tue, 16 Sep | 12:00 pm
Session 4: Shaping the Future
📅 Tue, 23 Sep | 12:00 pm
Upcoming Workshop
🔶 From Childhood to Teens – Interactive Workshop
📅 Wed, 17 Sep | 8:00 pm
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📌 See the full event calendar via the Linkin.bio
👩🏻💻All sessions are FREE and online. Times are based on NSW / AEST. 🧡
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#ByFamiliesForFamilies #PeerLed #ParentingDisability #PeerSupport #WalkingWithFamilies #ReframingDisability #SpecialNeedsMum #SpecialNeedsMother #MyTime #AutismParentingTips #DisabilityParenting
Aug 31
Progress looks different for every child.
Sometimes it’s slow and steady.
Sometimes it’s spikey and unpredictable.
It can feel like two steps forward, one step back.
Or no steps at all for a while — and then suddenly, a leap.
Both are normal. Both are real. Both are worth celebrating.
Your child’s journey doesn’t need to follow someone else’s timeline.
Growth is growth, in whatever shape it takes. 🧡
Aug 29
