“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
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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 ✨ Meet Leila: Marketing & Communications Manager at Belongside Families ✨
For most of her 15-year marketing career, Leila has worked in the not-for-profit space, drawn to work that makes a positive change. She began her career at a Sydney agency, working with charity clients, before moving to London, where she led campaigns for UNICEF UK that helped improve the lives of children and communities worldwide.
👩👦 After her son’s diagnosis, she began attending Belongside Families’ workshops. Leila never expected that what started as a way to support her son would lead to a new chapter, where she could combine her lived experience and professional skills to support other families.
📖 Leila`s fingerprints can be found across almost all of Belongside Families’ social media, resources, and campaigns. She loves being a part of sharing the stories of people with disability and their families and is proud that some of these stories have reached over 100,000 people.
🚕 A fun fact about Leila is that she gave birth to her son in New York—and even took a yellow cab to the hospital.
🍽️ Outside of work, she loves eating delicious meals, cooking, and travelling — passions she combines whenever she can!
🧡 She hopes that families who come across Belongside see themselves reflected in our work and the experiences we share. And, in turn, feel less alone on their journey.
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Everyone on our team is raising a child with disability, delay, or autism. That lived experience is at the heart of everything we do — and it’s what makes Belongside Families different.
#BelongsideFamilies #WalkingAlongside #FamiliesSupportingFamilies #BelongsideCommunity #ByFamiliesForFamilies #PeerLed #ParentingDisability #BelongsideFamiliesTeam
Apr 23
Join us for Session 2 in our School Can`t Webinar Series tomorrow night
If your child is struggling to go to school, or if mornings are filled with anxiety, shutdowns, or distress, you’re not alone. Tiffany Westphal—parent, social worker, and Director of School Can’t Australia will unpack how stress affects your child’s nervous system, why return-to-school plans often fall short and where to find the right support for your child and yourself.
👉 Register to attend live or receive the recording via the Linkin.bio
If you missed out on the first session, it`s not too late to catch up on the recording. Visit our bio to sign-up to receive the replay.
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#BelongsideFamilies #ByFamiliesForFamilies #PeerLed #ParentingDisability #SpecialNeedsParenting #DisabilityEducation #DisabilityAdvocacy #AutismEducation #SchoolCant #SchoolRefusal
Apr 22
📢 Upcoming Events
Find out more about our events for parents and families over the school holidays and the events we have coming up in Term 2.
🔶 School Can’t Strategies & Support: Info Session
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🔶 Family Fun Day: Sensory Play Wetherill Park
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🔶 Family Fun Night: Chouchoubebe Merrylands
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🔶 Managing Carer Burnout: MyTime
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🔶 Connect & Chat: Virtual MyTime
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🔶 Neurodivergent Parenting: Virtual MyTime
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🔶 Healthy Mothers Healthy Families: Workshops
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🔶 ENVISAGE: Workshops
All times AEDT / NSW Time
Apr 21
From our families to yours, wishing you all a beautiful Easter 🐰
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#BelongsideCommunity #BelongsideFamilies #ByFamiliesForFamilies #SpecialNeedsMum #SpecialNeedsMother #ParentingDisability #AccessibleEaster
Apr 19
What if this school holidays we focused on the little things?
🧡 If you`re looking to connect with other parents navigating the school holidays, visit us over in the community. Our private facebook group of parents of children with disability, delay and autism.
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#BelongsideFamilies #BelongsideCommunity #ByFamiliesForFamilies #PeerLed #ParentingDisability #SpecialNeedsParenting #FindingJoyInTheJourney #KidsWithDisabilities #SpecialNeeds #AdditionalNeeds #ReframingDisability
Apr 18
✨ Meet Andie: Project and Event Coordinator at Belongside Families ✨
Andie comes from a varied background combining creative endeavours, organisation and management skills in fashion, HR and media. Her journey as a mum of two autistic children led her to Belongside Families.
👩👦 When her youngest son, Sebastian, was first diagnosed, Andie attended workshops and peer groups to better understand how to support him and her family. That search for knowledge ultimately brought her to Belongside Families, where she now helps ensure other families have access to the same invaluable support.
🗓️ In her role at Belongside Families, Andie manages all our projects and events – sometimes overseeing more than 100 each term. She thrives on scheduling, organisation and problem solving so everything (and everyone!) stays on track and families can focus on receiving the support they need.
📷 A fun fact about Andie is she is an award-winning toy photographer. She collects action figures and uses them in her photography.
📘 Outside of work, Andie’s interests include pop culture, fashion and photography. She is also a walking celebrity encyclopaedia.
🧡 Andie hopes that the events she organises give families access to the information and support they need, making things just that little bit easier.
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Everyone on our team is raising a child with disability, delay, or autism. That lived experience is at the heart of every workshop, resource, and program we create — and it’s what makes Belongside Families different.
Apr 16
The autumn school holidays are here — and Term 1 has flown!
We’ve hosted over 100 peer groups, workshops and webinars so far this year. Whether you joined a MyTime session, attended a workshop or tuned into a webinar — thank you for being part of an incredible start to the year.
The Team at Belongside Families be taking a short break over the holidays as we put the finishing touches on our Term 2 events — and carve out some time to enjoy the holidays with our own families. We hope you`re able to do the same.
And while we might be a little quieter, don’t forget, our community is always here whenever you need connection, support or a reminder that you’re not alone. 🧡
Apr 14
📢 Upcoming Events! Find out more and register for our events during the school holidays, and save the date for the events we have coming up soon.
🎉 Find out more & register by visiting the link in our bio.
🔶 Understanding School Can`t: Info Session
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🔶 School Can`t Strategies & Support: Info Session
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🔶FREE Family Fun Day: Hills Hornets - In-person Group
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🔶FREE Family Fun Day: Wetherill Park - In-person Group
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🔶FREE Family Fun Night: Merrylands - In-person Group
**SAVE THE DATE**
🔶 Healthy Mothers Healthy Families: Workshops
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🔶 Envisage: Workshops
🔔All times NSW Time
#ByFamiliesForFamilies #PeerLed #ParentingDisability #PeerSupport #Belong+Alongside #WalkingWithFamilies #ReframingDisability #SpecialNeedsMum #SpecialNeedsMother #ParentingDisability #MyTime #CheckInAndConnect #DisabilityAwareness #ConnectAndChat #DropInAndChat #AutismParentingTips #CareGiverSupport #DisabilityParenting #DisabilityEducation #InclusiveEducation
Apr 13
What’s often labelled as `school refusal` doesn’t always reflect what’s really going on—a child who doesn`t feel safe.
It can be an overwhelming and complex situation to navigate—but you`re not alone.
Belongside Families are hosting two free online webinars with School Can`t Australia, designed to help you understand what might be happening for your child and how best to support them.
Understanding School Can’t
📅 Wednesday 16 April, 7:30PM NSW Time
School Can’t Strategies & Supports
📅 Wednesday 23 April, 7:30PM NSW Time
Whether you`re just starting to face this challenging issue or have been navigating school can’t for some time, these sessions offer valuable insights into the emotional experience of children along with practical tools and strategies for parents and carers.
📩 Register to attend live or receive the replay. These sessions are only available to those who register—don’t miss out. Visit the Linkin.bio
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#BelongsideFamilies #ByFamiliesForFamilies #PeerLed #ParentingDisability #SpecialNeedsParenting #DisabilityEducation #DisabilityAdvocacy #AutismEducation #SchoolCant #SchoolRefusal
Apr 11
✨ Meet Pam: Peer Facilitator at Belongside Families ✨
Pam studied Early Childhood Education at university, but it was raising, caring and advocating for her son Christopher that deepened her passion for supporting other families, especially mothers. The unique perspectives gained through parenting Christopher have shaped her values and understanding of the importance of community – insights that now guide her work at Belongside Families.
👭 Pam is a storyteller and loves that she can honour her boy and their story, by sharing her wisdom and experiences with others – offering validation and companionship to other families raising children with disability on the path less travelled.
📖 Pam works as a peer facilitator at Belongside Families, facilitating MyTime groups, Envisage and other parent workshops, as well as supporting families with high medical needs. She enjoys writing about her experiences, and helped develop the resource ‘Finding Your Way’.
👶 A fun fact about Pam is she loves engaging in creative projects, especially making quilts out of baby clothes.
🧀 Outside of work, Pam especially enjoys time shared with girlfriends over wine and cheese.
🧡 Pam hopes that by offering a friendly ear, a shoulder or a virtual hug, parents and carers can feel buoyed and connected and leave her groups feeling reassured that they are doing the very best that they can and that the love they hold for their child will always be enough.
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Everyone on our team is raising a child with disability, delay, or autism. That lived experience is at the heart of every workshop, resource, and program we create — and it’s what makes Belongside Families different.
#BelongsideFamilies #WalkingAlongside #FamiliesSupportingFamilies #BelongsideCommunity #ByFamiliesForFamilies #PeerLed #ParentingDisability #BelongsideFamiliesTeam
Apr 10
When your child feels anxious or distressed about going to school, it can be a complex and emotional experience to navigate. But you’re not alone.
Join us for two upcoming info sessions with School Can’t Australia to better understand this challenging issue—and how to support your child.
Understanding School Can’t
📅 Wednesday 16 April, 7:30PM NSW Time
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School Can`t Strategies & Supports
📅 Wednesday 23 April, 7:30PM NSW Time
Whether you’re just starting to explore this issue or have been navigating school can’t for some time, these sessions offer valuable insights, support, and practical guidance.
🔗 Visit the Linkin.bio to register to attend live or receive the recording. These sessions will only be available to those who register—don’t miss out.
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#BelongsideFamilies #ByFamiliesForFamilies #PeerLed #ParentingDisability #SpecialNeedsParenting #DisabilityEducation #DisabilityAdvocacy #AutismEducation #SchoolCant #SchoolRefusal
Apr 9
✨ Meet Eliza: Peer Facilitator at Belongside Families ✨
Eliza was a primary school teacher until her journey as a mother of neurodivergent children redirected her passion for learning towards the disability sector.
👩👧👦Her children’s autism and ADHD diagnoses led to the pursuit of her own diagnoses – and she now identifies as AuDHD.
🤩 Like a lot of neurodivergent folks, when Eliza finds something that sparks passion, she soaks it in! Motivated to find out how she could best support her children while keeping her sanity, she launched herself headlong into the offerings of Belongside Families which naturally led her into a role within the team.
📖 Eliza’s role now involves workshop development and facilitation, connecting and learning with other parents, and content creation.
💅 A fun fact about Eliza is that she went through very specific styles during her youth, including dread-locked, tie-dyed hippie, dark and dramatic goth and retro-vintage diva!
📚 Outside of work, Eliza loves to read, keep an exercise routine, journal regularly, and make digital collages of her children.
🧡 Eliza hopes that through her work families realise that they’re not alone, and that this journey is another variation of ‘normal’.
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Everyone on our team is raising a child with disability, delay, or autism. That lived experience is at the heart of every workshop, resource, and program we create — and it’s what makes Belongside Families different.
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#BelongsideFamilies #WalkingAlongside #FamiliesSupportingFamilies #BelongsideCommunity #ByFamiliesForFamilies #PeerLed #ParentingDisability #BelongsideFamiliesTeam
Apr 8
