Virtual Peer Support Groups for heart parents

At Tiny Tickers our message for heart parents is always “you are not alone.” The ability to speak to others going through or who have been through a similar situation is often a very valuable source of support for a lot of heart parents of babies and children with CHD.

Tiny Tickers offers free, virtual peer support sessions for heart parents, parents-to-be and carers, made possible by initial funding from the Coronavirus Community Support Fund back in 2021, distributed by The National Lottery Community Fund.

“Taking part in the parent-to-be virtual support group gave us huge levels of support before our baby was born. After our diagnosis, it provided a platform for us to meet other parents experiencing the same worries and emotions, reminding us we were not alone. We are all still in regular contact and continue to support each other through our children’s surgery and aftercare.” – Emma

Six-week support groups

We have set up a pregnancy peer support group and a general CHD support group, to offer support to UK heart parents who would like to meet virtually and share their experiences of CHD.

Each group’s sessions run for six weeks, held weekly for an hour each. They are not counselling sessions but an opportunity to speak to other parents in a small Zoom group setting, led by a qualified facilitator.

Places are available for the following virtual groups for heart parents:

Pregnancy CHD Peer Support Group

Meet other heart parents-to-be through our supportive online six week group:

• Support each other from diagnosis and appointments right through to birth
• Discuss what you might expect when your baby is in hospital/undergoing treatment
• A chance to talk through some of the practicalities of preparing for a baby with CHD

General CHD Peer Support Group

• Meet other parents of children who have CHD
• Discuss your experiences and share advice
• Support each other through shared worries and concerns

“Being part of the virtual support groups has been a fantastic opportunity and an invaluable support tool. It enabled me to talk to other parents who completely understand, that are facing similar experiences and challenges to us on a daily basis. We were lucky to be supported by a lovely, empathic and caring facilitator, who always encouraged a safe environment for us to talk about difficult experiences. We’ve built a great support network of friends from the group, and now have our own Whatsapp group, where we keep in touch and support each other as needed. I think any parent of a child with CHD should have the opportunity to access peer support groups from the outset of diagnosis. I feel this would have been of great help to me when we had a diagnosis of CHD during our pregnancy. Thank you Tiny Tickers for the opportunity and support.”

Peer support drop-in evenings

Monthly drop-in sessions for heart parents and parents-to-be, led by a qualified facilitator.

These sessions will take place on the last Tuesday or Wednesday of every month at 8pm on Zoom.

Simply sign up before 2pm, on the day of the session, to attend

“The weekly group has been such a great way to get in touch with other heart parents and to share experiences and support. At the time of the groups my son was going through a particularly tough time with feeding and weight issues and frequent hospital appointments and the support and advice I got from the group was brilliant. I’ve met such a lovely supportive group of people who just get it and we’re still in touch regularly now.” – Cat