Bullying may be defined as deliberately hurtful behaviour, involving an abuse of power and usually repeated over a period of time, where it is difficult for those bullied to defend themselves.
It can be inflicted on a child by another child or an adult.
It can take many forms, but the three main types are:
Bullying often starts with apparently trivial events such as teasing and name calling which nevertheless rely on an abuse of power. Such abuses of power, if left unchallenged, can lead to more serious forms of abuse, such as domestic abuse, racial attacks and sexual offences.
Any child may be bullied, but bullying often occurs if a child has been identified in some ways as vulnerable, different or inclined to spend more time on his or her own.
Children living away from home are particularly vulnerable to bullying and abuse by their peers. See Children Living Away from Home Procedure.
The damage inflicted by bullying can often be underestimated. It can cause considerable distress to children, to the extent that it affects their health and development or, at the extreme, causes them Significant Harm including self-harm.
Children are often held back from telling anyone about their experience either by threats or a feeling that nothing can change their situation.
Parents, carers and agencies need to be alert to any changes in behaviour such as refusing to attend school or a particular place or activity, or becoming withdrawn and isolated.
Children who bully have often been bullied themselves and suffered considerable disruption in their own lives, but bullying may occur because the child is unhappy, jealous or lacking in confidence.
Work with children who bully, including those who sexually offend, should recognise that they are likely to have significant needs themselves and may be suffering or at risk of Significant Harm as well as posing a risk of Significant Harm to other children. If so, the procedure in Children who Sexually Abuse Other Children should be followed
All settings in which children are provided with services or are living away from home should have in place anti-bullying strategies. This includes schools as well as all youth clubs and all other children’s organisations where the anti bullying strategies should be rigorously enforced.
Children should be able to approach any member of staff within the organisation with personal concerns. In order to maintain an effective strategy for dealing with bullying, the traditional ideas about bullying should be challenged, e.g.
Clear messages must be given that bullying is not acceptable and children must be reassured that significant adults involved in their lives are dealing with bullying seriously.
A climate of openness should be established in which children are not afraid to address issues and incidents of bullying.
Consideration should always be given to the existence of any underlying issues in relation to race, gender and sexuality. This should be addressed and challenged accordingly.
Where a child is thought to be exposed to bullying, action should be taken to assess the child’s needs and provide support services to safeguard and promote his or her welfare.
A range of active listening techniques which provide a more helpful response include:
| THE LISTENER: | Listening patiently with full attention, encouraging, clarifying, restating, reflecting, validating, summarising. |
| THE DETECTIVE: | Investigating the situation sensitively and patiently. |
| THE SUPPORTER: | Seeing their side, acknowledging and allowing expression of their feelings. |
| THE COACH: | Checking out what help is being asked for and offering practical, realistic help. |
If the bullying involves a physical assault, as well as seeking medical attention where necessary, consideration should be given to whether there are any child protection issues to consider.
Where appropriate, parents should be informed and updated on a regular basis. They should also, when applicable, be involved in supporting programmes devised to challenge bullying behaviour.
Creating an anti-Bullying climate that is conducive to equality of opportunity, cooperation, and mutual respect for differences can be achieved by, for example:
It is important when addressing bullying behaviour by another child to avoid accusations, threats or any responses that will only lead to the child being uncooperative, and silent.
The focus should be on the bully behaviour rather than the child and where possible the reasons for the behaviour should be explored and dealt with. A clear explanation of the extent of the upset the bullying has caused should be given and encouragement to see the bullied child’s points of view.
The children (bully and bullied) should then be closely monitored. The times, places and circumstances in which the risk of bullying is greatest should be ascertained and action taken to reduce the risk of recurrence.
Whatever plan of action is implemented after the above issues have been identified , the plan must be reviewed with regular intervals and amended if necessary to ensure that the bullying has ceased.
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