Focus on bullying prevention goes community wide
Ed Balls announces new guidance ‘Safe from Bullying’ 15th April 2009.
Imagine being bullied at school, on the way to and from school and, when you get home, finding that ugly messages are waiting for you online. Or spending a day in school fearing the bullies, only to find they are with you in the afternoon in the after school club, but now the teacher who has protected you all day is no longer in charge. These are scenarios described by some of the almost 5000 young people consulted in the development of new DCSF guidance.
Since 1999 there has been a focus on bullying in schools with a raft of measures and advice to combat it. But bullying does not happen only in schools and is often displaced beyond the school gate. This behaviour takes place in Children’s Homes, Play and Leisure settings and in Youth Groups. College students report that bullying, while rare in college, nevertheless takes place on the journey to and from college.
A new suite of guidance was launched on April 15th by Secretary of State Ed Balls, taking bullying reduction across the community. This offers Local Authorities an opportunity to adopt a consistent approach to keeping children safe from bullying. Many already do so and the guidance features case examples and training resources.
Children and young people in the Midlands gave their views in a consultation, Safe To Play, undertaken by Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. They revealed that while bullying generally diminishes as young people grow up, for the minority who are badly bullied this is not the case. Prejudice-driven bullying – racism, disablism and homophobia as well as the targeting of carers, appears resistant to change, continuing from primary through to secondary years. Being badly bullied limited where young people went, their use of local parks and playgrounds and negatively affected their view of their local area.
Adrienne Katz Director of Youthworks and a Regional Adviser for the Anti-Bullying Alliance said. ‘This is a great opportunity to work with young people to make our communities good places to grow up. Bullying prevention is about inclusion, equality and the right of every child to be safe to learn grow and play. Schools cannot do this alone.’
‘Safe From Bullying’ is a suite of materials with specific guidance for each setting:
Children's Homes
Play and leisure
Youth activities
Further Education colleges
Journeys and transport
Extended services
Local Authorities' coordinating role and Training Resources
Why we should look at bullying across the community: messages from research
Bullying in schools is influenced by factors in the home and in the community
Bullying in schools in turn affects the community and neighbourhoods
Bullying can be successfully tackled only in a coherent consistent way
Children and young people who are badly bullied in school are highly likely to also be bullied out of school
Bullying leaves lasting detrimental effects on children such as depression, fear and anxiety. In extreme cases it can be linked to suicide.
Bullied young people have a more negative view of their social competence and this can be particularly damaging to children with Special Needs or Disabilities as it can set back their social development and exacerbate their lack of skills.
Bullying can make young people afraid to go to school or drop out earlier than planned.
Attainment can be affected by bullying or the fear of bullying
Some forms of bullying may be a crime, and the steps taken by victims to stay safe may be dangerous or put them at risk.
Children and young people have a right to be safe and a right to education. These rights are infringed when they are repeatedly victimised.
For more info, please download the guidance from Worcestershire Hub Website:
http://worcestershire.whub.org.uk/home/wcc-edu-anti-bullying-resources-guidance