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E:  esmart@amf.org.au

T:   1300 592 151

Tell the students doing the bullying to cut it out

Create a distraction: change the subject, tell a joke about something else, clown

around, start a game

Stand or sit with the student who’s been bullied

Start a conversation or game with the student who’s been bullied

Invite the student who’s been bullied to join in another friendship group

Comfort the bullied student, and reassure them that the bullying was wrong

Encourage the bullied student to report what happened

Tell a trusted adult about the bullying

If the students doing the bullying respect you, let them know this behaviour is not OK,

and encourage them to think about how it makes other people feel.

To help someone who has been bullied, a student might do one or more of these things:

Every situation is different, and students may need to talk tactics

with someone they trust before they are ready to help.

At all times, it’s important that students stay safe. If a student

chooses to intervene in a bullying incident they should only do

so if they feel safe and that their involvement won’t cause anyone

else to be unsafe.

Encouraging supportive action

From Bystanding to Upstanding

While adults are responsible for students’ safety, we know that students who have been bullied

often look to their peers for support. When other students step in to help someone who’s been

bullied, they can make a positive difference: by easing that student’s distress, connecting the

victimised student with adult support, and/or shifting the behaviour of other students.

The terms bystander and upstander are often used when addressing bullying. If you use them, it's

important to be clear about what you mean, and what you expect from students. The following

definitions come from the Bullying No Way! national website for Australian schools.

Bystander: 'someone who sees or knows about bullying, harassment or violence that is

happening to someone else.'

Upstander: 'someone who takes action against bullying behaviour. When an Upstander sees

someone being bullied, they do something about it. They help to stop the bullying

from happening, or they support the person who's being bullied.'

W: esmart.org.au

E:  esmart@amf.org.au

T:   1300 592 151

Being exposed to bullying can be distressing, even when you're helping

the person who's been bullied.

Many students are afraid to get involved, especially if they are not popular

themselves.

While high-status students are more likely to help someone who’s been

bullied, so are students who have been bullied themselves. But they can

be vulnerable too.

Not all ‘helping’ is positive. Students who try to help by using violence or

aggression can cause further problems.

Students are less likely to help if the bullying isn’t physical, or doesn’t look

serious to them.

Students may hesitate to report bullying if they don’t trust adults to

respond well.

Female students are more likely than males to help someone who’s been

bullied.

Primary students are more likely to help than teens.

From Bystanding to Upstanding

Helping can be complicated

It isn't always easy to help someone who's been bullied. Some students

who witness bullying are more confident than others, and some are afraid

to get involved. Taking the wrong kind of action can be risky for the

student who steps in, and for other students.

What makes a student likely to help?

From Bystanding to Upstanding

W: esmart.org.au

E:  esmart@amf.org.au

T:   1300 592 151

Students are more likely to help someone who’s been bullied if they have certain strengths in place.

Not all students who help others have these strengths, and having these strengths doesn’t guarantee a student will help.

But when we build these strengths around students, we equip them better to take a positive stand against bullying.

Student who helps

victims of bullying

Personal

Morally opposed to bullying

Self-efficacy

Empathy

Optimism

Family

Parents expect their child to help

someone who's bullied

Parents explain how to help

Warm, supportive family

School

Caring relationships with teachers

Classroom norms against bullying

Taught intervention skills

Social

Popular and/or well liked

Supportive friendships

Regards the bullied child as a friend

Believes other students oppose bullying

Positive connections to religious or

cultural community

From Bystanding to Upstanding

What schools can put in place

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E:  esmart@amf.org.au

T:   1300 592 151

High-quality social and emotional learning to build empathy and self-

efficacy.

Opportunities for family strengthening and positive parenting.

Parents engaged as partners in anti-bullying work.

Adequate wellbeing supports for students distressed by bullying.

Caring, trusting teacher-student relationships prioritised.

Clear, trusted mechanisms for students to report bullying.

Students create their own anti-bullying messaging, to shift social norms.

Students encouraged to take part in community activities outside school.

Curriculum equips students with:

• Ability to recognise different forms of bullying

• Willingness and confidence to intervene

• A range of tactics for helping

• Opportunities to practise these,

e.g. role-play

• Follow-up to check how they are

implementing this knowledge

The following suggestions are best practice to encourage an increase in

upstanding behaviours in students. We have aligned these with the

actions across the eSmart domains. Resources to assist you in

implementing these can be found in the Resources Library for the

following actions: 1.4, 3.1, 3.2, 4.1, 5.1, 5.4, 6.1, 6.2, 6.3

Background reading – From Bystanding to Upstanding Caroline Evans and Paul Smokowski, 'Prosocial Bystander Behavior in Bullying Dynamics: Assessing the Impact of Social Capital,' Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 44(12) August 2015 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/280868231_Prosocial_Bystander_Behavior_in_Bullying_Dynamics_Assessing_the_Impact_of_Social_Capital Caroline Evans, Paul Smokowski, Roderick Rose, Melissa Mercado, Khiya Marshall, 'Cumulative Bullying Experiences, Adolescent Behavioral and Mental Health, and Academic Achievement: An Integrative Model of Perpetration, Victimization, and Bystander Behavior,' Journal of Child and Family Studies, Vol. 28, Iss. 9, Sep 2019 https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6112108/ Scott Michael Fluke, Standing Up Or Standing By: Examining The Bystander Effect In School Bullying, Dissertation, University of Nebraska, PhD, 2016 https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1269&context=cehsdiss Stephanie Secord Fredrick, Lyndsay N. Jenkins, Kirsten Ray, 'Dimensions of empathy and bystander intervention in bullying in elementary school,' Journal of School Psychology, 79, 2020 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/340360520_Dimensions_of_empathy_and_bystander_intervention_in_bullying_in_elementary_school Stevie N. Grassetti, Julie A Hubbard, Marissa A Smith, Michael Gawrysiak, 'Caregivers' Advice and Children's Bystander Behaviors During Bullying Incidents', Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 47(sup1) March 2017 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315461493_Caregivers'_Advice_and_Children's_Bystander_Behaviors_During_Bullying_Incidents Lyndsay N. Jenkins, Stephanie Secord Fredrick, 'Social Capital and Bystander Behavior in Bullying: Internalizing Problems as a Barrier to Prosocial Intervention,' Journal of Youth & Adolescence, vol.46, 2017, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313019182_Social_Capital_and_Bystander_Behavior_in_Bullying_Internalizing_Problems_as_a_Barrier_to_Prosocial_Intervention Lyndsay N. Jenkins, Amanda B. Nickerson, 'Bullying Participant Roles and Gender as Predictors of Bystander Intervention,' Aggressive Behavior, 2016 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/310438188_Bullying_participant_roles_and_gender_as_predictors_of_bystander_intervention Lyndsay N. Jenkins, Amanda B. Nickerson, 'Bystander Intervention in Bullying: Role of Social Skills and Gender', Journal of Early Adolescence, 2017 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/320328079_Bystander_Intervention_in_Bullying_Role_of_Social_Skills_and_Gender

April Johnston, Aida Midgett, Diana Doumas, Steve Moody, ‘A Mixed Methods Evaluation of the "Aged-Up" STAC Bullying Bystander Intervention for High School Students,' The Professional Counselor, Vol. 8, Iss. 1, 2018 https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1179292.pdf Michal Levy and Thomas P. Gumpel, 'The interplay between bystanders’ intervention styles: An examination of the “bullying circle” approach,' Journal of School Violence, Oct 2017 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/319258693_The_interplay_between_bystanders'_intervention_styles_An_examination_of_the_bullying_circle_approach Yiqiong Li, Peter Y. Chen, Fu-Li Chen, Wen-Chi Wu, 'Roles of fatalism and parental support in the relationship between bullying victimization and bystander behaviors,' School Psychology International, Vol.36 (6) 2015 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/276369640_Roles_of_fatalism_and_parental_support_in_the_relationship_between_bullying_victimization_and_bystander_behaviors Beatriz Lucas-Molina, Marta Giménez-Dasí, Eduardo Fonseca-Pedrero, Alicia Pérez-Albéniz, 'What Makes a Defender? A Multilevel Study of Individual Correlates and Classroom Norms in Explaining Defending Behaviors,' School Psychology Review, Vol. 47, Iss. 1, Mar 2018 https://www.questia.com/library/journal/1G1-536389059/what-makes-a-defender-a-multilevel-study-of-individual Ting-Lan Ma, Diana J. Meter, Wei-Ting Chen, Yen Lee, 'Defending Behavior of Peer Victimization in School and Cyber Context During Childhood and Adolescence: A Meta-Analytic Review of Individual and Peer-Relational Characteristics,' Psychological Bulletin, Vol.145 2019 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/333658553_Defending_behavior_of_peer_victimization_in_school_and_cyber_context_during_childhood_and_adolescence_A_meta-analytic_review_of_individual_and_peer-relational_characteristics Peter Macaulay and Michael Boulton, 'High school pupils’ bystander response to traditional and cyber bullying scenarios: The impact of empathy and bullying severity,' Conference: the world antibullying forum, 2017 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316714371_High_school_pupils'_bystander_response_to_traditional_and_cyber_bullying_scenarios_The_impact_of_empathy_and_bullying_severity Tia Panfile Murphy, Deborah Laible, Mairin Augustine, ‘The Influences of Parent and Peer Attachment on Bullying,' Journal of Child and Family Studies, Vol. 26, Iss. 5, May 2017 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/315230247_The_Influences_of_Parent_and_Peer_Attachment_on_Bullying Virpi Pöyhönen, Jaana Juvonen, Christina Salmivalli, 'What Does It Take to Stand Up for the Victim of Bullying?: The Interplay Between Personal and Social Factors,' Merrill-Palmer quarterly, 56(2), April 2010, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236829179_What_Does_It_Take_to_Stand_Up_for_the_Victim_of_Bullying_The_Interplay_Between_Personal_and_Social_Factors

Jeroen Pronk, Tjeert Olthof, and Frits A. Goossens, ‘Differential Personality Correlates of Early Adolescents' Bullying-Related Outsider and Defender Behavior,' The Journal of Early Adolescence, Sep 2014, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/269706982_Factors_Influencing_Interventions_on_Behalf_of_Victims_of_Bullying_A_Counterfactual_Approach_to_the_Social_Cognitions_of_Outsiders_and_Defenders Jeroen Pronk , Frits A. Goossens , Tjeert Olthof , Langha De Mey , Agnes M. Willemen , 'Children's intervention strategies in situations of victimization by bullying: Social cognitions of outsiders versus defenders,' Journal of School Psychology, Vol.51, 2013 https://isiarticles.com/bundles/Article/pre/pdf/36779.pdf Zora Raboteg-Šarić, Sanja Bartaković, 'Empathy and Moral Disengagement as Predictors of Bystander Roles in School Bullying,' Central European Journal of Paediatrics, 15(2) 2019, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/335822850_Empathy_and_Moral_Disengagement_as_Predictors_of_Bystander_Roles_in_School_Bullying Ken Rigby and Bruce Johnson, 'Expressed Readiness of Australian Schoolchildren to Act as Bystanders in Support of Children who are Being Bullied,' Educational Psychology, Vol. 26, no.3, June 2006 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/254075766_Expressed_Readiness_of_Australian_Schoolchildren_to_Act_as_Bystanders_in_Support_of_Children_who_are_Being_Bullied Joakim Strindberg, Paul Horton & Robert Thornberg, 'The fear of being singled out: pupils' perspectives on victimisation and bystanding in bullying situations,' British Journal of Sociology of Education, July 2020, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/343111553_The_fear_of_being_singled_out_pupils'_perspectives_on_victimisation_and_bystanding_in_bullying_situations Robert Thornberg, Linda Wänström, 'Bullying and its association with altruism toward victims, blaming the victims, and classroom prevalence of bystander behaviors: a multilevel analysis,' Social Psychology of Education: An International Journal, Vol. 21, Iss. 5, Nov 2018 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326706261_Bullying_and_its_association_with_altruism_toward_victims_blaming_the_victims_and_classroom_prevalence_of_bystander_behaviors_a_multilevel_analysis Robert Thornberg, Linda Wänström, Rasmus Elmelid, Alexandra Johansson, Emelie Mellander, 'Standing up for the victim or supporting the bully? Bystander responses and their associations with moral disengagement, defender self-efficacy, and collective efficacy,' Social Psychology of Education, March 2020, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/339884286_Standing_up_for_the_victim_or_supporting_the_bully_Bystander_responses_and_their_associations_with_moral_disengagement_defender_self-efficacy_and_collective_efficacy Robert Thornberg and Tomas Jungert, 'Bystander behavior in bullying situations: basic moral sensitivity, moral disengagement and defender self-efficacy,' Journal of Adolescence, (36) 3, 2013 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/235964065_Bystander_behavior_in_bullying_situations_Basic_moral_sensitivity_moral_disengagement_and_defender_self-efficacy

René Veenstra, Rozemarijn van der Ploega, Tina Kretschmera, , Christina Salmivalli, 'Defending victims: What does it take to intervene in bullying and how is it rewarded by peers?', Journal of School Psychology, Vol.65, 2017 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/317936673_Defending_victims_What_does_it_take_to_intervene_in_bullying_and_how_is_it_rewarded_by_peers Wu Wen-Chi, Shyuemeng Luu, Luh Dih-Ling, 'Defending behaviors, bullying roles, and their associations with mental health in junior high school students: a population-based study,' BMC Public Health, Vol. 16, (2016) https://www.researchgate.net/publication/309006460_Defending_behaviors_bullying_roles_and_their_associations_with_mental_health_in_junior_high_school_students_a_population-based_study