On Bullying The new Anti-Bullying Procedures and Anti-Bullying Campaign Presentation for Parents.

On

Bullying

The new Anti-Bullying Procedures

and

Anti-Bullying Campaign Presentation for Parents

Findings in a 2012 survey of 4,500 Irish 10-year-olds show that 12% (about three per large class) say they were bullied “about

weekly”International Association for Evaluation of Educational Achievement, led in Ireland by Dr Emer Eivers, Educational

Research Centre, St Patrick’s College, Drumcondra - (Irish Examiner, 27/12/2012)

With the best of intentions previous attempts to prevent bullying in schools were inadequate.

A new approach was needed, is now available and is mandatory.

The Scale of the Problem

When this problem is not dealt with effectively at primary level it becomes even worse at second level where:

About 30% of pupils are bullied in any half-term period. (Anti-Bullying Centre, Trinity College, Dublin, 2008).

55% of young people claim to have been bullied (UNICEF Report: Changing the Future, 2012)

Anti-Bullying Campaign - Presentation for Parents

It is any behaviour that is (a) deliberate, (b) hurtful and (c) repeated over time, e.g.

• Unwelcome glances, sniggering, name calling . . .• Slagging/teasing about characteristics, background,

family . . .• Spreading rumours about someone • Abusive telephone calls or text messages• Putting unwelcome messages/pictures on Internet sites • Isolation/exclusion from group activity • Intimidation, verbal or through body language • Physical aggression - pushing, tripping, hitting, punching . . .• Damage to property or taking property• Extortion of money or propertyIf any of these happens repeatedly to your child, whatever else you might call it, s/he is being bullied!

All bullying behaviour has three things in common and these enable us clearly identify it?


Things that may indicate bullying:• Anxiety about travelling to and from school, unwillingness to go to

school, refusal to attend, mitching.

• Deterioration in motivation, concentration, workrate, educational performance or all of these.

• Changes in mood - loss of confidence, growing shyness, withdrawal.

• Unexplained changes in behaviour - stammering, displays of anger, aggressive behaviour (towards siblings?), out of character comments.

• Pattern of physical illnesses, stomach/bowel disorders, loss of appetite, vomiting, loss of sleep, nightmares (possibly reported by parents).

• Possessions missing or damaged, requests for (lunch) money.

• Unexplained bruising, cuts or other injury or damaged clothing.

• Reluctance/refusal to say what is troubling her/him.

Any parent who thinks any of these apply to your child should not

presume it is just “a stage s/he is at.” It may be more than that.


Psychological impact of bullying:• Feelings of insecurity, nervousness• Damage to self-confidence, withdrawal• Lowering of self-esteem, unhappiness with self• Unexplained mood changes, mood swings• Behaviour changes, uncharacteristic aggression • Stress/distress, inability to cope, mitching• Extreme anxiety/panic attacks, mitching • Nervous breakdown, inability to function• Depression requiring psychiatric intervention• Self-Harm by various means including cutting• Death by Suicide

Bullied students feel hurt, humiliated and isolated and find it hard to understand what is really happening to them or why!


Responding with punishment, anger and threats can make matters worse

• Students tend to take the side of students against any adult who threatens or resorts to punishment, even for bullying

• Punishment makes reporting of bullying by observers less likely

• Punishment can lead to a further negative backlash for the targeted student, either from the original bullying students or from peers

• Punishment can simply lead to a change in (a) the kind of bullying, (b) the location of

bullying, (c) the student targeted so the bullying continues and efforts to bring it to an end fail.

If your child is being bullied you may wish to have the perpetrator punished but this is counter-productive!

A different approach is needed.


Responsibility of schools to implement the new procedures

1.3.3. All Boards of Management must formally adopt and implement an anti-bullying policy that fully complies with the requirements of these procedures . . . [which] . . . require all schools to commit to these principles:•They must foster a positive, inclusive school culture and climate at every level•They must show effective leadership in dealing with bullying at every level•They must adopt a school-wide approach - everyone is involved as appropriate•They must ensure a shared understanding of bullying and its impact•They must implement education/awareness-raising/prevention strategies•They must ensure effective supervision and monitoring of pupils•They must support staff in implementing these procedures•They must ensure consistent recording and investigation and follow-up of bullying behaviour – seeking to resolve (a “win-win” outcome) the situation and “restore” relationships to what they were before the bullying began.

The new D.E.S. anti-bullying procedures are mandatory andimplementation will be subject to inspection from September 2014.


6.5.2. Effective practice includes prevention and awareness-raising measures across all aspects of bullying.

6.8.9 School authorities must ensure that the school has clear procedures for investigating and dealing with bullying . . .

. . . The school’s procedures must be consistent with the following approach:

(i) The primary aim for the relevant teacher in investigating and dealing with bullying is to resolve any issues and to restore, as far as is practicable, the relationships of the parties involved (rather than to apportion blame).

“Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools” 2013, under the heading “Key Principles of Best Practice,” states:

From September 2014 all schools must adopt an approach to bullying that is fully compatible with all these Key Principles.


• We explain to pupils that children sometimes bully others without thinking or without realising the harm they are doing

• We tell them that if they know of any children, in their class or any other class, who are doing this we need to talk to them and ask them to stop

• We do a special survey across several classes asking the children to tell us who might be doing this - on the following basis:

If they tell us, we will talk to anyone identified to find out if it is bullying . . .If it is, we will ask them to give us a promise that they will stop . . .If they give us this promise and keep this promise:a)they will not be punished (since it is over now) b)we will not give their name to the Principal (since it is over)c) we will not phone their parents “getting them in trouble” (since it is over) • On this basis, for the first time, children tell us all we need to know to keep them safe• The child is getting “one chance” (does every child not deserve this?) and if s/he

breaks the promise the Principal and parents are notified at this very “early stage”

On this basis, the children tell us all we need to know. Nearly all pupils keep their promise so it is over – a “win-win” outcome.

How to “resolve” and “restore” without punishment - 3 effective incentives


Dealing with Bullying Situations - Summary

Code of Behaviour Ladder of Referral

Correction

Warning(s)

Deputy Principal?

Meeting(s) with parents

Suspension

Expulsion?

Contact parents

Minor Sanctions(s)

Principal?

The Anti-Bullying Campaign response offers a “win-win” resolution in almost all cases

Phase 1: In return for honesty and keeping 1st promise

pupil gets confidentiality

and no blame or sanction

Almost all keep first or second promise and so avoid blame or sanction

through ladder of referral

Phase 2: In return for honesty and keeping 2nd promise

pupil gets no confidentiality

but no blame or sanction

Most keep first promise so by agreement parents & Principal do not need to

know or act

Awareness Raising Strand Ongoing Throughout School

If Promise is broken parents/staff told but still

no return to ladder of referral

In a tiny number of cases second promise is broken - Return to Ladder of Referral


Anti-Bullying Campaign - Overall Summary

In class bullying is secretive When teachers on yard

duty change every day they cannot see the Repetition that indicates “Bullying”

Bullying is repeated targeted hurtful behaviour reflecting a power imbalance between those involved

Pupils see all this behaviour so we need them to report it

SOAnti-Bullying Campaign - Strand 1

Raising Awareness /Understanding Pupils Now Recognise Bullying

Pupils Now Reject Bullying

BUTThey don’t Recognise it

they don’t Understand it so they don’t Report it

AND

Our “Reform, Not Blame” Response offers “win-win” resolution

for everyone involved

BUTPunishment is an Obstacle so they still don’t Report it

SOAnti-Bullying Campaign - Strand 2 A “Reform, not Blame” Approach

Pupils see this as Fair and JustPupils Now Report the Bullying

ANDThere is No Resolution

AND

The bullying continues, leading to misery, low self-esteem, depression,

self harm . . .

• 6.2.5. Developing a Code of Behaviour: Guidelines for Schools, states: “Parents should be expected to model the standards that

pupils are asked to respect.”

• 6.3.2. Parents should also recognise that . . . they need to work with their school to ensure there is a coherent, school-wide approach.

• 6.8.9. (v) Parents and pupils are required to co-operate with any investigation and assist the school in resolving any issues

and restoring, as far as is practicable, the relationships of the parties involved as quickly as possible;

Parents, as well as being involved in adopting new anti-bullying policies in schools, can support their implementation by their good example, cooperation and vigilance in reporting bullying behaviour.

Responsibilities of Parents in the new Procedures


Benefits for Parents in the new Procedures

The objective in following these procedures, which is achieved through their implementation, is a “win-win” outcome for all concerned:

• A bullied pupil wins because the bullying is brought to an end,

• A bullying pupil wins because there is no punishment as long as s/he keep a solemn promise to stop bullying,

• The observing pupils win because the anxiety they feel when observing bullying, which they now recognise and reject as wrong, comes to an end,

• Lessons are learned about respectful behaviour by the whole school community, a higher standard is reached and everyone can get on with their lives.

On this basis parents benefit whether their children were bullying others, were bullied by others or observed the bullying.

Each parent’s initial wish in relation to the bullying is fulfilled.


What if my child bullies others?• You might be the last to know about it since nobody likes to tell you this

• Your child might do this because:

(a) s/he may also be hurting for some reason and is “lashing out, “e.g. s/he may have been bullied and may be “passing this on”

(b) s/he may be copying others to keep “in with them” by bullying

(c) there may be a misunderstanding about something said or done in the past that was never sorted out

(d) s/he may feel insecure and be seeking “control” to feel more secureIs there something I can do about this?• Yes. Once you know about it you can support the school as it

implements its new anti-bullying policy – leading to resolution that gives your child a “fresh start” with a “clean sheet” and no blame.

You can insist that your child keeps her/his side of the arrangement arrived at and that any bullying behaviour stops!


Bullying behaviour is no longer restricted to the

school yard.

It is often by phone or online and out of sight and earshot of both teachers and parents.


Your home should be a safe place where you can be

away from bullying and harassment . . .

. . . but Cyber Bullying by phone and online can affect you even when you are at home . . .


Being cruel, repeatedly circulating hurtful material to others or

about others using technological

meansCyber Bullying is repeatedly using computers, mobile phones, smart phones or any other technology to cause hurt or embarrassment to another person


E-mail Mobile/smart phones Text messages Instant messaging / MSN Social networking sites Chat rooms

ASK.fm


• “Harassment”: Repeatedly sending

offensive, rude, and insulting messages• “Cyber Stalking”: Repeatedly sending

messages that include threats of harm or are highly intimidating and make a person afraid for his or her own safety

• “Denigration”: ‘Dissing’ - circulating cruel gossip or rumours about a student to damage his or her reputation or friendships

• “Outing and Trickery”: Tricking a student into revealing secret or embarrassing information which is then shared without consent


• “Flaming”: Online fights using electronic messages with angry and vulgar language

• “Impersonation”: Pretending to be someone else and sending or posting material online that makes someone look bad, gets her/him in trouble or danger, or damages her/his reputation or friendships

• “Exclusion”: Intentionally excluding someone from an on-line group, like a ‘buddy list’


People who Cyber Bully:• May pretend it’s “a joke”• May think it’s “no big deal”• May be encouraged by friends • May pretend everybody does it• May not think about consequences• Think they won’t or can’t get caught

If so, as you will see . . . they should definitely think again!If so, as you will see . . . they should definitely think again!


One of the most threatening aspects of being the target of Cyber Bullying is that . . .

. . . You can’t see the bully and

you often don’t even know

who it is.


Research shows that those who Cyber Bully are usually the same people who bully people directly and you may know who they are but to prove it you will need evidence


A victim of Cyber Bullying by phone should:• Never reply to bullying or harassment by phone

• Put yourself in control - store the messages as evidence

• Block the sender - phone networks allow you to do this

• Tell someone you trust that the bullying is going on

• If Cyber Bullying continues, report the problem to parents/teachers and depending on severity, the Gardaí.

• Even if the sender’s number is hidden the exact time and date are attached to messages and enable the Gardaí to check with the service provider and trace the sender of the message


A victim of Cyber Bullying online should:• Never reply to online bullying or harassment • Put yourself in control - store and print out messages and keep

them as evidence, noting exact time and date if possible • Block communication with the Cyber Bullying person: (a) by email, by adding her/him to your “blocked list” and (b) on social networking sites (e.g. Facebook) by (i) reporting the bullying to the site

administrators and (ii) changing your privacy settings to exclude

her/him • If Cyber Bullying continues, report the problem to

parents/teachers and depending on severity, the Gardaí.


Something everyone Something everyone who uses social media who uses social media

should know:should know:Under the Department of Education’s

new anti-bullying procedures: “ . . . Placing a once-off offensive or hurtful public message,

image or statement on a social network site or other public forum where that message, image or statement can be viewed and/or repeated by other people will be regarded as bullying behaviour.”

This makes sense because every extra hour/day you choose to leave such a thing in place

is like a repetition of the original act.


Adapted with kind permission of Caroline O’Doherty, Loreto, Beaufort.


On Bullying The new Anti-Bullying Procedures and Anti-Bullying Campaign Presentation for Parents.

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Transcript of On Bullying The new Anti-Bullying Procedures and Anti-Bullying Campaign Presentation for Parents.