STAND OUT AGAINST BULLYING. The Suffolk Children s Trust Anti-Bullying Strategy

Transcription

1 STAND OUT AGAINST BULLYING The Suffolk Children s Trust Anti-Bullying Strategy

2 STRATEGY CONTENT: WHAT DO WE MEAN BY BULLYING? Page 4 OUR COMMITMENT Page 6 Strand 1: Partnership Working Page 7 Strand 2: Children and Young People s Participation Page 8 Strand 3: Managing Data Page 9 Strand 4: Encouraging Best Practice Page 10 APPENDIX 1 CONTACTS, LINKS & RESOURCES Page 11 2

3 Suffolk Children s Trust identified bullying as one of its key priorities in the Children and Young People s Plan This was based on children and young people's perceptions within the National Tell Us Survey. The aim of the strategy that encompasses schools and others settings, is to provide a framework for all organisations working with children and young people in Suffolk. These should reflect the safeguarding needs of children and young people that are addressed within the safeguarding strategy that is aligned to legal and statutory policy and guidance. 3

4 WHAT DO WE MEAN BY BULLYING? BULLYING CAN BE DEFINED AS: a deliberately hurtful act by an individual or group, usually repeated over a period of time. It often involves an abuse of power or use of intimidation and can affect an individual or a group. National research confirms that bullying is a major concern for young people, their parents and carers and we believe everyone shares the responsibility to address it. The negative effects of bullying are well documented and can have a devastating effect on children and young people including their physical, mental health, educational achievement, confidence and self esteem. BULLYING MAY INVOLVE THE FOLLOWING BEHAVIOURS: Physical: This is when a person is physically harmed. It can include being bitten, hit, punched, pushed, interfered with, having one s property destroyed or taken, extortion, being scratched, spat at, tripped up, having one s hair pulled or any other form of physical attack. Non-physical - Verbal: This can include abusive telephone calls, taunting, mocking, extorting money or material possessions, general intimidation or threats of violence, name-calling, racist, homophobic, transphobic, disabilist remarks or teasing, sexually suggestive or abusive language, spiteful teasing, making cruel remarks and spreading false and/or malicious rumours. Non-Verbal - Indirect: This can include purposeful and often systematic ignoring, excluding and isolating, gossiping, spreading rumours, deliberately ignoring, excluding, sending (often anonymous poisonous notes and making other students dislike someone. 4

5 Non-Verbal - Direct: This can include making rude gestures and mean faces and is often not regarded as bullying as it is seen as relatively harmless. In fact it may be used to maintain control over someone and to intimidate and remind them that they are likely to be singled out at any time. Cyber-Bullying: This type of bullying can occur as a result of: malicious texting, picture/video clip, , bullying via websites (social networking and developing hate pages). Bullying can be a combination of the above. BULLYING MAY TAKE PLACE FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS: It may be related to one of, or combination, of the following: gender, race, culture or religion; special educational needs or disabilities; sexual orientation; economic circumstances; appearance or health conditions; young carers or looked-after children or young people; fun or pleasure; health conditions; a person s perceived ability or actual achievement; 5

6 OUR COMMITMENT Developing communities which have the skills, knowledge and confidence to keep children and young people safe from bullying, harassment and victimisation by pre-empting and responding consistently and effectively to bullying and discrimination; promoting equality and respect for diversity; Supporting all partnership agencies and organisations to take responsibility in raising awareness of bullying and developing anti-bullying policies with robust systems and protocols, including monitoring, recording and analysis of incidents, to reduce bullying; Enabling all professionals working with children and young people to have knowledge of the key issues in bullying, be able to respond appropriately and effectively to the reduction of bullying within their communities and use a range of strategies, including those outlined in Suffolk s Anti-Bullying Directory; Recognising and acknowledging the concerns of children and young people who have been, are being or are fearful of being bullied, harassed, intimidated or victimised; ensuring that monitoring and recording of all prejudice related and bullying incidents leads to an active response in building greater resilience in dealing with bullying. Listening to children, young people, parents and carers and involving them in the development of anti-bullying strategy in order to challenge and address bullying. THIS STRATEGY IS MADE UP OF 4 STRANDS: 1. Partnership working 2. Children & young people s participation 3. Managing data 4. Encouraging best practice 6

7 STRAND 1: PARTNERSHIP WORKING Suffolk Children s Trust and Local Safeguarding Children Board will promote cooperation with its partners and others with a view to improving the well being of children in their communities. This includes their physical and mental health, emotional and social well being and protection from harm; maximising all children and young people s attainment and achievement. The development of multi-agency integrated services provides a good foundation on which to address bullying by sharing and implementing a range of anti-bullying activities in a co-ordinated way. Good practice that already exists in clusters of schools and partners organisations should be further developed and shared. Partners currently involved in anti-bullying work are: Children and young people Families Schools and other education settings Integrated Multi-Agency Teams Youth Support Suffolk PCT Educational psychologists Learning Improvement Service Vulnerable Children s Service Voluntary organisations Suffolk Hate Crime Partnership KEY ACTIVITIES NEEDED TO PROGRESS THE STRATEGY: Ensure that the anti-bullying strategic group has representation reflecting a range of stakeholders; Ensure commitment from all working with children and young people, by taking forward the key strands and developing them within their own policies, procedures and practices; Develop school-based pupil forums across Suffolk which contribute to the strategy through locality working; Seek opportunities to promote participation by children and young people in all aspects of antibullying work contribute to the strategy development; Ensure that all those working with children and young people develop robust policies, procedures and practices that include a systematic and consistent data management system that records all bullying incidents; Identify opportunities to raise the profile of anti-bullying activity within school partnerships and partner agencies; Work in partnership with the e-safety Multi-Agency Group in creating e-safer communities; Consider local action plans to identify a range of anti-bullying initiatives and measure progress and success of a plan (in line with the best practice identified in Preventing and Tackling Bullying - Department of Education guidance 2011). 7

8 STRAND 2: CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE S PARTICIPATION Children and young people are experts on their own lives and can provide real insight into where and when proactive strategies are needed. More specifically, research has affirmed that child and youth involvement contributes to reducing the incidents of bullying within educational environments. Consistent and regular consultation with children and young people should be a key priority. Their views should contribute to and inform anti-bullying initiatives. KEY ACTIVITIES NEEDED TO PROGRESS THE STRATEGY: Use data from a range of children and young people s surveys to monitor and inform progress; Develop children and young people s personal skills, attitudes and knowledge in order to reduce the risk of them being bullied or becoming bullies; Involve young people, through the cross county pupil forums, to share their feelings thoughts and experiences of bullying both in and out of school, to inform the anti-bullying strategy; Consider ways in which children and young people can contribute to planning anti-bullying activity within their communities including a range of peer-led preventative and early intervention strategies; Produce a summary version of this strategy consulting with children and young people; Develop a communication plan which ensures that parents know where to get help and advice. 8

9 STRAND 3: MANAGING DATA Currently there are systems in place for compulsory reporting of bullying of a racist nature together with a request to share information on SEN and homophobic bullying, using the same recording instrument, to be returned on an annual basis to the local authority. However all incidents of bullying need to be reported and systematically analysed. Therefore, a common collective strategy on how data is systematically collected and recorded needs further development. Consultation with schools and alternative educational settings will form part of this strategy in order to provide a more effective and efficient way to analyse the impact of responses of bullying for all children, including those who are more vulnerable. One of the key areas of tackling bullying is the use of national and local research and establishing a baseline of where we are and how we can improve outcomes around the anti-bullying agenda. Professional advice should be sought in conducting any research for data collection. KEY ACTIVITIES NEEDED TO PROGRESS THE STRATEGY: Work with schools and other settings which provide services for children and young people to share information effectively and agree a common methodology of recording and reporting bullying incidents; Analyse data to inform the on-going development of anti-bullying work within all communities, ensuring that the responses to concerns and issues are relevant and targeted in an appropriate and timely way; Collect a range of qualitative and quantitative data; the former taking into account the views, feelings and perceptions of children, young people, parents, carers and staff whilst the latter looking at the raw data that has been collated; To improve systems for data collection and analysis, ensuring that the data on bullying/prejudice related incidents is utilised to inform best practice and support partner agencies in the management of incidents that may arise, especially for those pupils who are the most vulnerable to bullying; To agree methodology for recording and sharing data within community partnerships to inform and develop practice and produce an annual report to the Children s Trust Partnership Board on how bullying has been tackled and what has had a real impact; To ensure safety to and from school, transport providers need to be encouraged to record and share their data. 9

10 STRAND 4: ENCOURAGING BEST PRACTICE It is recognised that children and young people need to have the resilience and skills to be aware and to identify what is happening to them or others and to take action to ensure they or others are safe when bullying occurs. Due regard must be paid to the importance of continuing to focus on the social and emotional aspects to learning and the teaching of personal skills to combat bullying. Best practice will manifest itself in work that is preventative and responds to incidents of bullying. It can provide opportunities for communities and partner agencies to build on this work. To achieve this, further knowledge and skills should be developed to inform joint initiatives and activities within communities. Anti-bullying policies must be integrated into existing policies and not contradict any policy that sets out to safeguard and promote the welfare of children. These policies are best developed through whole school/community involvement. KEY ACTIVITIES NEEDED TO PROGRESS THE STRATEGY: The anti-bullying strategy group should undertake regular monitoring of anti-bullying practice to ensure that bullying is being addressed in a robust systematic way; The CYP directorate should develop a range of anti-bullying initiatives that aim to prevent incidents of bullying and provide children and young people with intervention tools to manage potential bullying. This should reflect the importance of resilience development; The sharing of good practice within and between local authority and partner agencies should be recorded; Support to implement initiatives within targeted areas informed by data analysis should be offered through integrated working; Accredited learning should be offered to young people who have become peer mentors. Schemes and initiatives should be celebrated during anti-bullying week and a young people s anti-bullying award, celebrated at the anti-bullying conference each year. 10

11 APPENDIX 1 CONTACTS, LINKS & RESOURCES For further information please contact the relevant Learning and Improvement Adviser for either social inclusion, behaviour and attendance or personal social development - telephone LEGISLATION: The Education White Paper (2010) The Equality Act (2010) The Childcare Act (2006) The Disability Discrimination Act (2005) The Children Act (2004) The Human Rights Act (1998) The Education Act (2002) The Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (2001) The Race Relations (Amendment) Act (2000) The Protection from Harassment Act (1977) The Malicious Communication Act (1988) Public Order Act (1986) INFORMATION AND GUIDANCE: Preventing and Tackling Bullying - Departmental advice for headteachers, staff and governing bodies (2011) Safeguarding children and safer recruitment in education (2006) Practical advice and guidance for children, young people, parents and carers, and professionals who work with children run by the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP). The Kidscape charity offers anti-bullying information, advice and training. Childnet International is a comprehensive website with support and guidance for children, young people and families. The Anti-Bullying Alliance has a network of 65 organisations that aims to reduce bullying and create safer environments for children and young people The NSPCC is a registered charity established to prevent cruelty to children. The Beat Bullying children s charity offers antibullying strategies and cyber-mentoring schemes for children and young people. Stonewall is an extremely informative website with issues relating to lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender rights. This strategy is linked to Suffolk Children's Trust e-safety strategy - launched in September

12 The Suffolk Children s Trust Anti-Bullying Strategy STANDING OUT AGAINST ABUSE DISCRIMINATION INTIMIDATION ISOLATION RACISM IGNORANCE CRUELTY Designed and printed by Suffolk Design & Print. Phone: