Bullying

What is Bullying?The Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) defines bullying as ‘the repetitive, intentional hurting of one person by another, or by a group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power.’

Crucially, they say that bullying can be:•Verbal: calling people names, insulting or teasing someone•Physical: hitting or shoving, damaging belongings•Indirect: spreading rumours, excluding someone purposefully•Cyberbullying: sending mean messages on social networking sites or via phone messages

There are also other forms of bullying which may be experienced such as:•Manipulative bullying: where one person controls another•Conditional friendship: where a child thinks someone is their friend but they are being bullied by them•Exploitative bullying: where features of a child’s condition are used to bully them

What to do if you suspect your child is being bullied…

“My child hasn’t said

anything but I’m worried

they are being

bullied…”

What to do if your child tells you they have been bullied…

“My child has informed me that they

are being bullied…”

(1) Signs of Bullying

Signs of Bullying

(2) Information GatheringWhat happened..?

Who was involved..?

Did anyone else see?

When exactly did this happen..?

Where did it happen?

Did anything happen before this..?

(3) List of Useful AgenciesThe list of agencies below may be useful if you are looking for further help or guidance:Bullying UK - http://www.bullying.co.uk/NSPCC - https://www.nspcc.org.uk/search/?query=BULLYINGBarnados - http://www.barnardos.org.uk/

Cyberbullying

CyberbullyingCyber bullying is any form of bullying which takes place online or through smartphones and tablets. It is rife on the internet and most young people will experience it or see it at some point. In a recent Government national bullying survey, 56% of young people said they have seen others be bullied online and 42% have felt unsafe online.

Cyber bullying can happen 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and it can go viral very fast so it is important that steps are taken to explore safe ways to use technology.

For further support or guidance, the following webpages may be helpful:http://www.bullying.co.uk/cyberbullying/https://www.stopbullying.gov/cyberbullying/index.html

Sexting

Protecting your child from SextingSexting is becoming more and more common. It is when someone uses technology to share sexual or naked images or videos of themselves, or when someone sends sexually explicit messages.They can be shared on phones, tablets, laptops and other devices.

When discussing sexting, it is important to remember that creating or sharing explicit images of a child is illegal, even if the person doing it is a child.

A young person may sext for a number of reasons. They may lack understanding and copy friends; they may have low self esteem; they may be exploring their sexual feelings. Alternatively, they may just find it hard to say no. Many young people don’t understand the emotional and psychological damage sexting can do.

It is important to educate young people about the risks of sexting. Once an image is sent, it can’t be retrieved and the young person has no control over how an image or text is shared. In some cases, ‘sexts’ could be used to blackmail the young person and it can certainly be extremely damaging to a young person’s reputation.

If you are a young person who needs advice or a parent who needs support, follow these links for further information:https://www.childline.org.uk/info-advice/bullying-abuse-safety/online-mobile-safety/sexting/https://www.nspcc.org.uk/preventing-abuse/keeping-children-safe/sexting/