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Bullying

Hampshire County Council Children and Young People’s Anti-Bullying Policy (Draft)

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Introduction

Working together, Hampshire Children and Young People’s Partnership has agreed this policy which sets out our shared vision and intention to address bullying of children and young people in Hampshire.  At the heart of this document is a shared commitment to safeguarding children and young people as set out in the Hampshire Safeguarding Children Board (HSCB) policy and procedures, and a belief that in working together we can make a significant impact.  Reducing the incidence of bullying is a priority identified in the 2006 – 2009 Children and Young People’s Plan, and a reduction in reported experiences of bullying is a target which has been set by the Government for all local authorities to achieve.  Bullying is not just an issue for schools, and it is our intention to reduce its incidence and effects, whenever and wherever it occurs.

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Statement of principles and values

Hampshire County Council’s overarching vision is that every child and young person, including those who are vulnerable or disadvantaged, has the best possible start in life and develops to their full potential.  Our aim is for all children and young people to achieve the five outcomes of Every Child Matters, that is to:

  • be healthy;
  • stay safe;
  • enjoy life and achieve their full potential;
  • be interested and fully involved in the community they live in;
  • achieve economic independence.

In particular, children and young people should expect to:

  • be able to grow and develop in safety and free from prejudice and discrimination;
  • be listened to and have their views taken into account;
  • be treated with respect;
  • belong to and be valued in their community;
  • see their needs and interests at the heart of everything we all do.

(Hampshire Children and Young People’s Plan, 2006)

Guiding principles for all partners providing services for children and young people in Hampshire are enshrined in the following articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989):

‘States Parties shall take all appropriate legislative, administrative, social and educational measures to protect the child from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse, while in the care of parent(s), legal guardian(s) or any other person who has the care of the child.’

(Article 19)

‘States Parties agree that the education of the child shall be directed to:

(b) The development of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, and for the principles enshrined in the Charter of the United Nations;

(d) The preparation of the child for responsible life in a free society, in the spirit of understanding, peace, tolerance, equality of sexes, and friendship among all peoples, ethnic, national and religious groups and persons of indigenous origin;’

(Article 29)

In order to fulfil the above, it is important that all partners working with children and young people in Hampshire agree and work within an overarching policy, strategy and action plan to address bullying.

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Definition

All partners in Hampshire agree with the Government definition of bullying as:

‘Behaviour by an individual or group, usually repeated over time, that intentionally hurts another individual or group either physically or emotionally’.

We also find helpful the following clarification by the Anti-Bullying Alliance, which states that bullying mostly falls into two categories:

  • emotionally harmful behaviour, such as taunting, spreading hurtful rumours and excluding people from groups; and
  • physically harmful behaviour, such as kicking, hitting, pushing, or other forms of physical abuse.  

The following three conditions are used to define incidences of harmful interpersonal behaviour as bullying behaviour.  Behaviour is bullying behaviour if:

  • it is repetitive, wilful or persistent;
  • it is intentionally harmful, carried out by an individual or group; and,
  • there is an imbalance of power leaving the person who is bullied feeling defenceless.

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Types and forms of bullying

Bullying behaviour which conforms to the above definitions can take many forms, as described in the ‘Safe to Learn’ suite of guidance from the Department for Children Schools and Families (DCSF, 2007).  Bullying takes place through means which can be verbal (e.g. name-calling), indirect (e.g. exclusion) and physical (e.g. hitting).  The DCSF has also highlighted particular forms of bullying for which it has issued separate guidance. These are: racial and religious bullying; homophobic and transgender bullying; bullying related to special educational needs and disability; and cyberbullying.  Cyberbullying, which means the use of electronic equipment such as computers and mobile phones, involves new and increasingly complex forms and types of bullying such as impersonation and exclusion from social networking.

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Why bullying is an issue

Bullying behaviour, wherever it occurs, has a negative impact on everyone involved.  For victims it can lead to unhappiness and  distress, and adversely affect concentration, achievement, school attendance and general health.  In some instances it has led to suicide.  Those who bully others have often been victims of bullying themselves.  Continuing to engage in bullying behaviour is likely to lead to emotional harm for the perpetrator, as well as more general problematic behaviour patterns in the future. Those who witness bullying behaviour can also suffer harm, and the ability of the whole community to live together in harmony, to feel safe, to enjoy and to achieve, can be adversely affected.

Despite the fact that most adults, children and young people agree that bullying harms everyone, it is still happening in our schools, communities and workplaces, and even in our homes.  Recent national data referred to in the Children’s Plan, 2007, indicates that about a third of all pupils experience bullying, and this concurs with information from a sample of children and young people in Hampshire which indicated that approximately 30% of Year 2 pupils and approximately 20% of Year 9 pupils experienced bullying at school in 2007 (Hampshire Pupil Attitude Survey, 2007).  If we are serious about wanting to promote the emotional health and wellbeing of children and young people, we must ensure we tackle the root causes of bullying, and institute strategies that work.  This will have as much to do with changing the attitudes of adults who live and work with children and young people as it will with strategies to intervene when bullying happens between them.

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Statement of Intent

Schools and all other organisations which make provision for children and young people ‘must have in place rigorously enforced anti-bullying strategies’, as stated in Hampshire County Council’s Safeguarding Children Procedures (2007).  Hampshire County Council expects that all partners, and the organisations they represent, will take steps to stop bullying wherever and whenever it occurs, and do everything possible to stop it happening in the future.  This policy is particularly concerned with bullying which affects children and young people up to the age of 19 whether they are at school, attending other settings (including workplace learning or employment), in the community or at home.  It is also important to recognise that adults bullying other adults, as well as children and young people, sets an example of inappropriate behaviour, and all organisations are expected to have policies which aim to eliminate such behaviour (see Hampshire’s Dignity at Work Policy).  It is also expected that schools and other organisations will institute preventative and responsive measures to tackle bullying of adults by children or young people.

Hampshire Safeguarding Children Board (HSCB) will oversee a multi-agency Anti-Bullying Strategy Group as a sub-group of the Monitoring, Effectiveness and Scrutiny Committee, and the County Council will maintain a lead officer for anti-bullying supported by relevant operational staff.  The Anti-Bullying Strategy Group will engage with relevant agencies and partnerships, children, young people and parents/carers to develop a holistic approach across sectors to reduce bullying.  The essential responsibility of the group will be to assist the lead officer for anti-bullying to develop and regularly review the County policy and strategy for anti-bullying.  Where necessary it will form operational groups, drawing in others as appropriate, to address particular aspects of anti-bullying work.  The group will, with the use of additional resources where necessary, facilitate the following areas of activity:

  • promoting a rights-respecting anti-bullying culture within all levels of the County Council, organisations and partnerships associated with it;
  • raising and maintaining awareness of bullying, its effects and strategies for reducing it;
  • collecting and analysing data about bullying to inform future policy and practice;
  • advising schools and community settings on good practice with regard to data collection, including reporting and recording systems and surveys;
  • researching, promoting and disseminating good practice with regard to preventing bullying and intervening when it occurs;
  • working with children, young people and parents/carers to ensure effective systems exist within schools, community settings and the local authority for them to report and receive support regarding bullying;
  • promoting and supporting the development of new initiatives to reduce all forms of bullying;
  • reporting to the HSCB Monitoring, Effectiveness and Scrutiny Committee (MESC) and the Children’s Services Department Management Team regarding performance with respect to anti-bullying at such times as requested.

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Legislation and Government Guidance

This policy, related strategy and guidance are, and will be, drawn up in accordance with legislation and Government guidance.  Relevant legislation and documentation includes:

  • The 2004 Children Act which requires Children’s Services Authorities to improve the well-being of children in their area through partnership with others, and to safeguard and promote the welfare of children;
  • The 2006 Education and Inspections Act which places duties on school governing bodies and head teachers to promote good behaviour and the well-being of pupils, and institute measures to prevent all forms of bullying among pupils; and,
  • The Children’s Plan: Building brighter futures (2007), which emphasises the importance of tackling bullying in schools and the community

More detail concerning legislation is included in the guidance document ‘Safe to Learn: Embedding anti-bullying work in schools’ (DCSF, 2007).  The suite of ‘Safe to Learn’ guidance produced by the DCSF is recommended for all schools and other organisations.

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Evaluation and review

All partners recognise the importance of gathering and analysing data in order to monitor the incidence of bullying and evaluate the effectiveness of preventative action and responsive approaches.  Currently, data concerning pupils’ experiences of bullying are collected through the Hampshire Pupil Attitude Survey, and a majority of schools collect their own data regarding reported incidents.  The Anti-Bullying Strategy Group is investigating the collection and collation of other relevant data at a County level in order to identify and respond to needs and trends with regard to bullying across Hampshire, and monitor the effectiveness of the Anti-Bullying Strategy.  

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Links to other policies, strategies and plans

Bullying is a form of behaviour that impacts on the emotional health and well-being of all involved.  This policy must therefore be read and understood in conjunction with other relevant Hampshire documentation, including:

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Consultation on Anti-Bullying Policy

Comments were invited from all interested stakeholders on the draft Hampshire County Council Children and Young People's Anti-Bullying Policy. The closing date for this consultation was 30 January 2009.

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