Anti-bullying strategy

Where we are now

This is the stage we're at now:

• children and young people tell us they're concerned about bullying
• children and young people that are most likely to be bullied and face discrimination are those:

• • with disabilities
  • with additional needs
  • from minority groups
  • who are looked after

• children and young people tell us that disruptive behaviour in school reduces their enjoyment and achievement in the classroom
• pupils' freedom from bullying, racism another forms of harassment was judged to be no better than satisfactory in 2 out of 5 secondary schools inspected (2003/2004)
• Ofsted's inspection of the local authority (May 2004) found that its support for behaviour in schools was unsatisfactory and poorly regarded by them
• children and young people are often portrayed negatively in their communities and by the media (7% of press stories about young people are negative)

Why this is a priority 

This is a priority because:

• there's a strong association between bullying and discrimination about the health, education achievement and emotional wellbeing of children and young people
• it's important that children and young people grow up with a sense of respect for others; learning how to resolve conflict, developing good social skills and positive relationships that they can take into adult life
• there's no need for policies on combatting bullying to be implemented and monitored by all partners or organisations working with children and young people
• this issue requires a range of services to provide preventative support and have inter-agency policies and procedures agreed
• information needs to be shared effectively across services and professionals working with children and young people
• early identification and intervention will reduce the need for referrals to specialist child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS)
• community and media perceptions of young people should reflect reality to ensure all young people are treated fairly and with respect by adults 

What we will do

We will:

• reduce children's and young people's experience of bullying behaviour
• reduce children's and young people's experience of discriminatory behaviour
• make sure that children, young people and their carers are informed about key risks to safety and how to deal with them
• make sure that there are effective ways of knowing the whereabouts of vulnerable children and young people, particularly those who go missing and those out of school
• work with partner agencies to increase the available resources and accessibility to treatment programmes for those who pose a risk of offending against children

Find more information on our bullying page.