Bullying (Information for Parents/Carers)
Bullying amongst children isn’t always easy to define or to identify, bullies can be very cunning and expert at getting away with it.
Parents and carers have to be alert to the possibility of bullying and must always take action if they think their own or other children are being bullied.
Bullying can be physical, verbal and emotional, for example:
- Persistently calling hateful or hurtful names
- Making things up to get children into trouble
- Hitting, pinching, biting, pushing and shoving
- Spreading rumours, for example, on social networking sites like ‘Facebook’ (Cyberbullying)
- Threatening, tormenting or intimidating children
- Making silent or abusive phone calls
- Bullies can also frighten you so that you don't want to go to school, so that you pretend to be ill to avoid them
Persistent bullying can result in:
- Depression
- Low self-esteem
- Shyness
- Poor academic achievement
- Isolation
- Threatened or attempted suicide
Be alert, take action!!
If you suspect or discover your own child is bulling other children, you can get some great advice from KIDSCAPE , including a useful leaflet ‘101 ways to deal with bullying’ . You should also talk to your child’s teacher or, if it’s serious, talk to a social worker.
If your child (or a child in your community) is being bullied, KIDSCAPE have advice for you too, go to their website ‘How Parents Can Help’ ; but your child’s teacher or a social worker may be able to help too.
The most important point is, take action, talk to someone who can help – a teacher, social worker, youth worker in your community – or seek advice from a reputable agency such as KIDSCAPE (see links above) or one of the following:
