Anti-Bullying Interventions: Legislative, Psychosocial & Policy Training for Teachers, Learners and Parents.

Bullying prevention is critical to child and adolescent mental health and a school’s well-being.

We need to evolve beyond the idea that if we just teach kids to stand up for themselves, have a sense of humour, and not take things personally, they’ll survive nasty peers unscathed.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Bullying is abnormal behaviour, negatively impacting children and teens in countless ways, whether directly or indirectly. It diminishes their self-esteem and quality of life, and undermines academic success. Being bullied, or simply witnessing it, is correlated with depression, self-harm, suicide, and a host of physical sicknesses.

Bullying is the greatest threat to a positive school experience for kids & teens. It is, truly, an egregious phenomenon, yet we struggle to curb it effectively. This isn’t for lack of care, but for lack of understanding.

Despite the good intentions of schools to address bullying, faulty beliefs about child & adolescent interactions undermine our attempts to address it adequately, if at all. And, though teacher and parents have some awareness of the problem, much of it is hiding in plain sight.

Unfortunately, erroneous ideas about bullying persist in education circles, contradicting research that tells a very different story. We have to separate fiction from fact. Bullying is serious and its consequences are far-reaching. Therefore, an evidence-based approach must take precedence if we are to turn things around for our learners.

What can we do about it?

Bullying is not inevitable and it CAN be prevented. Well-informed adult interventions can successfully stop bullying in its tracks. This requires accurate policies & procedures that are consistently implemented.

Bullying occurs in the absence of boundaries and adult vigilance. Those in charge must establish boundaries, must be vigilant, and must have a process for managing peer-relationships gone awry.

Crucially, adults must know the difference between bullying and conflict, to assist learners to 1) navigate normal disagreements, or 2) report abuse.

The Teacher Training Lab provides comprehensive anti-bullying training.

We review a school’s anti-bullying policy, make recommendations framed by the Basic Laws Amendment Act (BELA), differentiate bullying from conflict, and teach learners about boundaries and rights.

We assist with processes for disclosures of bullying, the implementation of restorative justice, and connect school policy to codes of conduct and parent support.