Development and Implementation of Whole School Community Approach

1. Development and ImplementationofWhole School Community ApproachSantiago de Compostelo-9/11/2013 Professor Mona O’Moore Anti-Bullying Research & Resource Centre (ABC) Trinity College, Dublin

2. What is Bullying? Traditional Bullying Cyber-Bullying

3. Traditional Bullying Definition Bullying has 3 main criteria: • intentionto cause harm to the victim; • repetitionof the abusive behaviour over a period of time; • imbalance of power between the victim and bully/bullies. However, one particularly severe incident, which creates an ongoing sense of intimidation can also be considered bullying.

4. Traditional Bullying most often takes the form of… • Systematic victmisation • Physical aggression • Verbal abuse • Gestures – often threatening • Exclusion / Relational • Extortion

5. Is there a Typical victim? Pure Victim Bully-Victim

6. Pure Victim Is there a typical victim? Anyone can become a victim! Risk factors: • an anxious, sensitive, shy, insecure and cautious temperament; • few good friends; • low self-esteem; • a passive, non-aggressive, or non-assertive manner; • reflecting a difference, e.g., accent, religion, culture, race, special needs See Chapter 3 in O’Moore, M. Understanding School Bullying : A Guide for Parents & Teachers

7. Bully-Victims Often display… • an emotionally reactive manner; • social skills deficits, e.g. clumsy behaviour when attempting to enter or join a peer group • Negative attributional biases See Chapter 4 in O’Moore, M. Understanding School Bullying : A Guide for Parents & Teachers

8. Characteristics of a typical bully Bullies often display specific characteristics, such as: • a need to dominate others; • low self-control; • an impulsive nature; • low anxiety; • a tendency to blame the victim; • tough poise; • a positive attitude towards aggression; • a lack of sensitivity and empathy; • a tendency towards other anti-social behaviour; • a loud manner; • and sometimes they have also been victims themselves. See Chapter 4 in O’Moore, M. Understanding School Bullying : A Guide for Parents & Teachers

9. Children bully because they can Bullying is an attempt to manipulate relationships with the aim of meeting one's psychological needs. • Examples of such needs include: • a desire to control; • a need to assert one’s dominance; • attention seeking; • desire to show off; • or desire to improve one's social status.

10. Participant Roles in Bullying Salmivalli et al. (1996) were able to identify clear roles within the process of bullying for 88% of the school children surveyed. The results were replicated in a study in German comprehensive schools (Schäfer & Korn, 2004). Fellow pupils have an important role in the process of bullying. Therefore, it is sensible to begin an intervention at the class level.

11. Cyber-Bullying : A Definition “Cyber-bullying is an aggressive willful act carried out by an individual or group using electronic forms of communication” Mona O’Moore, 2012

12. Cyber-Bullying Behaviour • Harassment: e.g. sending insulting or threatening messages; • Denigration: spreading rumours on the internet; • Outing and trickery: revealing personal information about a person which was shared in confidence; • Exclusion: preventing a person from taking part in online social activities, such as games or chats. • Flaming or Trolling: sending insulting messages to inflame emotions of others so that flame war is created in ‘public’ places such as a chat room or a social networking site. • Impersonation: Perpetrator uses the victim’s password to send or post a hateful message / Perpetrator alters the victim’s profile • Happy Slapping: Filming and forwarding direct physical assaults which are degrading and humiliating to the victim. • Sexting: Embarrasses victim by posting messages or images of a sexual nature of victims or others e.g. the posting of victim’s breasts caused suicide of Amanda in Canada.

13. Differences between Cyber & Traditional Bullying • Cyber-bullying primarily indirect rather than face to face and may be anonymous. • Cyber-bullying has the potential to reach large audiences. • It has the potential to stay in cyber-space indefinitely. • The aggressor does not see the victims reaction in the first instance.

14. What happens during bullying? • Bullying creates stress • if stress continues over a period of time, illness is a common consequence • Bullying has been linked to a number of negative effects, including: • erosion of confidence and self-esteem; • educational underperformance; • refusing to go to school • anxiety, bedwetting, abdominal pain, headaches and feeling tense; • depression, self-harming ,suicidal thoughts and suicide. Note: Being cyber & traditionally bullied increases risk of depression and loneliness. (Gradinger et al, 2009; Bright et al, 2012)

15. Coping strategies(Riebel et al., 2009; Hoff & Mitchell, 2008) • Social coping: seeking help from friends, family, teachers, peer supporters; • Aggressive coping: retaliation, physical attacks; verbal threats; • Helpless coping: hopelessness; passive reactions, such as avoidance; displays of emotion; • Cognitive coping: responding assertively, using reason; analyzing the bullying episode and the bully’s behaviour. • Technical coping: switching off the computer, changing email address or nickname and only giving them to people that can be trusted, and showing the messages to a grown-up.’

16. Data about bullying, All forms & internet Source: EU Kids Online report Livingstone,S.Haddon,L.,Gorzig,A.&Olafson,K.(2011). Risks and safety for children on the Internet: the Ireland report, London, LSE.

17. Overlap between Traditional and Cyber-Bullying • 71 % of cyber-victims were traditional victims • 28.9% of cyber-victims were traditional bullies • 67.4% of cyber-bullies were traditional bullies • 32.0% of cyber-bullies were traditional victims Supports Sourander et al (2010) study of 2215 Finnish teens aged 13-16 years

18. Addressing School Bullying (Traditional & Cyber)

19. The Most Effective Approach A whole school community approach has been found to be the most effective in reducing bullying and victimisation among school-going children. The duration and intensity of the programme elements are found to have a direct correlation with a decrease in both bully and victim problems. Farrington & Ttofi (2010)

20. What is a Whole School Community Approach to Bullying? • A whole school approach to bullying takes responsibility for both bullying prevention and intervention by the entire school community including: • Staff • Students • Parents • Bus Drivers • Traffic Wardens • Local Shop Keepers

21. Most successful programmecomponents A Meta Analysis by Farrington & Ttofi (2010) Reducing the level of bullyingReducing the Level of Victimisation Anti-bullying policy Parent teacher training / meetings Disciplinary methods Videos Playground supervision Disciplinary methods Teacher Training Cooperative Group Work Classroom Rules Playground Supervision Classroom Management School Conferences Information for Parents

22. Whole School Community Approach Aims: 1. Implement policy and practice to consistently and effectively address bullying 2. Enhance understanding and competences among staff, students and parents and wider community 3. Form collaborative partnerships between school, family and wider community 4. Build a supportive school culture

23. 1) Anti-Bullying Policy An anti-bullying policy provides a framework for how to deal with bullying It can be a ‘stand alone’ policy or part of the Code of Behaviour and Discipline Provides schools with opportunity to communicate to ALL its members where the school stands on the issue of bullying and how it intends to deal with it. Opportunity to create a document that ALL members of the school community have contributed to, and have a vested interest in maintaining, by means of a consultative process involving all parties.

24. Steps to take in Creating a Policy • Accept that bullying exists • Consider the key issues • What do we mean by bullying? • What misconceptions are there around bullying? • Who are the victims, the aggressors and the bystanders? • What strategies are currently in place in the school in relation to • a) primary intervention (reducing the risk of bullying) • b) secondary intervention (responding to incidents) • c) tertiary intervention (treatment of those involved in bullying) • What level of bullying is there nationally and internationally? • What other strategies are there nationally or internationally that may prove more effective for the school? • Assess the current level of bullying in the school • Communicate the results to all members of school community • Discuss and decide on strategies to address the bullying

25. Prepare the draft policy • Principal / Working Committee • Review the draft policy • Circulation among School Community groups • Implement the policy • Preparation of staff / staff training • Launch the policy • Full launch as part of an awareness raising campaign or week

26. Keep the policy alive - Reinforce with the help of • school assemblies • poster campaigns • other work arising from curriculum activities • student led surveys • regular teacher meetings. • Review, revise and renew the policy every 2 years • Seek feedback from School Community • Examine the level of bullying reflected by survey and incident reports to staff • Examine the level of enrolments and exits from school by student and staff • Examine the level of absenteeism • The general working environment • Level of peer support or positive pupil led strategies

27. 2) Develop Understandings and Competences • Understanding of bullying in all its forms • The damaging effects for the victims • The damaging effects for the aggressor’s reputation, friendships, future employment prospects. • Digital safety skills • Netiquette • Coping Strategies • Legal consequences and risks of prosecution

28. 3) Develop Collaborative School –Family Relations Schools must take leadership to: • Deliver educational programmes to all members of school community • Encourage reporting among all members • Change attitudes –Problems lies with the aggressors • Encourage use of external agencies for professional help

29. 4) Develop Supportive Social Environment • Make reporting easier • Avoid punitive actions • Apply restorative approaches which builds: • Empathy • Responsibility • Making good • Encourage bystanders to exercise responsibility • Staff to lead by example

30. Parents Resource Pack Contents Prevalence Type Causes Effects Indicators of Bullying Behaviour How to deal with alleged or actual incidents of bullying.

31. Teacher Action Each Teacher in school to raise awareness with their class. The aim of the awareness raising is to have: The children understand that bullying is unacceptable and not to be tolerated. Victims and bystanders understand that they should report to parents/teachers all incidents of bullying. Bystanders understand that where ever possible they should help/protect their peers who they see are being bullied. By ignoring the incident they are not only condoning the behaviour but they are behaving in an irresponsible manner. The children understand that all reports of bullying will be dealt with sympathetically. The children develop a class charter or code of conduct that condemns bullying behaviour. Note: It really helps the pupils to remember the day if you make it special. Teaching Aids: Video, Writing – Stories / Play, Drama, Art

32. Teacher Intervention on an Individual Level • Challenge every incident of bullying behaviour • Support and empower victims • Stop negative and reinforce positive behaviour in bullies • Understand the influence of child’s family background • Foster competence in emotional regulation among bully-victims • Use the Restorative Approach • Stimulate parents to co-operate with the school in reducing aggression and bullying

33. Chief Findings : A.B.C. Whole/School Community Approach (2004 – 2006) Percentage Reduction in Victimisation & Bullying In the last 3 months In the last 5 days Primary Victimisation 56.8* 43.8 Bullying 44.0 59.8 Post-Primary Victimisation 30.7 59.3* Bullying 26.2 22.4 * p<.05 • . • Minton S.J. & O’Moore, M. (2008) The Effectiveness of Nationwide Intervention Programme to prevent and counter school bullying in Ireland. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, 8, 1, 1-12. • O’Moore, M. (2010) El Modelo ABC Para Prevenir Y Afrontar El Bullying in Ortega, R(Ed.) Agresividadinjustificada,bullying y violencia escolar. Madrid,Alianza Editorial

34. Mona O'Moore & Stephen James Minton, Dealing with Bullying in Schools: A Training Manual for Teachers, Parents and Other Professionals, 1st, London, Paul Chapman Publishing, 2004

35. Recommendations : The Way Forward • Government must prioritise the nationwide implementation of a whole school/community approach to bullying. • Pay particular attention to updating anti-bullying policy to include all forms of bullying, e.g., identity based bullying and cyber-bullying. • Promote a culture of respect for diversity. • Promote a culture of disclosure. • Promote restorative approaches to dealing with bullying • Work with external agencies to provide tertiary prevention.

40. Go Raibh Mile MaithAgatThank You