Comment: Tackling out of school bullying together

Thursday 23 April 2009

Over recent years, the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA), the national authority on anti-bullying work with children and young people based at NCB, has become increasingly aware of how bullying in the wider community impacts on the wellbeing of children and young people. Being bullied can have serious long-term consequences for children and young people - it can affect their self-esteem and their educational attainment.

When bullying takes place out of school, children and young people may feel isolated or confused about who they can turn to for help and advice. As adults we need to acknowledge our responsibility to help create environments in which children and young people can live, grow, play and learn. We need to let children and young people know that we can offer this support.

To help us do this, Children's Secretary Ed Balls launched the government's Safe from Bullying suite of guidance last week, aimed at reducing bullying in the community. Disseminated by organisations throughout England, including ABA, the guidance recognises that bullying can take place in all educational and recreational settings, as well as when children and young people are moving around the community. At ABA we are looking forward to supporting its dissemination and we will be doing so by extending our regional networks to include practitioners working in a range of community-based settings.

All bullying is unacceptable, no matter what kind or by whom, and can only be successfully tackled through a zero tolerance attitude and by the community as a whole, inside and outside school. This year's Anti-Bullying Week takes place 16-20 November and the theme is cyberbullying.

Chris Cloke, chair, Anti-Bullying Alliance, www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk