Issue 7, June 2009

While children, adolescents and adults may deal with many adversities during their lives, one of the most pervasive and difficult to deal with is bullying. Bullying is often subtle and difficult to define. It can occur in workplaces, affecting the working lives and well being of adults. It impacts on the sense of self, and ones worth and value. It may be difficult to define, and to change; sadly sometimes subtly condoned because of perceptions of helplessness, or that it is something you have to deal with in life and “makes you stronger”.

Nowhere is bullying more damaging than when it occurs in childhood affecting children and adolescents of all ages. It reflects power inequities which may be particularly damaging to the child’s development, self esteem, capacity to function and learning. It may occur in families, schools, play grounds, sport, workplaces and other settings including now the new form - cyber bullying. All organisations, including schools have active policies to prevent and address bullying. Such resources need to be continuously revised for their effectiveness. Identifying bullying, and detecting it requires recognition of its many patterns, from subtle insinuation to physical intimidation or violence. It is likely to occur building on a spectrum of more minor abuses, including verbal, which are difficult to substantiate. Furthermore the bullied child may see it as the price he or she has to pay to be admitted to a friendship group. It may later evolve into shared aggressive, even antisocial behaviours. The child may also be afraid to come out, to tell or to “dob”; or may not be believed. Whatever the process, there are clear indications of it’s very adverse and potentially long term affects if it continues. It may affect the child’s development, mental health, social and emotional well being. Bullying is not a single act; it is a continuing threat. It is a sign of problems with the bully and for the bullied. It is also a critical issue that all systems need to address. It is important to build environments that create positive rewards for achievement, rewarding relationships of mutual support and “zero tolerance” for abuse. That it is  an issue that continues, is evident by the reports below. That it is a challenge, is also indicated in these resources. That it is a personal, social, organisational and cultural responsibility is also clear – for children it is their future, and of course ours.

Beverley Raphael
Chairperson
ACATLGN

ACATLGN has recently added another new podcast to the Speaker Series page on the earlytraumagrief website. You can now listen to Professor Julian Dooley speak with ACATLGN about cyberbullying and how this can impact on young people today. Professor Dooley is a Senior Research Fellow and Scientific Director of Cyberbullying at the Child Health Promotion Research Unit at Edith Cowan University. Please click here to access the podcast. You can also download Professor Dooleys tip sheet on cyberbullying on the Tip Sheets webpage at earlytraumagrief.

ACATLGN has added new pages to the Early Childhood & Schools Hub on the earlytraumagrief site.These pages are on Bullying in Schools, Bullying Resources for Schools and Bullying Weblinks for Schools. The resources on these pages will continue to be built upon and we would appreciate you contacting us with any suggestions for resources or weblinks that you have. Click here to be linked to the bullying pages and please remember to check back regularly to view any new resources that have been added.

The Bullying. No Way! website is a website that has been developed and is maintained by Australia's educational communities. The website aims to provide a nationwide resource of State and Territory approaches to minimising bullying, harassment and violence in schools. The website provides resources for children, adolescents, parents and teachers. It also links to the Chill Out Space, designed as an interactive site for children and adolescents who have experienced bullying.

The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, issued a media release at the beginning of this month regarding the incidence of bullying and the impact this has on student wellbeing and safety, as well as social development. The media release came at a time when two new reports were released regarding the incidence and impact of bullying on children and adolescents. These reports have been included for further information below. To read Julia Gillards media release, please click here.

Edith Cowan University has released a study investigating the prevalence and impact of covert bullying in Australian school communities. The Australian Covert Bullying Prevalence Study provides information at a a national level about what constitutes covert bullying, the prevalence of bullying and its impact on victims and perpertrators. The report recommends actions for the Australian Government, state and territory education authorities and schools, to address covert and cyber bullying in Australian schools. Please click here to access the report.

The University of South Australia in conjunction with Flinders University has released a study titled Behind the Scenes: Insights into the Human Dimension of Covert Bullying. This project has explored real life experiences of individual exposed to covert bullying. These stories have been stored as podcasts and can be accessed through the Cyberbullying Stories website. The website also provides resources for students, parents and teachers to access.

The 6th National Child & Adolescent Mental Health Conference and the World Children of Parents with a Mental Illness Conference (COPMI) is taking place in October this year and will be held in Adelaide. The conference will include a keynote address by ACATLGN Chairperson, Professor Beveley Raphael. There will also be a workshop held by Professor Louise Newman, on Supporting Parents and Children who have Experienced Trauma. Representatives from ACATLGN will be present at the conference and look forward to meeting up with our members and others interested in the network.