RTE News2Day programme which is a news programme for children did a special report on tackling bullying in primary schools and ABC’s Centre Director James O’Higgins Norman contributed to this. Be sure to check it out here.
Code of Practice for Employers and Employees on the Prevention and Resolution of Bullying at Work
Recently published Code of Practice (COP) developed by the Health and Safety Authority and the Workplace Relations Commission and published in January 2021.
Regardless of where we work, when we work or how we work, workplace conflict can occur. Where people are involved, different perspectives meet and this can result in misunderstandings, misgivings, and where things remain unclear and vague, disharmony.
Now that we are distanced, we have less ability to receive communication in its fullest sense. We do not get the body language, the levity that might be in a comment: the nuance of a spoken word is lost if delivered by email. This new climate of work can result in increased misunderstanding and a sense of not really fully appreciating what a person means, when they ask something of you.
The last thing we need now is increased confusion and conflict from our work. Yet as we are remote working, the atmosphere and general collegiality around our work, can take a nosedive.
Difficulties in relating brought about by distance relating and a scarcity of human presence can prove stressful. Stress be a cause of as well because of bullying. When this occurs, every organisation needs to have a system in place to process such matters and manage a complaint to a resolution of some sort.
On that point, the new COP is an update and upgrade on two previous Codes – both agencies had separate Codes related to their distinct legislation prior to this. As Codes are not of themselves legislation, but a strong standard set in line with legislation, any Code must show a link between its contents and standards set and relevant legislative powers. In this case, both agencies have underpinning legislation in the guise of various Industrial Relations Acts (WRC) and the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act (2005) (HSA)
The COP was developed with inputs from employer body IBEC and employee representative body ICTU, as well as employment expertise from the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) over the past two years. Further public consultation and inputs from private and commercial parties was undertaken. The new COP is now welcomed as a replacement of the previous Codes promoted by each agency, the HSA’s from 2007 and the WRC’s from 2002.
This new COP is more comprehensive on the informal approaches to dealing with bullying complaints at enterprise level.
It has a new second ‘filter’ stage, when employers can bring a problem-solving approach to issues where bullying is a feature or an alleged feature of a troubled relationship at work. This was added due to the nuanced nature of human behaviour at work and the fact that a person’s perception is heavily influenced by their attitude and pre-existing suspicion.
A situation where bullying is cited may well, at times, be better managed to the satisfaction of all, by slowly unravelling the behaviours and trying to reduce the tension and hurt around the deteriorating relationship.
Giving more time, space and energy to such a resolution, early in the process, can often yield more positive results than formal legalistic approaches further into the issue.
The joint COP also highlights to people who are considering bringing a bullying case, the seriousness of making any complaint citing bullying. Bullying can be wrongly used to cover many difficult issues, which are not bullying.
The COP also highlights the serious mental health fallout from being bullied, and outlines the behaviours that should not be tolerated between people at work. It highlights the employer’s duty to prevent improper conduct and ensure fair and reasonable supervision and management. It gives employers guidance on the need for competence across the systems of work and a proper working complaints procedure within an Anti-Bullying Policy, which all employees are aware of, and signed up to, as part of induction programmes.
The COP also addresses recent Irish court judgements on bullying. These judgements emphasise the requirements needed for a case to be considered one of bullying. These judgements held that occasional disputes, irregular disagreements and even personality fallouts, do not, of themselves, meet the criteria for bullying.
Bullying cases are based on regular, repeated, serious, traumatic targeted ill-treatment of a person or persons, and therefore, employees making such a claim should know of this standard, and apply it. Employers processing various complaints should have some direction on what to process as bullying and which disputes can, and should be, processed otherwise.
Finally, the new COP, being a joint code, aligns the systems in place at State level. It gives some examples of what is and what is not considered under the bullying heading, and differentiates harassment as a distinct set of behaviours, under nine specified grounds. Harassment cases are processed separately to bullying and come within the remit of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC).
WRC/HSA Joint Code of Practice on the Prevention and resolution of Bullying at Work 2021 – Main additions:
• Increased focus on the initial employer classification of a complaint: whether it is a general conflict, as case of alleged bullying, a case of alleged harassment, or some other workplace issue wrongly labelled.
• Increased direction and advice on informal resolution of complaints of bullying within the work area.
• Reiteration of sanction for maliciously or carelessly making a bullying complaint.
• Clarity on the roles of both agencies and where they overlap and diverge.
• Clarity on the legal finding of Irish courts to ensure proper assessment of bullying complaints.
• Clarity from recent Irish court rulings on bullying investigations and the rights of various parties, including employer role.
• Clarification on follow-on processes for formal investigation of bullying cases.
Read it here: Code of Practice for Employers and Employees on the Prevention and Resolution of Bullying at Work
The SPHE Network‘s 5th conference, Unmute Yourself: Communication and Education in Response to Crises, will take place via Zoom on Friday 12th of November (9:00am-5:00pm). The conference will have a specific focus on the following topics:
This upcoming event will comprise of
Registration is available here (60 euro; 10 euro student rate). A detailed conference programme will be uploaded to the SPHE Network website soon. Please disseminate to any colleagues, networks and students who may be interested in attending this event.
If you would like further information about the SPHE Network or the upcoming event, please do not hesitate in contacting Seline.keating@dcu.ie.
Dublin City University has welcomed today’s announcement by the Irish Research Council that two researchers at the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre have been awarded grants in the New Foundations scheme.
Dr. Seline Keating, Assistant Professor in SPHE and Wellbeing in DCU’s Institute of Education and a Research Fellow at the National Anti-Bullying Centre, received a grant for ‘Exploring the Frixos Sexuality Programme and its relevance to the Irish RSE primary school context’.
Frixos is an award-winning sexuality education programme based on active and experiential learning methods suitable for primary school aged children in Ireland. Dr. Keating will exchange ideas with its creators and look at how it might positively impact the current Relationships and Sexuality Education (including sexuality-based bullying) review in Ireland and assist in the next phase of developing classroom materials and teacher training.
Derek Laffan, Research Assistant at the National Anti-Bullying Centre, was awarded funding for his project Tweets, Posts and Persecution: Online social networking among Palestinians and its influence on Palestinian identity and wellbeing.
Palestinians have embraced social media in recent years to express and promote their identity to the world as a resistance to the ongoing occupation. There has also been a strategic effort to demonise, disregard and delegitimize the Palestinian identity online which has led to Palestinians experiencing censorship and physical persecution related to their social media activities. This research study aims to identify what types of social media behaviours are related to persecution, and how social media has influenced Palestinian identity and wellbeing in recent years.
The New Foundations scheme provides support for research actions, the development of networks and consortia, conference and workshop development, and creative approaches to the communication of scientific concepts and/or complex societal challenges for a lay audience. This year, the scheme awarded grants under four strands: Engaging Civic Society; Knowledge Exchange for impact; STEAM; In partnership with the DFAR Networking & Collaboration Grants for prospective North-South Research Partnerships.
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Social media has changed how society communicates, transformed how individuals access the latest headline news and has altered many aspects of everyday life. It has, in turn changed the way in which individuals can target other members of society. In recent years, society has seen the likes of Facebook and Twitter used to distribute hate speech, accommodate revenge pornography and abuse others online. Consequently, the Government and the criminal justice system are being put under increasing pressure to tackle online abuse. Many of the current legal provisions contained in the law of England and Wales were enacted before the creation of social media. Yet these Acts are used to prosecute those who conduct abusive behaviour online. Issues are therefore arising with the adaptation of Acts of Parliament never intended to cover a digital age.
This thesis will critically examine several Acts of Parliament which have been used to control unlawful behaviour on social media sites, including, though not limited to, the Public Order Act 1986, the Malicious Communications Act 1988, and the Protection from Harassment Act 1997. It will be argued that the current use of these Acts breaches the fundamental principle of legality in the criminal law, before turning to examine freedom of speech and privacy online. Legality, at its very basic means the law needs to be accessible and clear to maintain the rule of law.
The final parts of this thesis will examine how other countries and institutions govern online behaviour. In the conclusive chapters, recommendations will be put forward as to how the legal system and society can better protect those who are abused online, including a draft social media Bill and a proposed universal code of conduct.
An upcoming webinar titled “Evidence-based toolkits for addressing online harms with boys and young men” is scheduled to take place online on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, from 1 pm to 2 pm. This timely event will delve into the digital challenges faced by young males and showcase solutions designed to mitigate these risks.
The digital landscape offers boundless opportunities but also poses significant risks, especially for young individuals. Boys and young men, in particular, are increasingly exposed to negative influences online that can shape their behaviour and perceptions. The webinar, organised by leading academics and experts, aims to equip educators and activists with effective tools to counteract these harmful influences. The session will feature presentations on two major toolkits developed through rigorous research.
#Men4change: Tackling and transforming harmful gendered norms and behaviours (Dr. Fiona O’Rourke and Dr. Craig Haslop): This toolkit is an evidence-based educational resource, which offers youth leaders and activists practical tools that they can use to support young men in recognising, tackling and preventing harmful gendered norms and behaviours in their online and offline peer groups, including sexual and gender-based abuse. The #Men4change toolkit was produced as part of a three-year research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council.
Teenage boys and sexual consent: Guidance for educators (Dr. Emily Setty): This toolkit was co-developed with teenage boys aged 16-18 via a workshop that explored their perspectives on how best to educate teenage boys about the nuances and challenges of sexual consent. The toolkit outlines boys’ perspectives on sexual consent and presents practical guidance and suggestions for addressing the issues raised within RSE, focusing on the diversity and complexity of masculine sexual subjectivities and cultures, both online and offline.
The webinar will be chaired by Dr. Darragh McCashin, who heads the Observatory on Cyberbullying, Cyberhate, and Online Harassment.
Participants are encouraged to register in advance to secure a spot in this important discussion. The webinar promises to provide invaluable insights and tools for those working to safeguard and empower young men in the digital age.
Shame, helplessness and fear of reprisals can stop children from telling their parents about being the target of bullying. Here, the director of engagement at Dublin City University’s Anti-Bullying Centre, Darran Heaney, advises on what to look out for and what to do.
Bullying can take many forms. It does not have to be physical to be considered bullying. More subtle forms, such as social exclusion, teasing and name calling can be considered bullying and are often difficult to spot but can have a lasting negative effect on the target. These forms of bullying can also take place online or through a device and is referred to as cyberbullying. This type of bullying is increasingly common and is continuously evolving. It can happen at any time and does not have to be repeated to constitute bullying. Bullying is often related to social position and that those who are seen as less powerful or as outsiders can be more prone to being targeted.
Ireland is experiencing a heightened focus on bullying and online safety issues. This focus is justified when we consider that a recent Government study found that 17% of 9-17 year olds reported that they had experienced some form of bullying, either online or offline, in the past year. The highest number of reports came from 13–14 year olds, 22% of whom report having been bullied in the past year. Furthermore, 11% of all children say they have experienced cyberbullying in the past 12 months with 18% of 13–14 year olds reporting the highest levels of being cyberbullied. The data suggests that girls are more prone to being bullied and experiencing online safety issues (NACOS, 2021).
There are different forms of bullying which are prevalent among primary school children. Verbal bullying, where a student is called mean names, has hurtful things said to them/about them or has rumours spread about them. This can often be linked to their physical appearance, race and identity. Physical bullying can also take place in primary school. This is more traditional and involves physical contact intended to hurt the target, such as kicking or punching. Exclusion, where a child is regularly left out of activities or lunchtime groups or friendship circles can have a devastating and lasting impact on a young person’s confidence and self-esteem. Use of devices amongst 9-13 year olds has
also led to an increase in cyberbullying.
As children transition from primary school to post-primary school, the bullying may manifest in an online form. A recent study in Ireland found that 62% of children and young people, aged 9-17 years, use social media. This rises from a quarter of 9–10-year-olds to nearly 90% of 15–17-year-olds. Navigating the online world can be challenging for young people. Hurtful and mean content can spread quickly online and is often difficult to contain. Parents might often feel helpless when it comes to online bullying, because they are in different spaces to their child. It is vital that parents keep an open line of communication with their children about their online activity. Encouraging honest and open discussion with your child will help them to speak about any negative experiences they may encounter online.
Parents may notice a change in their child’s mood or behaviour. They may appear down or sad after spending time at school, with friends or online. They may display signs of anxiety but refuse to explain what is wrong. Changes in their eating habits or sleep pattern could also indicate that they are experiencing negative, unwanted behaviour. Parents may notice their child’s ability to concentrate on their schoolwork affected by bullying, leading to decreased academic performance. In the case of physical bullying, parents should watch for unexplained bruises or cuts, damaged clothes or belongings. Their child may complain of illness to avoid attending school or sports training and their mood could change and become more withdrawn or frustrated.
Try to remain calm. Getting frustrated or angry about it will only lead to your child disengaging in the conversation. Your child needs to feel confident that you will deal with this without getting angry or possibly making the situation worse. You want them to feel comfortable to tell you what they are experiencing, so creating a trusting space for this to happen is important. If they are refusing to talk about it and you suspect something is wrong, talk to parents of their friends or other family members, or go directly to school to see the teacher if you believe that the bullying is happening there. Encourage your child to speak to another family member, friend or their teacher if they refuse to talk to you. It is important that they tell someone so help can be provided and reinforce this to them whenever possible. Remind them that once someone knows about it, they can support them through the experience and deal with it to get it resolved.
Removing your child’s device/mobile phone might feel like the quickest way to stop the bullying and protect them, however in doing this you are cutting your child off from their friends, leaving them with no way to communicate. Maintain communication and trust with your child at all times. Also, talk to the teacher in the school if you believe that the bullying is happening there.
Parents should contact the school and make them aware of the bullying. It is important to stay calm and approach school staff in a non-confrontational way. Ask the school for help. Everyone should have the best outcome and resolution for the children involved as their priority. Research has shown that this can happen efficiently if parents and school staff work as a team.
Your child’s school may have an Anti-Bullying Coordinator or relevant teacher who is responsible for dealing with this. Explain the situation calmly and clearly, giving as much information as possible including times, dates, nature of bullying. Ask for advice from the teacher/principal on how they will manage this within the school. As stated in the Department of Education Anti-Bullying Procedures for Primary and Post Primary Schools, there is a requirement on all schools to have an anti-bullying policy within the framework of their overall code of behaviour. These procedures also clearly outline the responsibility of the school to prevent and address school-based bullying behaviour and to deal with any negative impact within school of bullying behaviour that occurs elsewhere. The school Anti-Bullying policy should outline the schools key principles of best practice for both preventing and tackling bullying and should be reviewed on an annual basis.
Listen to your child and talk to them about how they are feeling. Seek professional support for your child if you feel it is needed. Encourage them to stay in a group or with friends, they trust during school time if they have concerns about being targeted when alone. Reassure your child that it is not their fault. Educate them that the bullying behaviour is the responsibility of the person bullying and that it is not personal.
Research shows that some parenting styles are less helpful than others and are even a predictor of a child being a target for bullying – overly controlling and/or punitive approaches should be avoided, equally a totally hands off approach is not very helpful, parents should convey that they are in charge and can be relied on to help when things get tough, but they should not take total control away from their child either, tackling bullying is a team effort, parent, student and school, can do it altogether.
In some cases children who are targeted for bullying can cope with this by acting out bullying behaviour on someone else. These “bully-victims” can be emotionally very stressed and need plenty of support and reassurance while at the same time showing them that bullying behaviour is always wrong.