Yesterday, Facebook and the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre (ABC) at DCU launch a three-year partnership which will see an anti-bullying and online safety training programme offered to every post-primary school in Ireland.

Supported by Facebook leading ABC experts will offer this training and research programme to teachers and parents of 12 – 17-year-old students across the country. Through face-to-face workshops and online modules, participants will be equipped with the tools to identify and understand bullying and develop the skills to support students when it comes to online safety.

Speaking at the launch, Professor James O’Higgins Norman, ABC Director and UNESCO Chair on Tackling Bullying in Schools and Cyberspace said,

In a study we conducted in 2017, school principals cited a lack of time and resources available to train teachers and the need for additional support as the main challenges in tackling bullying and online safety in schools. Through this partnership we are aiming to deliver much-needed training in tackling bullying and online safety for both teachers and parents in schools nationwide. By adopting a train-the-trainer approach this programme will empower teachers and parents to further educate whole-school communities in bullying, cyberbullying and online safety issues.

Upon completion of this programme, parents and teachers will be able to:

●       Define and identify bullying, cyberbullying, and online safety;

●       Engage empathically with children and young people;

●       Investigate and resolve reported incidents;

●       Teach children and adolescents how to nurture respectful relationships, and develop better communication skills offline and online; and

●       Support colleagues in strengthening their abilities to educate young people about bullying, cyberbullying, and online safety.

 

Julie de Bailliencourt, Facebook Global Safety Policy Manager commented: “We are delighted to support the work of the National Anti-Bullying Centre through this partnership.  Making sure people feel safe when they come to Facebook is our most important responsibility, especially when it comes to young people.  Through partnerships like this one, we know we can all better tackle the issue of bullying, whether offline or online.

 Over the last 14 years, we have built and continued to improve our safety policies and reporting processes and we want everybody who uses Facebook to feel safe and supported when they connect online with their friends and family. Over the three years of this initiative, we aim to help teachers and parents understand the complexities of bullying and develop the skills to support students when it comes to online safety.

The programme, which is scheduled to begin in January 2019, will be offered to an estimated 800 post primary schools across Ireland and will operate within the framework of the Department of Education & Skills recently published Wellbeing Policy for schools and the Government’s Action Plan for Online Safety. It is also designed to support the implementation of the Government’s Action Plan on Bullying (2013) and will be delivered to teachers with support from the Association of Teachers’ Education Centres in Ireland.

Commenting on the partnership, DCU President Professor Brian MacCraith said:

This partnership between Facebook and the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre at DCU is an excellent initiative and will have a profound impact on the lives of thousands of students and their families. I welcome the fact that the focus is on providing training for teachers and parents who are both faced with the growing challenge of supporting students dealing with all the complexities and dangers associated with bullying, cyberbullying, and online safety. The award of the prestigious UNESCO Chair on Tackling Bullying in Cyberspace and Schools earlier this year is a measure of the global scale of the problem and of the expertise developed by Prof. O’Higgins and his team. This project is an excellent manifestation of the public good that can derive from that.

 

 John Church, CEO of the ISPCC also supported the partnership, saying, The ISPCC is delighted to support this new evidence-based schools’ programme to be delivered by Dublin City University and funded by Facebook. Through our work with children and young people, the ISPCC is acutely aware of how bullying and online safety issues can impact upon a young person’s life, their self-esteem and their ability to grow. These issues are not something that any person, but particularly any child or young person, should ever have to experience.

Adding, The Action Plan on Bullying requires schools to address the issue of bullying across their entire school community, while the first National Action Plan for Online Safety highlights the need for improved online safety education for all. This approach in the delivery of the programme is very much welcome – children, parents, teachers and the wider school community all have an important role to play in tackling bullying and helping children and young people to stay safe online.

UNESCO International Day Against Violence and Bullying at School including Cyberbullying

DCU UNESCO Chair on Bullying and Cyberbullying, Prof. James O’Higgins Norman, has been awarded the Freedom of the City of London.

Prof. O’Higgins Norman was nominated for the award by the Educators Livery Company in London. At the ceremony which took place in the Chamberlain’s Court at the Guildhall, the Clerk of the Court Laura Miller highlighted Prof. O’Higgins Norman’s achievements in education particularly in relation to bullying prevention in schools and his long standing relationship with the City.

Freedom of the City of London is an ancient honour that confers traditional rights on the men and women who receive it, most notably, the right to drive their flock over London Bridge. At the ceremony James said he has no immediate plans to take up that opportunity and looks forward to continuing his work at DCU Institute of Education.

DCU’s National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre, in partnership with Facebook, calls on Teachers to Register for FUSE, the Anti-Bullying Training Programme for Post-Primary Schools. The National Anti-Bullying Centre (ABC) at Dublin City University is announcing the first set of dates for FUSE, a research based programme to train teachers in how to tackle bullying both online and offline. ABC is urging teachers in post-primary schools to register for one day of training on either September 24th, 25th or 26th.

The programme, supported by Facebook, is grounded in Irish and international best practice research, consisting of an in-person training session, online workshops and projects aimed at second year junior cycle students across Ireland. This is the second phase in the programme following an investment of €1m by Facebook.

The training will contain six modules, including bullying, cyber bullying, and online safety with a range of resources available to teachers to educate them on how to deal with the scenarios that are likely to occur within the classroom, the school and online.

This programme is designed to create champions within each post primary school in Ireland, who can then peer train other teachers, and parents, in how best to tackle a range of online and offline bullying issues. Over the course of the academic year, FUSE aims to increase reporting and reduce levels of bullying in schools. Collectively, this will enable school staff, students and parents, to tackle bullying and online safety together.

Professor James O’Higgins Norman, ABC Director and UNESCO Chair on Tackling Bullying in Schools and Cyberspace said, “We’re very excited to now move into the delivery phase of this initiative. Based on academic research and feedback from those on the ground, the course has been specifically designed to meet the needs of principals, teachers and parents, all while being youth led. By adopting a train-the-trainer approach, this programme will empower teachers and parents to further educate whole school communities in bullying, cyberbullying, and online safety issues. Education and understanding are key to tackling bullying in the school environment and this initiative will deliver both”.

Amy McArdle, Facebook’s Safety Policy Manager commented: “There is nothing more important to us than the safety of our users. That is why we have made a considerable investment in support of our safety partners, ABC. We always listen to the experts when it comes to online safety and are delighted to enable the ABC team tackle bullying in Ireland through the school environment. Over the three years of this initiative, we aim to help teachers and parents understand the complexities of bullying and develop the skills to support students when it comes to online safety.“

The FUSE programme is part of the Department of Education and Skills Wellbeing Framework and supported by the NABC, ISPCC and Dublin City University, and funded by Facebook. To run FUSE in your school and learn more about the programme please visit the FUSE website: https://antibullyingcentre.ie/fuse/ or please contact us on Tel: 01 884 2012.

To learn more about online safety and tackling bullying, please visit Facebook’s Safety Centre with a range of information and resources for parents, teachers and students: Facebook Safety Centre:

Facebook’s Safety Expert Tips on Tackling Bullying

If you handle it in the right way, online bullying can be confronted to help students to deal with it.

Prepare

• Take the student seriously.
• Find the best space to have the conversation.
• Try to stay calm and keep the conversation positive.
• Make sure you talk with the affected person as soon as possible after the incident.

Talk

• Be a good listener; try not to put words in the student mouth or jump to conclusions.
• Avoid using harsh or accusatory language, which can result in the student either shutting down or becoming more upset.
• Avoid being judgmental or critical about what behaviour they were engaged in before the bullying incident.
• Don’t blame your student for being the target of bullying.
• Reassure your student that you want to help find a successful resolution to the problem.

Act

• Based on what you learned from talking to your student, decide on next steps.
• If you and your student both agree that the situation isn’t that serious and doesn’t need to be escalated, still offer to help them.
• If the incident is serious enough to be reported, explain the school policies to your student and help them report the situation.
• If you think it’s appropriate for the bully and the student to talk, you can hold a conversation or a mediation session.
• If you think the student could be in danger, reach out to the authorities or principal immediately.

Follow Up

• Check in with your student to see how they’re doing. Ask if the situation has been resolved and if they feel comfortable at school.
• Make sure your students know what behaviours are acceptable in the classroom. Promote positive relationships and consider teaching conflict resolution skills.

Tacklebullying.ie Poster Competition

Students from eight secondary schools around the country have been awarded for their outstanding entries to the www.TackleBullying.ie poster competition run by the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre at Dublin City University.

The initiative, which aims to raise awareness of the anti-bullying website among teenagers, challenged students to design a poster under five central themes: combating bullying; promoting bystanders; combating cyberbullying; combating disablist bullying; and LGBT bullying.

11 winners were selected in total from over 250 entries, with three overall category winners. All finalist posters have been made available to download via tacklebullying.ie and can be used as a classroom resource. Photos from the event can be found at this link

The competition was supported by Facebook Ireland, McAfee, O’Neills, ShoutOut, Education Publishing Company of Ireland and the Department of Education & Skills. ISPCC ambassador, Sinéad Bourke, was on hand to present the prizes at an awards ceremony held at Facebook HQ, Dublin.

In congratulating the winners, Dr. James O’Higgins Norman, Director of the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre at DCU, said:

“This competition has given pupils across the country a chance to explore the theme of bullying in a creative way and to spread the tackle bullying message among their peers and beyond. Congratulations to all who took part.”

Developed by the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre at Dublin City University and supported by the Department of Education & Skills, TackleBullying.ie is an online resource for young people affected by bullying, parents and teachers. It offers a forum, supervised by trained moderators, in which teenagers can share their experiences with their peers or offer support to others. The site also contains useful information on the subject, such as tips on staying cyber-safe, and relevant newspaper articles which might be useful for school projects.

Researchers at the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre have published their latest work. It is important for the development and progress of ABC that our researchers are continually in line with recent research trends and part of a wider world-class network of researchers in their fields. Below is a snapshot of some of ABC’s recent publication accomplishments and their impact on bullying research, prevention, intervention and policy:

Gender and Online Hate: Debbie Ging and Eugenia Siapera.

Ging, D. & Siapera, E. (2019). Gender hate online: Understanding the new anti-feminism (Eds.). London, UK: Palgrave Macmillan. doi: 10.1007/978-3-319-96226-9. [https://www.palgrave.com/gp/book/9783319962252].

[From Publisher’s Site] Gender Hate Online addresses the dynamic nature of misogyny: how it travels, what technological and cultural affordances support or obstruct this and what impact reappropriated expressions of misogyny have in other cultures. It adds significantly to an emergent body of scholarship on this topic by bringing together a variety of theoretical approaches, while also including reflections on the past, present, and future of feminism and its interconnections with technologies and media. It also addresses the fact that most work on this area has been focused on the Global North, by including perspectives from Pakistan, India and Russia as well as intersectional and transcultural analyses. Finally, it addresses ways in which women fight back and reclaim online spaces, offering practical applications as well as critical analyses. This edited collection therefore addresses a substantial gap in scholarship by bringing together a body of work exclusively devoted to this topic. With perspectives from a variety of disciplines and geographic bases, the volume will be of major interest to scholars and students in the fields of gender, new media and hate speech.

Bullying in Residential Care: Angela Mazzone

Mazzone, A., Nocentini, A. & Menesini, E. (2019). Bullying in residential care for children: Qualitative findings from five European countries. Children and Youth Services Review, 100, 451-460. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2019.03.025. [https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0190740918309332#ac0005].

[Abstract] The present study addressed institutionalised children and staff members’ perspectives about bullying in Residential Care settings (RCs) in five European countries (Bulgaria, France, Greece, Italy and Romania.). Interviews and focus groups were conducted respectively with 123 institutionalised children and adolescents (age range: 6–18) and staff members (N = 95; age range: 23-63). Thematic analysis was adopted to analyse the data. Overall, findings indicated that participants were not fully aware of the specific features of bullying. Children and adolescents considered bullying as a normative behaviour and were reluctant to ask for adults’ help when bullying happened. Staff members attributed bullying to children’s traumatic experiences and to a need for adults’ attention. Findings shed light on the lack of standardised protocols and of professional trainings to tackle bullying. Implications for intervention programs aimed at preventing and tackling bullying are discussed.

 

The role of Friendship Quality and Gender on Cyberbullying and Psychological Well-being: Mairéad Foody, Lian McGuire, Seffetullah Kuldas and James O’Higgins-Norman

Provisionally accepted open-access article. Full citation coming soon: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01723/.

Friendship quality, gender and their role in cyberbullying involvement and psychological well-being

[Abstract] Current literature has documented the detrimental effects of cyberbullying which include a range of internalising and externalising problems for those involved. Although critical, this research can sometimes ignore social-ecological aspects of a child’s life that can potentially ‘buffer’ the negative psychological effects of such involvement. With this in mind, this cross-sectional investigation of 12-16 year olds [M(SD): 13.5(1) years] in Ireland focused on the role of friendship quality and gender in association with cyberbullying involvement and psychological well-being (N= 2410). The Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Scale was used to measure cyber perpetration and victimisation. A modified version of the Cambridge Friendship Questionnaire was included to investigate peer friendship quality. Finally, the Moods and Feeling Questionnaire and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire were chosen to provide a measurement of psychological well-being. Prevalence rates for various types of cyberbullying roles (cyber bullies, victims and bully/victims) are presented, as well as differences for psychological well-being, friendship quality and cyberbullying involvement. In addition, regression models were used to determine the associations between gender, age, friendship quality and involvement in cyberbullying with psychological well-being. The results are considered in terms of the current literature and directions for future research are suggested.

ABC Oireachtas Opening Statement_15.06.21

Some people who complained about bullying at work claimed that it was due to reprisals after they reported concerns of wrongdoing.

40 per cent of those working in healthcare were penalised after raising their concerns, a rate far higher than an overall average of 24 per cent across all sectors.

Whistle-blowers from the policing sector reported similar rates of retaliation to healthcare at 38 per cent, with those working in banking and finance at 30 per cent.

The greatest number of complaints/calls came from the charities and NGO sector with health and education second and third.