Guiding Framework for Policy Approaches to School Bullying and Violence

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Guiding Framework for Policy Approaches to School
Bullying and Violence

• Mona OMoore
• Education Department, Trinity College, Dublin
• A joint OECD, Norwegian Ministry of Education and
  Stavanger University College Conference,
  Stavanger, Norway, September 5-8, 2004

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School Bullying and Violence Complex and
Multi-faceted

• Most powerful risk factors Commission on
  Children Violence Gulbenkian Foundation, 1995
• Violent and humiliating forms of discipline
• Attitudes that approve of violence in the home
  and world outside
• Adults behaving violently towards each other
• Adults behaving violently towards children
• Macho role models
• Preferences for violent images on TV Film
• Racial Hatred
• Violence in Sport
• Poverty poor living conditions

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Towards Making A Difference

• Contributing Factors
• Commitment of Government
• Commitment of Stakeholders at all levels of
  decision making
• Local
• National
• International

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Upstream investment brings downstream results
W.H.O, 2002

• Example
• National Intervention campaign against school
  bullying in Norway
• Olweus Roland, 1983
• Inspired
• Belgium Stevens Van Oost, 1995 1997
• Canada Pepler Craig, 1991 -1993
• England Smith, Sharp, Cowie, Boulton,
  Thompson, 1991 -1993.
• Finland Salmivalli, 1999
• Germany Hanewinkel, 1994 -1996
• Ireland OMoore, 1999 Lawlor, 2003
• Spain Ortega, Lera, Del Ray, Mora-Merchan,
  1995 2004
• Switzerland Alasker Volkanover, 1998
• Sweden Svenson, 2001
• U.S.A Limber, 1994 -1995

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Recommendation for Action
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Steps towards a Guiding Framework

1. Draw up, implement and monitor a National Plan of
   Action to prevent school bullying and violence.
2. Enhance the capacity to collect data on school
   bullying and violence. To do this some
   discussion takes place in relation to
   definitional issues.
3. Define priorities for and support research on the
   causes, consequences, costs and prevention of
   school bullying and violence.
4. Develop a national strategy to assist schools to
   prevent bullying and violence.
5. Create a media campaign to promote non-violent
   values, attitudes and behaviour.
6. Integrate School Bullying and Violence Prevention
   into Teacher Education at both Pre-Service and
   In-Service Levels.
7. Establish an Advisory Body (Centre of Excellence)
   for Partners in Education.
8. Contribute to an International Research Network.
9. Promote legislation to deal effectively with
   school bullying and violence.

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1. Draw up, implement and monitor a National
action plan to prevent school bullying and
violence.
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Key Elements of a National Plan to Prevent
Reduce School Bullying and Violence World Health
Organisation, 2002

• Review and reform existing legislation and policy
• Build data collection and capacity building
• Strengthen services for victims
• Develop and Evaluate prevention responses
• Set a timetable
• Develop a mechanism of evaluation
• Establish an organisation to monitor and report
  on progress

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Role of Monitoring Authority

• To co-ordinate efforts at local, national and
  international levels
• To collaborate with sectors that have potential
  to contribute to the prevention of School
  Bullying Violence e.g.
• Education
• Labour
• Health
• Social Welfare
• Criminal Justice

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2. Enhance the capacity to collect data on school
bullying and violence

• Why?
• To influence policy making
• To set priorities
• To guide programme design
• To monitor progress

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How can comprehensive and reliable data be
secured?
Develop a universal accepted definition of school
bullying and violence.
Mobbing
Bullying
Ijime
Faits de Violence
Il bullismo
Violenca na escola
Victimisation
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Towards a New Definition

• The Construct of Abuse would help
• To overcome the theoretical and cultural
  diversities
• To target more effectively the problem behaviour
  i.e. the process as well as the product
• To avoid unnecessary policies and programmes.
  e.g. racial, sexual

A Proposed Definition School Bullying and
Violence can be defined as Incidents where an
individual or a group are abused, threatened or
assaulted. The abusive behaviour involves an
explicit or implicit challenge to their safety,
well being and health.
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3. Define priorities for, and support research
on, the causes, consequences, costs and
prevention of school bullying and violence.

• Background
• The Nature of School Bullying A Cross-National
• Perspective. Eds. Smith, Morita, Junger-Tas,
  Olweus,
• Catalona Slee (1999)
• Violence in Schools The response in Europe. Ed.
• Smith, 2003.
• Nordic Council Research Conference, Stockholm
  03
• Review of Good Practice in preventing and
  reducing
• Bullying At School In The E.U. Member States
  Report to
• the European Commission (2003/S179-161416) -
  Eds. Minton OMoore,
• 2004

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Research Priorities

• Needed is a greater understanding of
• Contextual characteristics
• The elements that are most desirable for
  inclusion in programmes of prevention and
  intervention
• The causes, consequences, costs and prevention of
  teacher-teacher, pupil-teacher, teacher-pupil,
  parent-teacher abuse.
• Systematic and rigorous evaluations of
  initiatives to prevent and reduce school bullying
  and violence
• Sports and violence.

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Who Undertakes The Research?

• Government Departments
• Academic Institutions (inclusive of schools)
• Individual researchers
• Network of researchers local, national,
  international

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4. Develop a National Strategy to assist schools
to prevent and reduce school bullying and
violence.

• Criteria for success
• Statutory requirement
• Commitment of School Personnel
• Commitment of School Community inclusive of
  Parents
• Whole School Approach
• Supplementary Therapeutic Services

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Elements of a Whole School Approach

• Evidence Based Policy Aims (Department of
  Education Science, Ireland, 1993)
• To create a school ethos which encourages
  children to disclose and discuss incidents of
  bullying behaviour.
• To raise awareness of bullying as a form
  unacceptable behaviour with school management,
  teachers, pupils, parents/guardians.
• To ensure comprehensive supervision and
  monitoring measures through which all areas of
  school activity are kept under observation.
• To develop procedures for noting and reporting
  incidents of bullying behaviour.
• To develop a programme of support for those
  affected by bullying behaviour and for those
  involved in bullying behaviour.
• To work with and through the various local
  agencies in countering all forms of bullying and
  anti-social behaviour.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of school policy on
  anti-bullying behaviour.

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Underpinning a School Policy to Prevent and
Reduce School Bullying and Violence 1

• The Promotion of a co-operative school ethos
• respect
• trust
• caring
• consideration
• support
• The Promotion of high standards of Behaviour
• pupil pupil
• teacher pupil
• teacher teacher
• parent teacher

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Underpinning a School Policy to Prevent and
Reduce School Bullying and Violence 2

• Promoting Confidence Self Esteem
• Pupils
• School Personnel
• Promoting Curricula to Foster
• Respect for human dignity
• Tolerance and respect for the values and beliefs
  of others
• Celebration of diversity

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School Based Interventions
Survey, prepare policies or code of discipline
reduce risk factors, establish student council,
peer support, mediation, counselling, school home
liaison

• Primary reducing the risk of bullying and
  violence.
• Secondary responding to incidents of bullying
  and
• violence
• Tertiary treatment and rehabilitation for those
  
• involved in incidents.

Method of shared concern, No Blame approach,
Restorative Justice, Denial of Privileges,
Suspension, Expulsion
Child focused Teacher focused Family
focused Community - focused
Monitoring incidents, Counselling, referral to
specialists
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Therapeutic Approaches require
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Whole School Approach A Continuous Process

• Self Audit. e.g. Varnava (2000)
• Regular Audit
• Monitoring Authority e.g school inspectorate
• Regular Evaluation
• Expert Advisory Organisation

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The Design Team
Student Council
National Curriculum Development Unit
Teacher Unions
Education
Parent Councils
Ombudsman
The Design Team
Voluntary Sector Victim Support Groups Crime
Prevention Community Safety
Police
Juvenile Justice
Probation
Corporate
Researchers
Social Welfare
Mass Media
School Psychological Service
Health
Training Institutions Services for Children
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5. Media campaign to change attitude, behaviour
and social norms

• Challenges to be tackled Commission on Children
  Violence, Gulbenkian Foundation
• Gender Issue
• Macho Male Images
• Those at risk of violence

Infants young people with a disability
minority ethnic groups
Design Team to Promote Media Campaign An
Inter-Departmental Ministerial Group
Besides a Media Campaign Build values that make
for a non-violent society into services that work
with and for children.
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6. Integrate School Bullying Violence
Prevention into Teacher Education at Pre-Service
and In-Service Levels

• Rationale
• The commitment of teachers is critical to the
  effectiveness of intervention programmes Roland
  2000
• Aim
• To enhance competence
• To detect
• To intervene
• To prevent
• To understand the critical role of their own
  behaviour in shaping attitudes and behaviour of
  their students

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Key Elements in a Teacher Training Module on
School Bullying Violence

• Elements proposed by OMoore (2000) Nicolaides,
  Toda Smith, (2002)
• What is bullying and violence?
• The extent of bullying and violence
• The signs of victimisation, bullying and
  violence.
• The ill-effects
• The causes
• Preventative strategies
• Strategies to deal with incidents, inclusive of
  teachers and parents
• Developing a school policy.

Use the curriculum to promote pro-social
attitudes Enhance self-esteem
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In-Service Training

• Rationale
• To improve quality and efficiency by learning
  about the scientific
• advances in the field of school bullying and
  violence.
• Successful Experience of In-Service (OMoore
  Minton, 2003)
• ABC Model adapted from Roland, 1997
• Develop a Network of Trainers
• Provide Regional Training
• Provide Local Support
• Provide Professional Accreditation

Example Diploma in Aggression Studies, Trinity
College Dublin
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7.To Establish a National Advisory Unit for
Partners in Education

• Rationale
• Need for evidence based advice and guidance to
  guide policies and intervention
• strategies and research.
• Example Anti-Bullying Centre
• Research Resource Centre
• Education Department
• Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland
• ABC Provides
• Advice and guidance website, helpline, drop in
  centre
• Professional Counselling
• Mediation
• Resource Materials for parents, schools and
  organisations
• In-service and staff development for schools and
  organisations
• Day conferences and workshops for pupils,
  parents, teachers and adults in the workplace
• Investigations
• Expert Witness
• Legal Advice
• Reference library
• Conducts research

If the Centre cannot provide the necessary
therapeutic help it refers on to experts in the
field
The Centre refers on to legal firms if the
clients are considering litigation
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To Ensure Comprehensive Service Of National
Advisory Unit (Centre of Excellence)

• Provide Government Funding
• Give An Official Status
• Establish International Links with Comparable
  Centres
• Establish an Alliance with Other Advocacy Groups

To share and exchange information To pool
experiences To increase collaboration
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8. To Contribute to an International Research
Network

• Rationale
• Identify and examine important issues on a global
  scale.
• Facilitate the development of global preventative
  approaches
• Potential Areas of Research Roland, personal
  communication
• Conduct national baseline investigations using
  same definition and tools of measurement
• Analyse results according to defined standards
• Conduct indepth case studies of national policies
• Monitor and evaluate prevention and intervention
  approaches
• Assist OECD and National Authorities in awareness
  raising and National Research

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Leadership of International Research Centres

• Criteria
• That the Centre is located in a country that
  reflects the
• highest political commitment to tackling school
  bullying and
• violence. This will ensure the necessary funding
  and
• support.

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9. Promote Legislation to Deal Effectively With
School Bullying Violence

• Article 19 Convention On The Rights of Children
• State Parties shall take all appropriate
  legislative,
• administrative, social and educational measures
  to protect
• the child from all forms of physical or mental
  violence,
• injury or abuse, neglect or negligent treatment,
• maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual
  abuse, while
• in the care of parent(s) legal guardian(s) or any
  other
• person who has the care of the child.

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The Way Forward Legal Reforms

• Examine with a view to adopt the recommendations
  of the Commission
• on Children and Violence Gulbenkian Foundation,
  1995
• Remove legal tolerance to any level of violence
  to children
• Ensure that response to violent behaviour
  contribute to the solution rather than the
  problem
• Prohibit physical punishment and humiliation of
  children
• Review criminal justice system for young
  offenders to ensure rehabilitation and protection
  of public from serious harm.
• Provide consistent obligations to act against
  bullying in all institutions
• Review and simplify the law on possession and use
  of firearms and other offensive weapons.

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• Advantages of Legal Reform
• Create a climate of opinion that reinforces a
  zero tolerance to bullying and violence.
  Ananiadou Smith (2002)
• Requires all schools to develop policies and to
  act on them.
• Create a healthy and positive school climate.
• Disadvantages
• Compensation Culture (Binchy, 2004)
• Preventative Action
• Provide clear guidelines to schools to how
  litigation can be avoided.
• Appoint an Ombudsman for Child Labour
  Relations.

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Office of Ombudsman

• To initiate investigations of Unresolved
  Complaints
• To refer to appropriate agencies, organisations
  for follow up, support and rehabilitation.
• To meet the requirements set out in the U.N
  Convention on the Rights of Children. e.g.
  Norway

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Conclusions

• School Bullying and Violence is a worldwide
  problem
• Imposes mental and physical ill health
• Undermines and dilutes the quality of education
• Action needed at local, national, international
  level
• Framework for National Approach to Include
• Data Collection and Research
• Training of Professionals
• Whole School Approach
• Media Campaign
• International Research Network
• Legal Reform
• Success will depend on strength of political will

When planning for a year plant corn, when
planning for a decade plant trees, when planning
for life, train and educate people (Yves
Beernaert, Lisbon, 2001)
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Thank You

• Go Raibh Mile Maith Agat