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Parents, school staff, and other caring adults have a role to play in preventing bullying. They can:

Help Kids Understand Bullying

Kids who know what bullying is can better identify it. They can talk about bullying if it happens to them or others. Kids need to know ways to safely stand up to bullying and how to get help.

Encourage kids to speak to a trusted adult if they are bullied or see others being bullied. The adult can give comfort, support, and advice, even if they can't solve the problem directly. Encourage the child to report bullying if it happens.

Talk about how to stand up to kids who bully. Give tips, like using humor and saying "stop" directly and confidently. Talk about what to do if those actions don't work, like walking away

Talk about strategies for staying safe, such as staying near adults or groups of other kids.

Urge them to help kids who are bullied by showing kindness or getting help.

Watch the short webisodes and discuss them with kids.

Keep the Lines of Communication Open

Research tells us that children really do look to parents and caregivers for advice and help on tough decisions. Sometimes spending 15 minutes a day talking can reassure kids that they can talk to their parents if they have a problem. Start conversations about daily life and feelings with questions like these:

What was one good thing that happened today? Any bad things?

What is lunch time like at your school? Who do you sit with? What do you talk about?

What is it like to ride the school bus?

What are you good at? What would do you like best about yourself?

Talking about bullying directly is an important step in understanding how the issue might be affecting kids. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions, but it is important to encourage kids to answer them honestly. Assure kids that they are not alone in addressing any problems that arise. Start conversations about bullying with questions like these:

What does "bullying" mean to you?

Describe what kids who bully are like. Why do you think people bully?

Who are the adults you trust most when it comes to things like bullying?

Have you ever felt scared to go to school because you were afraid of bullying? What ways have you tried to change it?

What do you think parents can do to help stop bullying?

Have you or your friends left other kids out on purpose? Do you think that was bullying? Why or why not?

What do you usually do when you see bullying going on?

Do you ever see kids at your school being bullied by other kids? How does it make you feel?

Have you ever tried to help someone who is being bullied? What happened? What would you do if it happens again?

Get more ideas for talking with children about life and about bullying. If concerns come up, be sure to respond.

There are simple ways that parents and caregivers can keep up-to-date with kids' lives.

Read class newsletters and school flyers. Talk about them at home.

Check the school website

Go to school events

Greet the bus driver

Meet teachers and counselors at "Back to School" night or reach out by email

Share phone numbers with other kids' parents

Teachers and school staff also have a role to play.

Encourage Kids to Do What They Love

Help kids take part in activities, interests, and hobbies they like. Kids can volunteer, play sports, sing in a chorus, or join a youth group or school club. These activities give kids a chance to have fun and meet others with the same interests. They can build confidence and friendships that help protect kids from bullying.

Model How to Treat Others with Kindness and Respect

Kids learn from adults' actions. By treating others with kindness and respect, adults show the kids in their lives that there is no place for bullying. Even if it seems like they are not paying attention, kids are watching how adults manage stress and conflict, as well as how they treat their friends, colleagues, and families.

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Parents, school staff, and other caring adults have a role to play in preventing bullying. They can: Kids who know what bullying is can better identify it. They can talk about bullying if it happens to them or others. Kids need to know ways to safely stand up to bullying and how to get help.

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How to stop bullying at school | girlshealth.gov

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Want to beat bullying in school? From writing a blog to starting a club, read tips on how to stop bullying at school, and help spread our anti-bullying pledge!

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Kids won't always speak up when they're being bullied at school, so parents need to look for warning signs. This video teaches parents what to look for so that they can step in, talk to teachers, and teach their child how to respond to bullies.

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HARASSMENT

Harassment is serious. All the anti-social behaviour in the list below should be reported to the Police. Tell the Police how the harassment is affecting you, the victim.

The technical definition of harassment is "the act of systematic and/or continued, unwanted and annoying actions of one party or a group, including threats and demands". Basically, if someone is bothering you again and again, including threats and demands, you can report it as harassment.

The main types of anti-social behaviour in this category are:

Hate incidents where the abuse involves your race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability

Intimidating behaviour

Violence or the threat of violence to another person

Abusive language

Malicious phone calls, texts and emails

Stalking

Begging

Hoax calls to the emergency services or other third parties

Animals not properly restrained in public places

Get prepared for your call to the police by checking our How to Report ASB page.
Don't suffer in silence.

Stalking, mentioned above and defined as unwanted or obsessive attention by an individual or group, is covered in more detail by the National Stalking Helpline and therefore the information is not repeated here. See http://asbhelp.co.uk/emily-maitlis-opens-up-about-being-victim-of-stalker/ and http://asbhelp.co.uk/stalking-not-taken-seriously/ for our case studies about victims of stalking.

Bullying, including cyber-bullying, is also a form of harassment. See the excellent work of the Anti-Bullying Alliance ( http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk) if you are a victim of bullying.

If you feel like you are being targeted because of who you are, this may be a Hate Incident or Hate Crime. It is definitely worth emphasising this to the Police because it will be treated with a higher level of seriousness. For more information on Hate Crime see here.

For a victim's experience of the challenges of defining harassment see this case study.

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HARASSMENT Harassment is serious. All the anti-social behaviour in the list below should be reported to the Police. Tell the Police how the harassment is affecting you, the victim. The technical definition of harassment is "the act of systematic and/or continued, unwanted and annoying actions of one party or a group, including threats and demands".