Respectme

Anti-bullying policies should be reviewed a minimum of every three years, or when there is a major legislative, managerial or cultural change. In light of the increase in cyberbullying incidents, respectme recommends that anti-bullying policies should be reviewed to reflect this.

Organisations can be reluctant to address or take any action with cyberbullying as it is often seen as something which happens in the community, outwith the organisation and, therefore, is not a problem for the school, youth club, drop-in centre, etc. respectme would argue that children and young people's services have always dealt with and educated people about issues which happen in the community but which can have a knock-on effect on the school, club, etc. This would include risky sexual behaviour, child protection concerns, anti-social behaviour, alcohol and drug use. Staff deal with the aftermath of these issues everyday and cyberbullying is no different.

Your anti-bullying policy isn't usually the best place to address appropriate use of the internet or other mobile technologies. Guidelines for appropriate internet or mobile technology uses should be addressed separately. This would constitute a code of practice or conduct which outlines harmful use, downloading and using inappropriate or illegal software, accessing inappropriate websites, misuse of email or internet and any disciplinary action which would be taken as a result of a violation of the acceptable use code/policy.

When cyberbullying is addressed, your policy needs to outline some key areas. These include a statement of the seriousness of cyberbullying and the sanctions that will be put in place when an incident occurs (staff involvement, police involvement, etc). Staff need to know what is expected of them in relation to cyberbullying, i.e. when to report it; who to report it to and what action should be taken; what children and young people and their parents/carers need to know; and what they can expect of staff.