POLICY CONTENT

Bullying can occur among children of any ages, sex or background.  In most instances, children need adult assistance to deal with bullying.  This includes adults taking responsibility to develop strategies for the prevention of bullying, and for dealing fairly and effectively with allegations of bullying.  
Being, Belonging and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia identifies secure, respectful and reciprocal relationships with children as one of the principles that underpin practice. Within the early childhood community many different relationships are negotiated with and between children, educators and families. The way in which these relationships are established and maintained, and the way in which they remain visible impacts on how the community functions as a whole. Relationships directly affect how children form their own identity, whether or not they feel safe and supported, and ultimately, their sense of belonging. 
 

NATIONAL QUALITY STANDARD (NQS)

QUALITY AREA 5: Relationships with Children

5.1.2	Dignity and rights of the child	The dignity and rights of every child are maintained.
5.2	Relationships between children	Each child is supported to build and maintain sensitive and responsive relationships.
5.2.1	Collaborative learning	Children are supported to collaborate, learn from and help each other.

 

QUALITY AREA 6: Partnerships with Famillies and Communities

6.1

Supportive relationships with families

Respectful relationships with families are developed and maintained and families are supported in their parenting role.

PURPOSE

To create a safe and healthy environment for children where bullying behaviours are not tolerated. As reflected in our School philosophy and Early Years Learning Framework (EYLF), educators will encourage positive relationships between children and their peers. 
 

SCOPE 

This policy applies to educators, staff, and management of the School. 
 

IMPLEMENTATION

DEFINITION

A worker is bullied at work if:

• a person or group of people repeatedly act unreasonably towards them or a group of workers
• the behaviour creates a risk to health and safety

Unreasonable behaviour includes victimising, humiliating, intimidating or threatening. Whether a behaviour is unreasonable can depend on whether a reasonable person might see the behaviour as unreasonable in the circumstances.
Examples of bullying include:

• behaving aggressively
• teasing or practical jokes on a consistent basis
• pressuring someone to behave inappropriately
• excluding someone from work-related events
• making uncomfortable areas of the school (i.e. staff area)

What isn't bullying? - A Senior Manager can make decisions about poor performance, take disciplinary action, and direct and control the way work is carried out. Reasonable management action that’s carried out in a reasonable and professional way is not bullying.
Team members must show respect for one another and display empathy to all those at the service. If you think harassment or bullying is happening at your work, talk to the director or contact our Management group (refer to the Grievance Procedure section for additional information). Personal opinions are valuable and valued – but when they conflict with the school's policies we must adhere to the policy of the service.

Serious Misconduct

This is an overview of the action steps taken by the director if serious misconduct is alleged or suspected:
The director will: Identify firstly that a misconduct has occurred i.e. get the facts. Do not assume anything. Ask in a non-critical manner for an explanation of what or how something happened.
Establish if the problem is a misdemeanour or serious misconduct.

• A misdemeanour is something which is not likely to warrant dismissal i.e. it does not involve dishonesty or something illegal or likely to cause major distress to the organisation and is likely to be rectified reasonably easily.
• A major issue is one involving dishonesty, disloyalty, illegality, something likely to bring the Business into disrepute or to cause the organisation distress of any kind, including financial. Verbal or physical abuse of another team member will not be tolerated and will be viewed as serious misconduct. Any incident of proven alcohol or drug abuse in the workplace will not be tolerated and will be viewed as serious misconduct.

For a misdemeanour:

• Talk to the person concerned in a private place
• Explain exactly what you expect and ensure that the person understands and is capable of doing what is required
• Provide further training if required
• Give a reasonable deadline and period for action and improvement
• Produce documentation of the discussion to be signed by the director and team member concerned
• Make sure that the person understands this is the first warning and what the consequences will be should no improvement be noted in the time frame agreed upon i.e. a further formal warning
• If the problem re-occurs, repeat the process and write a final letter which states clearly that this is the second and final warning and that dismissal will result if improvement is not demonstrated
• Always put a time frame on when improvement is to be demonstrated and ensure that training is provided

For serious misconduct:
(If the matter is illegal i.e. theft or something that is likely to adversely affect the organisation). The director will;

• Attempt to find out the facts
• Record the facts and get the person to acknowledge them and sign them
• Advise the Licensee/Management immediately
• Suspend the person on full pay for a maximum of two days pending investigation

In all cases, the director will:

• take detailed notes of any and all discussions regarding the allegation of serious misconduct
• make a detailed record of any major counselling situation
• note all phone calls, faxes, letters sent etc. in the diary and always keep copies in a safe and confidential place
• check all training commitments on the centre’s behalf have been met and that every effort has been made to assist the person to meet standards

The priority of our School is to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the child being bullied. 
 
Although there may be underlying reasons causing a child to bully others, it is essential that the child being bullied receives the adult attention and support in the first instance. It is important that the needs of the child who bullies does not overshadow the needs of the child being bullied. 
 

TYPES OF BULLYING IN EARLY CHILDHOOD

The most common types of bullying in the early childhood setting are physical and verbal. Some children may also bully others by social isolation/exclusion. 

• Physical includes: - hitting, punching, kicking, pinching- directed at the same child/ren over an extended period of time. 
• Verbal includes: - calling children names, taunting them, making sexist/racist statements, making cruel statement about personal attributes, clothing etc. 
• Social isolation: - Excluding individual children or groups of children from play or social situations 

 

SIGNS OF BULLYING

In many cases, bullying occurs without adults being aware of it.  Bullying can include physical violence (hitting, shoving), teasing or name-calling, social exclusion, or intimidation. It often occurs over a period of time. Possible signs a child is being bullied might include: 

• unexplained cuts, bruises, scratches 
• changes in behaviour, such as becoming moody, teary, depressed 
• bedwetting 
• complaints of physical ailments such as headaches or stomach-aches 
• having few friends, or a breakdown in a previous friendship (if age appropriate) 
• does not want to attend care 
• does not want to attend parties, visit other children. 

Children may also disclose to a trusted adult that they are being bullied.   

EFFECTS OF BULLYING 

Children who are bullied are more likely to be depressed, lonely, and anxious and have low self-esteem.  They may frequently feel sick and avoid interactions with others. 
 

PREVENTATIVE STRATEGIES 

Bullying thrives where there is not enough supervision. If required, and where possible, our School will increase our staff: child ratios above those set out in the National Regulations.   
 
Our daily program is designed to meet the needs and interests of all children in attendance to prevent periods of boredom.   
 
Educators model appropriate behaviours towards other staff and children, including refraining from teasing, humiliating, or talking ‘behind another’s back’.  This also includes educators using appropriate language when dealing with behaviour management issues and assisting children to use the same.   
 
Children are encouraged to verbalise their emotions and to develop empathy and compassion.  
 

TALKING ABOUT BULLYING  

Educators play an important role in helping children understand and guide their own behaviour as they learn about positive and healthy relationships with others.  
 
Behaviours in early childhood may be precursors to bullying rather than true bullying. This could include making faces, refusing to play together, telling lies or stories about another child, grabbing objects, pushing, pinching or shoving another child. Without intervention, these behaviours could turn into a pattern of bullying. 
 
Early childhood educators assist children recognise bullying behaviour and assist children in developing strategies to develop positive relationships and prevent bullying. Skills to develop to assist in preventing bullying include: 

• empathy- understanding and responding to the what others feel 
• problem solving- how to resolve problems constructively without using aggression 
• language- understanding what to say when the child is feeling targeted by another child- ‘stop it!’

Educators will teach social skills through role-plays, stories, puppets and games.  
Educators will guide children to practice how to interact with others positively and respectfully when talking about bullying.  
 

PROCEDURE WHEN A CHILD DISCLOSES ALLEGED BULLYING

Educators will:

• refer to the Behaviour Guidance- for steps to undertake when approaching a bullying situation 
• listen when a child attempts to talk about behaviours that might indicate bullying 
• respond to incidents in a constructive, supportive and timely manner 
• learn as much as possible about the children involved and the tactics used 
• summarise the problem they are discussing 
• ensure the child knows that the educators at the school are there to help them 
• provide support and empathy 
• empathise with the child and reassure them that it is not their fault 
• ask the child what they think could be done to help, what will make them feel safe 
• tell the child what action you are planning to take, including that you will need to talk to the alleged bully 
• encourage and support the child who is being bullied to develop other friendships 
• notify the Nominated Supervisor of the allegation 
• try to talk with the alleged bully and any witnesses without allowing them the opportunity to discuss what they may say (bullies often do not act alone, and the responses of the bully and friends may therefore differ from the victim) 
• remember that bullies can be ‘nice’ children from ‘good’ families 
• notify all parents involved of the allegation of bullying (refer to Privacy and Confidentiality Policy and Code of Conduct Policy) 
• discuss the situation with the child’s parents and work out a plan to manage the situation 
• once the investigation is complete, advise the children, parents and Management of the outcome

 

PROCEDURE WHEN STAFF SUSPECT POSSIBLY BULLYING

Educators will:

• pay closer attention to the suspected victim and their interactions with other children 
• tell the child that you are concerned about them and consider asking some questions such as “Do you have any special friends here?”, “Are there any kids here who you really don’t like?” 
• consider talking with the parents of the child to determine if they have similar concerns

  

STRATEGIES FOR DEALING WITH BULLYING

Discussing the behaviour with the child who is bullying others:

• make it clear to the child that this type of behaviour is not acceptable 
• don’t force a meeting between the bully and the victim.  Forced apologies are not constructive. 
• ask the child who is bullying for possible reasons for the bullying.  Address any issues raised as appropriate. 
• discuss with the child who is bullying and their parents what the possible sanctions may be if the bullying continues

 SANCTIONS

Possible sanctions will be dependent on each individual case, but may include:

• a warning 
• temporary exclusion from the School 
• permanent exclusion from the School (Termination of Enrolment Policy)

RESOURCES

Bullying- NO WAY! bullyingnoway.gov.au 
Eyes on Bullying in Early Childhood  
Kids Help line kidshelpline.com.au/kids  (for children/parents) 
Raising Children raisingchildren.net.au/preschoolers/behaviour/bullyi... 
Starting Blocks Managing children’s challenging behaviour in child care- bullying 
 

SOURCE

Australian Children’s Education & Care Quality Authority. (2014).  
Australian Government Department of Education, Skills and Employment. (2009) Belonging, Being and Becoming: The Early Years Learning Framework for Australia. 
Early Childhood Australia- Dealing with bullying together: prevention and resolution. (2009). 
Education and Care Services National Regulations. (2011).      
NSW Department of Education Anti-bullying- Parents and carers tips- Fact Sheet (2020). 
Starting Blocks Managing children’s challenging behaviour in child care- bullying  
US Education Development Centre- Preventing Bullying in Early Childhood preventingbullying.promoteprevent.org/preventing-bullying-in-early-...