How Do I Help My Bullied Child?

It can be difficult to work out how to put a stop to bullying but there are practical steps you can take to beat the bullies…

How To Help

Sit with your child and help them to write a bullying diary. Write down exactly what has happened, where and when. This is especially important if the bullying is an ongoing issue and not just a one-off occurrence. If they have any injuries caused by bullying, such as bruises or scrapes, take photos of these and keep a record of how they occurred.

If your child is being bullied at school, you can call the school to request an appointment with the head or support teacher. Aim to work with the school, rather than point the finger or blame, as you are more likely to find a solution for your child if you all work together. Be sure to give the school as much detail as you can to give them all the information they need to act – this is when keeping a bullying diary is particularly helpful. Remember that you will need to be patient as dealing with bullying can often be complex and is rarely solved overnight.

Cyberbullying

While most bullying might occur at school, social media and the internet have given bullies a door to entering our homes via our phones and laptops, making it almost impossible to escape from harassment. Cyberbullying can range from posting nasty comments or shaming someone online to pressurising an individual into sending sexual images or urging someone to harm themselves.

If your child is the victim of cyberbullying, take screenshots and block the perpetrator. Tell your child not to engage with any vicious or unkind messages or posts – simply block, report and ignore. The National Bullying Helpline has a helpful guide on how to block individuals and report bullying across multiple social media platforms here: https://www.nationalbullyinghelpline.co.uk/social-media.html

Reporting Bullying

If your child has been the victim of particularly nasty bullying, whether that’s in person or online, you may need to raise the issue with the police. It’s always best to try and sort things with the school in the first place but where this isn’t possible (such as in the case of cyberbullying outside of school) you can raise the issue with the police and provide them with any information and evidence you have such as screenshots and photos of your child’s injuries.