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Bullying of Children

Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 February 2013

Wednesday, 13 February 2013

Questions (21)

Timmy Dooley

Question:

21. Deputy Timmy Dooley asked the Minister for Children and Youth Affairs her plans to tackle bullying; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [7320/13]

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Written answers

As Minister for Children & Youth Affairs I am concerned about the impact bullying can have on our children and young people, on their confidence, learning outcomes, self-esteem and mental health. The effects of bullying can last for years, and tragically bullying has contributed to the loss of young lives. My Department’s report on the State of the Nation’s Children: Ireland 2012 found that on average, 27.3% of children reported being bullied at school at least once in the past couple of months. I am committed to working with colleagues in Government to ensure that integrated policy and service responses to combat bullying and reverse these trends are high on our agenda.

On January 28 of this year along with my colleague Minister Quinn I launched the Action Plan on Bullying, a report produced by a working group which examined the issue of bullying in schools. As the first plan of its kind, the Action Plan on Bullying aims to address the serious impact of bullying on our children and young people. The publication of this plan is an important step in the Government’s absolute commitment to working with a broad base of interests to protect children and ensure a safer childhood. The working group has reviewed evidence based research on bullying, consulted with leading academics in the field of bullying and reviewed the current best practices in bullying prevention in other jurisdictions.

The Plan recommends a range of evidence based actions together with a timetable for their implementation to help us deal more effectively with bullying. My Department will continue to work closely with the Department of Education and Skills, and the Implementation Group being established by that Department, to oversee the implementation of the plan. My Department will ensure that actions recommended by the Anti-Bullying Working Group are prioritised in the Children and Young People’s Policy Framework to be published later this year. This will be a cross-Governmental strategy for children and young people and I expect that it will further assist in promoting a common approach to the challenge of combating bullying.

My Department will work with the Department of Education and Skills in the development of an anti-bullying website, as recommended in the plan, to provide a single point of access to practical advice for parents, children and teachers to support them in tackling and reporting bullying behaviours, including cyberbullying. In recognising the lead role of schools in tackling bullying and their need for support and guidance, I have asked my officials to engage with the Department of Education and Skills and the education partners to explore any clarifications to the Children First Guidelines that may be required to further assist schools.

My Department is committed to the fight against bullying and we will work with other Departments, childcare services, education welfare services and the youth sector to raise awareness about bullying, its impact on children and young people and the measures to be taken to tackle prejudice, combat bullying and promote a safer environment for our young people.

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