Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 19 January 2022
726. Deputy Paul Kehoe asked the Minister for Education the funding allocations to combat bullying in schools; the details of future funding for cyberbullying programmes; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [63253/21]
View answerThe Action Plan on Bullying, which was published in January 2013, sets out my Department's approach to tackling bullying and promoting an anti-bullying culture in schools. It recommends 12 actions that focus on support for schools, teacher training, research and awareness raising and aims to ensure that all forms of bullying are addressed. A number of these actions have been implemented in full while others, which by their nature involve continuous action, are the subject of ongoing implementation.
I attended the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Education, Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science last September to provide an update on a number of issues including the measures that are being taken to prevent and tackle bullying in schools. During my appearance before the Committee, I announced that my Department will commence a review of the 2013 Action Plan on Bullying and the 2013 Anti-bullying Procedures for Primary and Post-primary Schools.
The review will reflect the significant developments and relevant research since 2013, specifically in relation to the areas of cyber bullying and gender identity bullying. The review will also give detailed consideration to the recommendations contained in the Oireachtas Joint Committee Report on School Bullying and the Impact on Mental Health.
In relation to funding of anti-bullying measures, my Department provides funding to a number of organisations to raise awareness of safer internet use and for the delivery of support and information through various anti-bullying initiatives. This includes the provision of an annual grant to the National Parents Council (Primary) for anti-bullying training and information for parents. €31,620 was provided in 2021.
My Department also provides funding for Stand Up! Awareness Week , an anti-homophobic and anti-transphobic bullying campaign, organised by BeLonGTo, the National Youth Service for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender young people in Ireland. €58,000 was provided to BeLonGTo in 2021.
An annual grant is also provided by my Department to the National Anti-Bullying Research and Resource Centre (ABC) in DCU towards funding its research and training programmes and to meet the running and development costs of the national anti-bullying website, www.tacklebullying.ie. This website provides a single point of information on the types of bullying as well as supports and information on how to deal with bullying for young people, parents and teachers. €73,280.04 was provided to the ABC in 2021.
In addition to direct funding provided to external organisations, I want to reassure you that there are also currently extensive training and curricular supports, including through the Social Personal Health Education (SPHE) curriculum, the Professional Development Service for Teachers (PDST) and the Webwise Programme, to assist schools in the development of policies and practices on the safe use of the internet and on the prevention of bullying including cyber-bullying.
The PDST and its Webwise team have developed dedicated resources for teachers, parents, children and young people which gives practical information and advice on the safe, ethical and responsible use of the internet and addresses key issues such as cyberbullying, sexting, image sharing, respectful communication, social media, popular apps and more. The Webwise resources are available at www.webwise.ie.
The Digital Strategy for Schools 2015-2020 also promotes the development of digital literacy in our young people and the importance of respectful online communications. A new digital strategy is under development with planned publication early this year. Online safety will be an important feature of the new strategy.
In 2021, on Safer Internet Day, the Harassment, Harmful Communications and Related Offences Act 2020 (Coco’s Law) was enacted. On that day, the Minister for Justice also announced that an agreement had been reached between her Department, ABC and my Department, to establish a ‘Research Observatory on Cyberbullying’ focused on providing up-to-date research, advice and resources related to cyberbullying, cyberhate, and online harassment, and the implementation of Coco’s Law.
The Observatory team has put together an outline of an online research repository of resources on cyberbullying, cyberhate and online harassment which will be made available in early 2022 for researchers and the general public. It hosted an online webinar last December where national and International experts shared their knowledge on cyberbullying and online abuse with researchers and with the broader general public, including teachers, parents, and young people. The Observatory is also designing an interview study to collect data on teenagers’ experiences of cyberbullying, cyberhate and online harassment, within an Irish context.
