MY CHILD HAS SEEN BULLYING TAKE PLACE
Your child may know someone who is being bullied or has seen it happening at school. Even just witnessing bullying can be disturbing for a child. A child who witnesses or knows bullying is occurring is called a bystander and requires support to deal with what they have seen or know is taking place.
Bystander concerns include:
- not knowing what to do or not wanting to make the situation worse
- not knowing if their actions will make a difference
- feeling worried about their safety if they intervene
- feeling worried about the impact of taking action on their friendships
- being anxious that they will be bullied as a result of intervening.
Research shows that peers are present in 85% of bullying incidents at school. Bullying has been shown to stop within 10 seconds when bystanders take positive action.