The purpose and scope of this policy statement:
- to prevent bullying from happening amongst the children and young people who are involved with our organisation
- to make sure bullying is stopped as soon as possible if it does happen and that those involved receive the support they need
- to provide information to all staff, volunteers, children and their families about what we should all do to prevent and deal with bullying amongst children and young people.
This policy statement applies to anyone working on behalf of Junior Academy of Modern Music including tutors, managers, paid staff, volunteers, sessional workers, and students.
What is Bullying?
Bullying includes a range of abusive behaviour that is repeated and intended to hurt someone either physically or emotionally .
More detailed information about bullying is available from learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-abuse-and-neglect/bullying
Legal Framework
This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in the UK. The NSPCC provides summaries of the key legislation and guidance on:
We believe that:
- children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind
- we have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them.
We recognise that:
- bullying causes real distress. It can affect a person’s health and development and, at the extreme, can cause significant harm
- all children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse
- everyone has a role to play in preventing all forms of bullying (including online) and putting a stop to bullying.
How We Prevent and Stop Bullying
We have developed a code of behaviour that sets out how everyone involved in our organisation is expected to behave, both in face-to-face contact and online. In addition, we hold regular discussions with staff, volunteers, children, young people and families who use our organisation about bullying and how to prevent it. These discussions focus on:
- group members’ responsibilities to look after one another and uphold our Code of Conduct
- practising skills such as listening to each other
- respecting the fact that we are all different
- making sure that no one is without friends
- dealing with problems in a positive way
- checking that our anti-bullying measures are working well.
- providing support and training for all staff and volunteers on dealing with all forms of bullying, including racial, sexist, homophobic and sexual bullying
- putting clear and robust anti-bullying procedures in place
- making sure our response to incidents of bullying takes into account:
- the needs of the person being bullied
- the needs of the person displaying bullying behaviour
- needs of any bystanders
- our organisation as a whole.
- reviewing the plan developed to address any incidents of bullying at regular intervals, in order to ensure that the problem has been resolved in the long term.
We recognise that bullying is closely related to how we respect and recognise the value of diversity. We will be proactive about:
- seeking opportunities to learn about and celebrate difference
- increasing diversity within our staff, volunteers, children and young people
- welcoming new members to our organisation.
More information about responding effectively to bullying is available:
This policy statement should be read alongside our organisational policies and procedures including:
