AUSTRALIA

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AUSTRALIAS APPROACH TO SCHOOL BULLYING AND
VIOLENCETHE NATIONAL SAFE SCHOOLS FRAMEWORK
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NATIONAL SAFE SCHOOLS FRAMEWORK

• The Australian Government is committed to
  achieving safer, more supportive school
  environments
• It has led the development of the National Safe
  Schools Framework (NSSF)

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Safe and Supportive Schools

• The NSSF provides a national approach to dealing
  with peer victimisation and child protection
  issues in schools
• It is guided by the vision that all Australian
  schools are safe and supportive environments

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BACKGROUND

• In Australia, the extent and impact of bullying
  has only recently begun to be appreciated
• The Sticks and Stones report published by the
  Australian Parliamentary Committee on Violence in
  Schools (1994) concluded bullying was a major
  problem in schools

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DEFINITION OF BULLYING

• Repeated oppression, psychological or physical,
  of a less powerful person by a more powerful
  person or group of persons

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CRITICAL POINTS

• Power
• Frequency
• Intent to harm

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HOW PERVASIVE IS SCHOOL BULLYING?

• A national survey of more than 38,000
  schoolchildren between 7 and 17 established that
  approximately one child in six was bullied by
  peers each week in Australian schools
• In 2002, Kids Help Line received almost 6,000
  calls about bullying from young people in
  Australia
• Boys report joining in bullying more than girls
  (9 compared to 5) and secondary students are
  more likely to bully another child than primary
  school students (11 compared to 5)

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EFFECTS OF BULLYING AND VIOLENCE

• Higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression and
  illness, and an increased tendency to suicide
• Negative impact on educational outcomes
• Also harmful to perpetrators who are more likely
  to have antisocial and criminal behaviour

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ISSUES FOR THE SCHOOL COMMUNITY

• Community expectations that schools should be
  vigilant and intervene when necessary
• Legal imperatives that bind teachers
• Justice right of children to live their lives
  free of threat or violence
• Negative impacts on educational outcomes

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WHOLE SCHOOL APPROACH

• A whole school approach is much more likely to
  be successful than single factor interventions

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NATIONALLY AGREED FRAMEWORK

• The National Safe Schools Framework consists of a
  set of nationally agreed principles for a safe
  and supportive school environment and includes
  appropriate responses which schools can adopt to
  address the issues of bullying, harassment,
  violence and child abuse, including sexual abuse
  and neglect.

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VARIETY OF APPROACHES

• The Framework acknowledges that no single
  strategy will address all potential risks and
  create a supportive school environment.
• A co-ordinated whole-school effort is needed that
  draws together specific policy, practices and
  strategies

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GUIDING PRINCIPLES

• Australian schools
• affirm the right of all school community members
  to feel safe at school
• promote care, respect and cooperation and value
  diversity
• implement policies, programmes and processes to
  nurture a safe and supportive school environment
• recognise that quality leadership is an essential
  element that underpins the creation of a safe and
  supportive school environment

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GUIDING PRINCIPLES

• develop and implement policies and programmes
  through processes that engage the whole school
  community
• ensure that roles and responsibilities of all
  members of the school community in promoting a
  safe and supportive environment are explicit,
  clearly understood and disseminated
• recognise the critical importance of pre-service
  and ongoing professional development in creating
  a safe and supportive school environment

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GUIDING PRINCIPLES

• have a responsibility to provide opportunities
  for students to learn through the formal
  curriculum the knowledge, skills and dispositions
  needed for positive relationships
• focus on policies that are proactive and oriented
  towards prevention and intervention
• regularly monitor and evaluate their policies and
  programmes so that evidence-based practice
  supports decisions and improvements
• take action to protect all children from all
  forms of abuse and neglect

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SIX KEY ELEMENTS

• 1. School, values, ethos, culture, structures and
  student welfare
• 2. Policies, programmes and procedures
• 3. Education/training for school staff, students
  and parents
• 4. Managing incidents of abuse/victimisation
• 5. Providing support for students
• 6. Working closely with parents

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IMPLEMENTATION

• As a condition of Australian Government funding
  to schools, school authorities will be required
  to commit to putting the Framework into effect
  before 1 January 2006.

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REPORTING

• All Australian Education Ministers agreed in 2002
  that the annual National Report on Schooling in
  Australia will provide the vehicle for public
  reporting on the application of the National Safe
  Schools Framework

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AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

• The Australian Government is supporting schools
  to implement the National Safe Schools Framework
  through
• 3 million for teacher professional learning to
  support implementation
• 1 million grants project to help schools select
  and implement, effective, evidence-based, best
  practice programs to address bullying, violence
  and abuse
• 300,000 for materials and other support to guide
  schools in the implementation (including an
  implementation manual, resource pack and
  additional support for schools with limited
  systemic support) and
• 200,000 to support the Bullying. No Way! website
  (www.bullyingnoway.com.au)

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THE NATIONAL SAFE SCHOOLS FRAMEWORK - AUSTRALIA

• The Framework is available at www.mceetya.edu.au/
  pdf/natsafeschools.pdf
• Additional information can be found at
  www.dest.gov.au/schools/publications/2004/index.ht
  m

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