Anti-Bullying and Intervention Policy

Provide procedures for handling and intervening positively in bullying incidents between students

30 June, 2024

MCSL Board

Student Duty of Care

Version	Preparer	Reviewer	Approved	Approved By	Amendment
1.0	R Kew	Strategic Exec	2024-06-01	MCSL Board	New doc

MCSL Child Safety Policy

Student Code of Conduct

Student Behaviour Management Policy

Harassment Policy and Procedures

Cyber Safety Policy and Procedures

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Acceptable Use Policy and Procedures

Harassment (Student Against Student) Policy and Procedures

1. Purpose

Maitland Christian School is a Christian educational community, growing faith, character and abilities through teaching and learning excellence, in partnership with families and the Church.

We will not tolerate harassment of any kind, whether it is verbal, written, electronic or physical. We are committed to meeting our Student Duty of Care obligations. This Policy describes Maitland Christian School's strategies to prevent students from bullying other students, and how incidents of bullying are to be managed.

2. Biblical Framework

We believe:

The one sovereign triune God, who has revealed Himself through Christ and in His word the Bible, is the Creator, and Redeemer of the ordered world that He sustains moment by moment through His word of power (Hebrew 1:3).
Human beings are called to act in a stewardly manner towards each other and towards God's creation, according to God's created norms. Due to the fallen nature of humanity, we exercise this stewardship imperfectly.
Maitland Christian School devises (and revises) its policies and procedures to guide the life of our community under the Lordship of Jesus Christ and in the light of the laws and regulations of New South Wales and the Commonwealth.
Due to the fallen nature of man, we can expect the need for the school to intervene in bullying and harassment concerns (1 Corinthians).
We can take comfort when the need for school intervention occurs in acknowledging that God is sovereign over all things and that Jesus experienced suffering on our behalf.
God uses all situations for His purposes even when we cannot see or feel that this is so (Romans 8).
We will aim to offer care, compassion, sensitivity and support to all members of the school community using as Jesus our role model for us to follow (2 Corinthians).
Christ's sacrifice is the highest price for every pleasure and the deepest comfort for every pain.

And we recognise:

We are committed to providing a safe environment for the school community. A safe environment should promote learning, personal growth, respect and positive self-esteem.
Our aim is to encourage and develop healthy and positive relationships where individual differences are respected by all.
We will not tolerate harassment of any kind, whether it is verbal, written, electronic or physical behaviour.

3. Scope

This Policy applies to all School activities, including camps and excursions. It also applies outside of school hours and off School premises where students have been involved and there is a clear and close connection to the School.

4. Roles and Responsibilities

All staff are responsible for:

always modelling appropriate behaviour.
dealing with all reported and observed incidents of bullying in accordance with this Policy
ensuring that any incident of bullying that they observe or is reported to them, is recorded appropriately.
being vigilant in monitoring students that have been identified as either students who persistently bully or are persistently bullied
considering whether any behaviour gives rise to concerns that the student exhibiting the behaviour and/or the student subject to the behaviour may be experiencing child abuse or other harm, and, if so, follows the School's procedures for Responding to and Reporting Child Safety Incidents or Concerns
acknowledging the right of parents/carers to speak with the School if they believe their child is being bullied.

All students are required to follow this policy and its procedures.

5. Policy Statement

Maitland Christian School is committed to the safety and wellbeing of all children and young people, to acting in students' best interests and to keeping them safe from harm.

Maitland Christian School recognises its duty to students to provide a safe and positive learning environment where individual differences and diversity within the School are respected and accepted.

Bullying is not tolerated at Maitland Christian School. It is our policy that:

bullying be managed through a "whole-of-School community" approach involving students, staff and parents/guardians
bullying prevention strategies are implemented within the School on a continuous basis with a focus on teaching age-appropriate skills and strategies to empower staff, students, and parents/guardians to recognise bullying and respond appropriately.
bullying response strategies are tailored to the circumstances of each incident
we establish procedures for reporting and responding to child safety concerns, including when the behaviour may be an indicator of child abuse and other harm
staff establish positive role models emphasising our no-bullying culture
bullying prevention and intervention strategies are reviewed on an annual basis

6. Procedures

6.1 Bullying Prevention Strategies

Maitland Christian School recognises that the implementation of whole-School prevention strategies is the most effective way of eliminating, or at least minimising incidents of bullying within our community.

The following initiatives form part of our overall bullying prevention strategy and our strategy to create a "no-bullying" culture within the School:

A structured curriculum and peer group support system, that provides age-appropriate information and social and emotional competencies relating to bullying (including cyberbullying) and bullying prevention, to students over the course of the academic year.
Education, training and professional development of staff in bullying prevention and response strategies.
The use of Peacewise, a Christian conflict-resolution program, which is being embedded across the School to help create healthy relationships.
Appropriate sharing among staff of information about cyberbullying incidents.
Regular provision of information to parents/guardians, to raise awareness of bullying as a School community issue to equip them to recognise signs of bullying, as well as to provide them with clear paths for raising any concerns they may have related to bullying directly with the School.
Promotion of a supportive environment that encourages the development of positive relationships and communication between staff, students and parents/guardians.
Promotion of responsible bystander behaviour amongst students, staff and parents/guardians.
Reporting of incidents of alleged bullying by students, bystanders, parents/guardians, and staff are encouraged, and made easy through the establishment of multiple reporting channels (as specified below). Students are supported by their teachers, pastoral care staff and the School leadership when they report a bullying incident and during the processes that follow the submission of the report.
Regular risk assessments of bullying within the School are undertaken by surveying students to identify bullying issues that may ordinarily go unnoticed by staff.
Records of reported bullying incidents are maintained and analysed, in order to identify persistent bullies and/or victims and to implement targeted prevention strategies where appropriate.
Education of staff, students and parents/guardians on health conditions to promote understanding and to reduce stigma and fear.
Anti-bullying posters are displayed strategically within the School.
Promotion of student awareness and a "no-bullying" environment by participating in events such as the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence.

6.2 Reporting Bullying

Students and their parents/guardians are sometimes reluctant to pursue bullying incidents, for fear that it will only make matters worse.

A key part of the School's bullying prevention and intervention strategy is to encourage reporting of bullying incidents as well as providing assurance to students who experience bullying (and parents/guardians) that:

bullying is not tolerated within the School
their concerns will be taken seriously.
the School has a clear strategy for dealing with bullying issues.

6.2.1. Reporting Bullying Incidents to the School

Bullying incidents can be advised to the School verbally (or in writing) through any of the following avenues:

informing a trusted teacher
informing the School pastoral and Wellbeing staff
informing a student's Care or Devotions teacher
informing a Year Coordinator or Director of Students (MCS Secondary)
informing the Heads of Section or Head of School.

6.3 Complaints to the eSafety Commissioner About Cyberbullying Material Targeted at a Child

Making a Complaint

Where Cyberbullying Material is targeted at a child under the age of 18 years, a complaint can be made to:

the provider of a social media service, relevant electronic service, designated internet service (as defined in the Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth)) – see The eSafety Guide for information about providers
the eSafety Commissioner under section 30 of the Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth).

Complaints to the eSafety Commissioner can be made through the online portal by the child, their parent or guardian, or an adult authorised by the child to make the complaint. The eSafety Commissioner has the power investigate the complaint and to issue a removal notice.

For the eSafety Commissioner to investigate cyberbullying, the harmful content must have first been reported to the service or platform used to send, post or share it – at least 48 hours before it is reported to eSafety.

6.4 Responding to Bullying

Bullying behaviours vary enormously in their extent and intent and, therefore, each incident needs to be dealt with on its facts.

In all circumstances the School:

takes bullying incidents seriously
takes seriously, and monitors single incidents of conflict or fights between students, that do not ordinarily amount to bullying, for signs of ongoing behaviour that may be an indicator of bullying
provides assurance to the victim that they are not at fault and their confidentiality will be respected
ensures that teachers, pastoral care and School leadership staff all support the student being bullied through the reporting process and the corresponding investigation and resolution processes
may involve the School Chaplain/Counsellor who has specialist skills in helping both students who have been bullied and students who are bullying others
engages the Student Action Leadership Team (SALT), or similar, to instigate anti-bullying initiatives
ensures that student leaders support the School's anti-bullying policy and promote anti-bullying behaviours
takes time to properly investigate the facts including discussing the incident with the victim, the bully and any bystanders
keeps parents and guardians of both the student who was bullied and the student who did the bullying, informed of the situation as and when appropriate to do so
takes time to understand any concerns of individuals involved
maintains records of reported bullying incidents
will escalate its response when dealing with persistent bullies and/or severe incidents, even if these are not necessarily repetitive
considers whether the behaviour gives rise to concerns that the student exhibiting the behaviour and/or the student subject to the behaviour may be experiencing child abuse or other harm, and, if so, follows the MCSL Child safe Policy and Child Safe Framework.

Actions that may be taken when responding to bullying include:

notification of/consultation with parents/guardians
offering counselling to persistent bullies/victims
implementing effective follow up strategies
disciplinary action, at the Head of School or Executive Principal's discretion, including suspension and expulsion of students who engage in persistent bullying, or in cases of severe incidents.

7. Bullying Support Services

7.1 Youth Liaison Officer/Police Liaison Officer

Youth Liaison Officers are NSW Police Force members who are responsible for administering the Young Offenders Act 1997 (NSW). They are responsible for delivering cautions, referring children to youth justice conferences, and implementing strategies to reduce crime by juveniles in the community.

School Liaison Police are NSW Police officers who work with schools to reduce crime, violence and anti-social behaviour. Our students are encouraged to contact the School Liaison Officer if they have any concerns.

Our School Liaison Police Officer is based at Raymond Terrace Police (Port Stephens-Hunter Police District) and can be contacted on 02 4983 7599.

7.2 School Wellbeing Staff

The School also provides access to the following support services:

Pastoral care staff,
School Psychologist,
School counsellors and Wellbeing team.

8. Implementation

This Policy is implemented through a combination of:

staff training
student and parent/carer education and information
involvement of external bodies and authorities as and when appropriate
effective incident reporting procedures
effective management of bullying incidents when reported
the creation of a "no-bullying" culture within the School community
effective record keeping procedures
initiation of corrective actions where necessary.

9. Breach

Where a staff member breaches this Policy Maitland Christian School will take disciplinary action, including in the case of serious breaches, summary dismissal.

10. Definitions

10.1 Bullying

Bullying is an ongoing and deliberate misuse of power in relationships through repeated verbal, physical and/or social behaviour that intends to cause physical, social and/or psychological harm. It can involve an individual or a group misusing their power, or perceived power, over one or more persons who feel unable to stop it from happening.

Bullying can happen in person or online, via various digital platforms and devices and it can be obvious (overt) or hidden (covert). Bullying behaviour is repeated, or has the potential to be repeated, over time (for example, through sharing of digital records).

Bullying of any form or for any reason can have immediate, medium and long-term effects on those involved, including bystanders.

Single incidents and conflict or fights between equals, whether in person or online, are not defined as bullying.

Bullying can take many forms including:

Physical bullying which involves physical actions such as hitting, pushing, obstructing or using an object to hurt or intimidate someone. Damaging, stealing or hiding personal belongings is also a form of physical bullying.
Verbal/written bullying: examples include name-calling or insulting someone about an attribute, quality or personal characteristic.
Social (sometimes called relational or emotional bullying): examples include deliberate acts of exclusion, spreading rumours or sharing information to have a harmful effect on the other person and/or damaging a person's social reputation or social acceptance.
Cyberbullying which is the misuse of power within a relationship to repeatedly threaten or harm another person using technology.

10.2 Cyberbullying behaviour

Cyberbullying may include:

abusive texts and emails
hurtful messages, images or videos
imitating others online
excluding others online
humiliating others online
spreading nasty online gossip and chat
creating fake accounts or 'avatars' to trick someone or humiliate them.

Cyberbullying can occur on internet services, social media and electronic services that enable communication including, but not limited to, instant messaging, chat services, email communications, online games, SMS and MMS. It can be verbal or written and can includes images, videos and/or audio.

These behaviours can also be an indicator of child abuse and other harm.

Bullying can be illegal if it involves intimidation, stalking, physical violence, threats of violence or damaging property.

Cyberbullying Material

Cyberbullying material is material that is provided on a social media service, relevant electronic service, designated internet service (as defined in the Online Safety Act 2021 (Cth)) that an ordinary person reasonable person would conclude is likely to:

be intended to have an effect on a particular child; and
have the direct or indirect effect on the child as seriously threatening, seriously intimidating, seriously harassing or seriously humiliating the child,

can be the subject of complaint to the eSafety Commissioner under section 30 of the Online Safety Act.

10.3 What Is not Bullying?

There are many negative situations which, whilst being potentially distressing for students, are not bullying. These include:

Mutual Conflict Situations which arise where there is disagreement between students but not an imbalance of power. Mutual conflict situations need to be closely monitored as they may evolve into a bullying situation.
One-Off Acts (of aggression or meanness) including single incidents of loss of temper, shouting or swearing do not normally constitute bullying.

11. Signs of Bullying

Major behavioural changes in a student may be indicative of bullying. Such behavioural changes may include:

crying at night and having nightmares
refusing to talk when asked "What's wrong?"
having unexplained bruises, cuts or scratches
an unwillingness or refusal to go to school, a school organised activity or reluctance to attend other social events
feeling ill in the mornings
a decline in quality of schoolwork
becoming withdrawn and lacking confidence
appearing lonely or distressed
beginning to display bullying behaviour towards siblings
unexpected changes in friendship groups
acting unreasonably.

Students may also not disclose cyberbullying to adults through fear that the adults may overreact and make the situation worse. Signs of cyberbullying to watch out for may include one or more of the behavioural changes outlined above, and/or other signs, including a student:

being upset after using the internet or their mobile phone
being hesitant to go online, avoiding their phone or seeming nervous when an instant message, text message or email appears
spending unusually long hours online or on their mobile phone
becoming secretive about their online activities and mobile phone use.

Parents/guardians are encouraged to recognise signs of bullying and notify the School through a trusted staff member immediately (such as a class teacher), if they suspect their child is a victim of bullying.