Bullying and child on child abuse
Schools should have their own anti-bullying policy and procedures for dealing with bullying incidents. These are often on the school's website or you can ask the school for a copy.
- Advice on how to complain about a school on GOV.UK
- Bullying UK: a national charity who provide a listening, supportive and non-judgemental advice and support service
- Childline: a national charity where children and young people can talk, email or live chat with someone in confidence
- Anti-bullying Alliance: a national alliance of organisations working together to stop bullying. The website has information on how to get help and advice if you, or someone close to you, is being bullied
- Kidscape provides advice, training and direct support to those affected by bullying: children and young people, parents and carers, and professionals
- Herefordshire Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) provides a single point of contact for professionals and members of the public who want to seek support or raise concerns about a child. Report a concern about a child
- If you think a child is in immediate danger call the police on 999 West Mercia Police website
Child on child abuse in schools and colleges
Child on child abuse is where one child abuses another child. It is most likely to include:
- Bullying (including cyberbullying)
- Physical abuse
- Sexual violence
- Sexual harassment
- Upskirting
- Sexting
- Initiation/hazing
Child on child abuse, including sexual violence and sexual harassment is never acceptable, it will not be tolerated and is not an inevitable part of growing up. It is important that schools and colleges take all victims seriously and offer appropriate support.
How schools and colleges deal with child on child abuse will be set out in their individual safeguarding/child protection policy. These policies can be obtained by either contacting the school or college directly or via the school or college website. The safeguarding/child protection policy should include the following:
- Procedures to minimise the risk of child on child abuse
- How incidents of child on child abuse will be recorded, investigated and dealt with
- Clear processes as to how victims and perpetrators or alleged victims and alleged perpetrators of child on child abuse will be supported
- Recognition of the gendered nature of child on child abuse, but that all child on child abuse is unacceptable and
- The different forms that child on child abuse can take
Every school and college will have a Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) who will have been trained regularly in all aspects of safeguarding including child on child abuse. If you have a concern about the safety of a child or young person you should contact the DSL for that school or college.
Further information about child on child abuse can be found in the following pieces of DfE guidance:
- Keeping children safe in education
- Sexual violence and sexual harassment between children in schools and colleges 2018
- West Midlands safeguarding procedures (local Herefordshire policy) - children who abuse others
Additional resources and forms for schools on child on child abuse
The following links contain the Herefordshire Council guidance to child on child abuse in schools and colleges and a risk assessment for schools and colleges to use when dealing with incidences of child on child abuse. The guidance contains a model policy that schools may wish to contextualise and adopt. We recommend that all schools have a separate child on child abuse policy in addition to the statutory safeguarding and child protection policy and that both of these policies should be publicly available, for example through the school website.