Beatbullying responds to 'Disabled Children: Better Support for Families'

15.05.2008

Beatbullying responds to the launch of guidance on how to stop the bullying of children with special needs or disabilities:

Responding to the Government’s announcement of measures to improve the lives of disabled children and their families, Emma-Jane Cross, Chief Executive of Beatbullying, made the following statement:

“Beatbullying welcomes this new guidance aimed at helping schools tackle the bullying of disabled children, and hopes that it will be widely distributed and integrated into all aspects of working with young people.

“In particular, Beatbullying is delighted that the Government recognises the importance of prevention in tackling the problem, and that it is not just the responsibility of teachers, but also parents, young people, and the community in general, to build an understanding of what is and is not acceptable behaviour.

“However, anti-bullying guidance and recommendations will only have a limited impact.  Beatbullying is disappointed that, despite the large amounts of money rightly allocated to disabled children’s services and projects, the Government continues to show a lack of commitment to funding bullying prevention work in every school.

“Beatbullying is concerned that, despite the overwhelming need and desire for good bullying prevention work across the UK, the Government continues to respond with only guidance and a pilot peer mentoring programme.

“Naturally, Beatbullying is delighted to be delivering part of the Government’s pilot programme and we hope to continue our successes of reducing bullying by up to 80%, but every child and young person in the UK needs to be given access to this work.

“Both Gordon Brown and Ed Balls have stated that bullying in all forms is unacceptable and must be stamped out, but there is a danger that announcements on guidance and short-term pilot schemes only serve to mask the fact that this Government is unable to act strongly and swiftly enough to tackle and prevent bullying.  The Government must build on the range of guidance released in the last year, take forward the pilot programme, and fund a standardised and comprehensive roll out of bullying prevention work into every school in the UK.”