BBMentoring as an inter-agency model
How does it work?
Beatbullying establishes individual borough inter-agency panels. Young people self select themselves to attend or are selected by their school, youth group or community organisation to represent their borough on the BB panel. Quite intentionally, the majority of young people contributing to the programme are considered highly vulnerable or are socially, economically or culturally excluded. They are young people who bully, perceived as bullies, those at risk of being bullied, young people who are bullied, those at risk of undertaking criminal activity and those who are at risk or have been excluded from main stream education. In particular, we aim to actively involve young people, many of whom are traditionally silenced and excluded. This includes physically disabled young people, those from black and minority ethnic communities, faith groups, asylum seekers, young people from travelling communities, lesbian, gay and bisexual young people, and/or young people who are questioning their sexuality and those from deprived communities.
Cascading the model
In addition to working with the young people, free training is provided for staff on how to deal with bullying as we cascade the results of the inter-agency panels. Training is provided to members of staff nominated by our partner agencies and facilitated in an inter-agency environment to ensure that best practice is translated around the borough, anti-bullying networks are established and staff from a variety of disciplines and sectors can (all things being equal) respond to bullying in a standardised way.
Youth workers, community workers, school nurses, dinner ladies, social workers, health care professionals and local bus drivers are trained. Toolkits for a variety of other professionals, including prison officers are made available.
All results, campaigns, information and solutions are exchanged by the young people for the young people. A sub-regional statement of policy expectation is constructed, resources are refined and press work is undertaken to gain local publicity. Forward planning is critical to this co-operation and crucial to ensuring that the young people of each borough continue to own the programme.
Young people who become BBAmbassadors go onto become mentors if they so choose.
Full training is undertaken with the young people and they work with BB staff as volunteer mentors, guiding and using their experience of the process to assist and mentor other young people who have joined BB.
As the roll-outs of individual borough campaigns are planned in clusters a sub-regional initiative is then delivered cross-borough.
