Bullying

Many children and young people can experience forms of bullying. Bullying can take place in your home, at your school, in the street, or at your local youth club. Children and young people can also experience bullying over the internet or by text. Bullying can involve physical violence as well as emotional abuse such as name calling. Bullying is not acceptable in any form and if you experience bullying there are steps that you can take to seek help and advice. If you are being bullied you should tell someone you trust immediately. This might be a family member, a teacher, or perhaps a youth worker.

If you are living away from home, you can tell the person who is caring for you. Your carer has a responsibility to make sure you are safe. You can also tell your Who Cares? worker. The telephone number for Who Cares? is 07545 436342.

If you are being bullied in your school, or if you are living in residential care, there should be policies in place about how to help with bullying.

For more information and advice on bullying issues contact Respectme, Scotland's Anti Bullying Service. Their e-mail address is www.respectme.org.uk or you can call them on 08448008600.

If you want to speak to someone in confidence you can contact Childline who run a dedicated freephone bullying line for young people. The number is 0800441111.

They also have a special free phone number for young people living away from home. The number is 0800844444.

If you are bullying somebody else, this is a problem for you as well as for the person being bullied. You may need some help and support to change your behaviour, and you should find someone you trust to talk to about this. This might be someone in your family, or a teacher, or another adult such as a youth worker. If you think that it would help to talk to somebody who is experienced in helping to work through difficulties which can lead to bullying behaviour, you could talk to your GP or ask about counselling in school.