Questions over how West Dunbartonshire Council is helping young people subjected to bullying online and in person has been raised by a local councillor.
During Wednesday’s education committee meeting, local Leven councillor John Millar asked how the local authority was working to prevent bullying – particularly online.
It comes following Anti-Bullying week this month where schools have been working to create a range of activities to promote and embed the values of respect and kindness.
The council is also committed to ensuring all staff are equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills to understand and effectively respond to complex issues.
Councillor John Millar said: “I have a question to do with the anti bullying policy which has been refreshed to align with the new national guidance.
“How do we help kids who are being bullied? Bullying doesn’t stop at 4pm when school, it carries on through social media.
“Is the national guidance reflecting that? You often find that kids who are being bullied are the ones who have to leave the school and the ones who are doing the bullying stay.
“How do we sort problems like that out?”
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A council officer confirmed there are a range of responses that go together to support children and young people.
They said: “I think it would be fair to say that we all recognise that the world our children and young people live in and grow up in is absolutely challenging in terms of helping them to manage their ‘in-life’ and in person interactions with other children and young people.
“We have got the added issues of AI and whether they are actually engaging with real people or real images or not real people or images.
“All of those things together will reflect the way we support our children and young people wellbeing and resilience and help them to have good mental health strategies because we know all of that together helps them to cope, to be able to recognise when they don’t feel safe, or they feel vulnerable.
“They need to know how to get help and who that could be from. A lot of young people would engage online
“Our strategy goes beyond working as an education service but engages with our colleagues in the health improvement service and encompasses interventions such as access to school counselling.
“It involves parents and helps them to understand the dangers of the online world and how we can help them help their children navigate that in a way that is safe and proportionate.”
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