Paper-trail solutions to the state’s bullying crisis won’t work and a new approach is needed, Youth Action NSW has warned.
The peak body for the state’s youth says the plan to require parents and students to acknowledge new behaviour codes risks missing the deeper causes of bullying and places responsibility on families who have little control over what happens inside school grounds.
The warning comes after a shocking incident at a south-west Sydney school in which a 13-year-old girl was allegedly punched, humiliated and taunted by other students during a five-hour ordeal that has horrified parents across the state.
Youth Action CEO Lauren Stracey said asking parents to sign behaviour forms would do little to prevent incidents like the one caught on camera.
“Getting a parent to sign a form might look like action, but it will not stop a student assaulting another child in a school bathroom,” Ms Stracey said.
“Most parents are already doing everything right. Families aren’t in the corridors or dark corners of schools where these incidents occur and often have little visibility of what is happening between students. If we want schools to be safe, we need to tackle the drivers of violent behaviour and the culture that perpetuates it.”
Ms Stracey said bullying was driven by peer dynamics among young people and solutions needed to focus on prevention and support.
“The reality is bullying is happening between young people and the response needs to start there. Young people understand the dynamics shaping culture and behaviour in their schools, so we need to ask young people what is happening between them and what they think needs to change” she said.
Youth Action is calling on the NSW Government to invest $12 million to establish 15 youth hubs across the state, giving young people safe spaces outside school and home where they can connect with peers and trusted youth workers.
“When young people feel connected and supported, harmful behaviour is far less likely to take hold,” Ms Stracey said.
“Investing in early intervention through youth services and community spaces helps young people build belonging and connection, which is one of the most effective ways to prevent bullying in the first place.”
Importantly, Ms Stracey said youth hubs can also give young people a direct role in designing solutions to the scourge of bullying in the state’s schools.
“These spaces allow young people to be involved in creating programs that tackle bullying head-on rather than adults constantly designing solutions about them, without them.
“If we want to reduce bullying in the long term, we need to move beyond behaviour management and start creating environments where young people are given agency while feeling supported, connected and valued.”
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