LONGNIDDRY BOWLING CLUB ANTI BULLYING POLICY
Policy Statement:
Longniddry Bowling Club is fully committed to championing the wellbeing and inclusion of all within our sport. We believe that bullying is never acceptable and that everyone within our sport has the right to participate and perform in a safe and inclusive environment.
Longniddry Bowling Club recognises our responsibility in our wellbeing and protection policies to promote safe practice and to protect all members, from harm, poor practice, exploitation and abuse; this includes bullying. Our Anti-Bullying policy considers Respect for All: The national approach to anti- bullying in Scotland and our commitment to the principles of “Getting it Right for Every Child” (GIRFEC).
Longniddry Bowling Club is fully committed to an inclusive environment and rights-based approach within our sport. To that end we recognise and implement the general principles of both the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as well as the Equality Act. Staff and volunteers will work together to embrace difference and diversity and respect the rights of all.
Bullying of any kind is unacceptable, Longniddry Bowling Club understand that a player’s wellbeing can be seriously impacted by bullying behavior and therefore recognises the information provided by respect me, Scotland’s Anti-Bullying Service: ‘Bullying is never acceptable; it doesn’t make a person better or stronger to get through it and it should never be seen as a normal part of growing up/life.’
Longniddry Bowling Club believes that the best approach to tackling bullying is to create a positive culture and ethos of inclusion and take a preventative approach:
Preventative Actions:
- Know about the anti-bullying policy
- Challenge inappropriate behavior – even small incidents should not go unchallenged
- Patrol/manage know hot-spot locations
- Think about how to stop bullying before it happens
- Ensure everyone is included, engaged, and involved and have the opportunity to participate
- Re-enforce the positive use of Codes of Conduct
This policy applies to all regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, race, religion, socio- economic status, or family circumstance.
Bullying a definition:
Bullying is a behavior that can make a person feel frightened, threatened, left out and hurt. Something only must happen once to make a person feel worried or scared to go to their club training or other places they enjoy going.
Bullying is both behavior and impact; the impact is on a person’s capacity to feel in control of themselves. This is what we term as their sense of ‘agency’. Bullying takes place in the context of relationships: it is behavior that can make people feel hurt, threatened, and left out. This behavior happens face to face, verbally (on the phone), written via text message and online. (Respect for All)
Bullying is hurtful behavior, in situations where it’s difficult for those being bullied to defend themselves; often carried out where people in a position of power and authority can’t see it. It can take many forms, including:
- Physical – tripping, hitting, kicking, punching, shoving, any use of violence as well as theft or damage to someone’s belonging
- Verbal – threats, name-calling, spreading rumors, teasing name calling, teasing, putting down or threatening, spreading rumors
- Emotional – ignoring, leaving out an individual from the activities and social acceptance of the peer group, being unfriendly, excluding, tormenting (e.g. hiding belongings, threatening gestures)
- Harassment – making people feel like they are being bullied or fearful of being bullied e.g. using abusive or insulting behavior in a manner intended to cause alarm or distress
- Cyber – sending abusive text, email or instant messages, vindictive posts on all areas of the internet such as social media sites e.g. Facebook or Instagram, nasty messages, emails, mobile threats by text messaging and calls, misuse of connected technology, i.e. camera and videos
- Prejudiced based – targeting someone because they are perceived as different due to things such as age, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, physical appearance, disability, religion, socio-economic status, being looked after or being a young carer, and using abusive or insulting behavior in a manner intended to cause alarm or distress.
Cyber Bullying
Cyber Bullying should not be treated any differently from face-to-face bullying. Online or cyber bullying refers to bullying and harassment through the use of electronic devices such as personal computers and mobile phones – using email, texting and social networking websites.
Cyber Bullying is willful and involves recurring or repeated harm inflicted through the medium of electronic devices and is meant to cause emotional distress.
Cyber Bullying might include:
- A peer who intimidates through the use of a social networking website
- A coach who sends negative feedback about a participant via personal text message
- A club member who posts negative comments about a fellow member on a club forum
Cyber Bullying may also include threats, sexual remarks and hate speech. E-Bullies may publish personal contact information of their victims at websites. They may attempt to act as the victim for the purpose of publishing material in their name that would defame or ridicule them.
Cyber Bullying is particularly serious due to the nature in which the abuse occurs. It can be very personal and take place in a closed private format where the victim may feel isolated, and the content will not be viewed by parents, friends, or siblings. Alternatively, it could take place in a public format. It may lead to the victim rereading any material in private, perhaps leading to feelings of paranoia, depression, or loneliness.
Bullying takes many forms but ultimately it is the perception of the victim that determines whether they are being bullied rather than the intention of the bully.
When it’s not Bullying
Adult to Child Behaviors
Bullying is between peers e.g. child to child, there are times when adults behavior towards children can be described as “bullying” such as a parent who pushes too hard, a coach or manager with a ‘win at all costs’ mentality. Longniddry Bowling Club believes that adults who behave in a manner that causes distress, hurt or upset to a child are behaving on a spectrum that runs from poor practice to abuse and that behavior is more appropriately dealt with via the Bowls Scotland Wellbeing and Protection Policy.
Attempted Bullying
Sometimes, attempts to bully can have no obvious or immediate effect. A person can attempt to bully someone using a range of behaviors, but it may have no impact – in this case the person has.