Transcript Taylor and Coombs - Alberta Centre for Child, Family & Community

The Prevention of Bullying
Building an Alberta research agenda
WELCOME
Provincial Prevention of
Bullying Strategy
Background
•
October 2004 – Alberta Government released Finding
Solutions Together which outlines key areas of action
arising from the Alberta Roundtable on Family Violence
and Bullying.
•
Key recommendation – development of a cross-ministry
education and awareness bullying prevention strategy
targeted at individuals, families and communities.
Provincial Prevention of
Bullying Strategy
•Cross-ministry partners and stakeholders have taken the
lead in the implementation of Alberta’s Bullying Prevention
Strategy.
•The goal of the strategy is:
to raise awareness of what bullying is, to identify what
we can do to stop that behaviour in ourselves and
others, and to encourage a change in societal attitudes
towards bullying.
Working Collaboratively
Stakeholder Group
• Interdepartmental Committee on
Family Violence and Bullying (ICFVB)
• Regional family violence and bullying
coordinators
• Community bullying and family
violence organizations
• Family Violence Public Awareness
and Education Working Group
• Aboriginal Advisory Committee
Researchers
• Bullying Research Experts
• Alberta Centre for Child,
Family and Community
Research (ACCFCR)
• Canadian Initiative for the
Prevention of Bullying
• University of Alberta;
University of Calgary
• The Society for Safe and
Caring Schools and
Communities
ACYI Prevention of Bullying Working
Group
Children’s Services – co-chair
Education – co-chair
Solicitor General and Public Security
Aboriginal Affairs and Northern
Development
 Alberta Mental Health Board
 Community Development
 The Society for Safe and Caring Schools
and Communities
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

Prevention of Bullying
Youth Committee
= key contributor
= working group
Key Areas of Action
•
Social Change
 Increase awareness and understanding of the impact of bullying and support
strategies that prevent bullying in communities across the province.
•
Provincial Leadership
 Provide provincial and national leadership in establishing necessary
mechanisms and engaging communities, including Aboriginal communities,
and key partners in preventing bullying.
•
Collaborative, Coordinated, Community Response
 Support and facilitate community plans and actions and sharing information
about community bullying initiatives and those impacted by bullying.
•
Services and Supports
 Assist communities in providing timely services and supports to individuals
impacted by bullying, including victims, bullies and bystanders.
•
Accountability
 Establish partnerships to support best practice evidence, research and
evaluation to inform current and future planning.
Social Change
Public Awareness and Education Initiatives
•
3-year public awareness and education campaign
launched in June 2005.
 Phase one (2005-2006) is focused on educating children
and youth in prevention and safe methods of intervention.
 Phase two, to be undertaken in 2006-2007, is directed
towards adults and their role in preventing and discouraging
bullying behaviour among children and modeling positive
behaviour.
 Phase three, to be implemented in 2007-2008, is aimed at
discouraging bullying behaviour among the bullies
themselves and teaching acceptance of diversity among all
children and youth.
Web Visits
www.teamheroes.ca – close to one million “visits”
www.bullyfreealberta.ca – over 80,000 “visits”
Provincial Leadership
Youth Leadership Initiative
•
Provincial prevention of bullying youth committee
established February 2005.
•
Committee provides advice and leadership on
development and implementation of the Strategy.
•
Development of youth training initiative underway to
mobilize youth both at provincial and community levels
in addressing bullying.
Collaborative, Coordinated,
Community Response
Community Incentive Fund Program
•
•
•
Prevention of Family Violence and Bullying Community
Incentive Fund (CIF) developed to support local action
on family violence and bullying.
53 of the 130 approved in year one of Community
Incentive Fund grants related to bullying.
Regional Family Violence and Bullying Coordinators
across the province to facilitate regional implementation
of key family violence and bullying initiatives.
Services and Supports
•
Implemented “Taking Action on Bullying” Parent Link
Centre pilot sites to provide parents and school staff
resources and skills necessary to identify signs of
bullying and work with children in addressing bullying.
•
Exploring options to provide information referral and
supports for individuals through websites and targeted
help lines.
Accountability
Research and Best Practices
•
Initial bullying literature review undertaken in 2005 to
help inform development of the bullying strategy.
•
Partnerships established with research experts.
•
Ongoing need to integrate research and best practices
in bullying prevention and intervention in policy
development and community initiatives.
•
Evaluation framework developed for strategy.