Unit 2: Bullying

This unit focuses on bullying, which is one aspect of peer-on-peer abuse. It considers what bullying is, and why it’s important to have a clear definition. 

We will consider categories of bullying and identify examples, and then think about reasons why some young people bully others. Like other aspects of peer-on-peer abuse, the reasons can be more complex than we might like to think. Sometimes the young person who bullies can also be a victim of bullying behaviour by others. Difficult though it may be, we need to recognise that the person who bullies also has support need, both for practical reasons (to end their bullying behaviour) and because in other contexts they might themselves also be vulnerable.

The last three steps look at identity-based bullying, in relation to deaf children, sexual and gender identity and special educational needs and disability (SEND). This is not to suggest that these are the only forms of identity-based bullying, nor that they are more important than others, nor that they can only occur separately from each other. They are there to illustrate that particular characteristics can be exploited by people who bully and to say that it’s important to be aware of this in order to safeguard young people effectively. Difference, or perceived difference, is the characteristic that links these and other forms of identity-based bullying.

By the end of Unit 2 you should be able to:

• List some key characteristics of bullying that help to define what bullying is
• Give an example of how definitions can differ
• Outline different forms of bullying and examples of behaviours associated with them
• Explain what might make a young person more likely to bully others
• Describe some examples of identity-based bullying.