Anyone who has experienced bullying either personally or by extension through their child knows the sometimes devastating cost. A new approach which appears to be achieving positive results is the "No Blame Approach", which is opposed to traditional punishment methods.
Devised in 1991 by George Robinson, a principal lecturer at the University of the West of England, Bristol, and Barbara Maines, a psychologist in Bristol, this model does not place the responsibility to stop the bullying with the victim; it also involves the children's peer group. Their approach addresses bullying by forming a support group of bullies and/or bystanders.
Without apportioning blame, it uses a problem-solving approach, giving responsibility to the group to solve the problem. Victims are encouraged to write down their feelings and read their accounts aloud to a small group of children, which would usually include their friends, a couple of peers and the bullies themselves.
The bully is not identified, but the teacher conducting the meeting explains to the group how the bullies' behaviour is distressing the victim. Each pupil present is then asked to come up with suggestions to improve the situation. Results have shown that the perpetrators, surprised that they are not being punished, express helpful attitudes and change their behaviour - glad that they are getting off so lightly.
"Bullying is normal - part of the growing process, connected with performing in front of friends and observers. It's about power," Maines says. "No Blame" gets the peer group to empathise with the victim, which thereby removes the bully's power.
Research has shown that, traditionally, almost half the children who are bullied do not report their experiences for fear of reprisals. "No Blame" permits them to not identify the bully. "We want to stop the bullying, not put the victim at risk," Robinson explains. There are dissenting voices. Some educators dislike the fact that the victim has to speak out, but the bully gets away - and that the bully's parents are rarely informed. Kidscape, the British anti-bullying charity, has said the result of "No Blame" will be a generation of lagerlouts and muggers who take no responsibility for their actions.
Nonetheless, the approach is being endorsed by a growing number of schools in England, as heads look for a more practical way to deal with a recurring problem.
Meanwhile, the North Eastern Health Board, which covers counties Meath, Louth, Cavan and Monaghan, has started an anti-bullying project for second-level schools - "The Cool School Project".
The project aims to examine the extent of bullying and support the development of effective anti-bullying policies. For further information contact the education officer, Pat Courtney (tel: (041) 984 3646; e-mail: djames@eircom.net).
