Preventing and intervening in bullying

At issue is bullying when a child, teen, or adult student is intentionally subjected to repeated and systematic unpleasant treatment. Policy action program of preventing and intervening in bullying applies to all service areas of the Education and Learning department, in other words, every daycare center, school, and upper secondary education institution. The action program was taken into use on August 2022.

Three pupils are sitting on a couch inside the school.

At issue is bullying when a child, teen, or adult student is intentionally subjected to repeated and systematic unpleasant treatment by a peer or a group. Bullying can be mental, physical, or social (for example, excluding from a group). It usually entails unbalanced power relations: the bullied child, teen, or adult student is in some ways defenseless compared to the bully or bullies. Arguments and disputes differ from bullying in the respect that they are often momentary and not continuously targeted at the same person. In addition, they often do not entail unbalanced power relations. The key issue, nevertheless, is any person’s own experiences of being bullied.

How to intervene in harassment, bullying or violence?

Go slowly closer if the situation allows. Ask: “What's happening?”
Ask for the person/persons to stop.
Ask: “Is everything okay?”
Ask the victim if anything similar has occurred previously and if the victim told any adult about the matter.
Ask the victim’s permission to call his or her parents or ask the victim him/herself to call the parents and tell them what has happened.
Do not leave the victim alone. If possible, accompany the victim home; otherwise, see that the victim can safely leave the spot.

Call 112 if required. Stay and wait for help to arrive. Do not leave the victim alone.

Policy action program of preventing and intervening in bullying in Vantaa

This action program applies to all service areas of the Education and Learning department, in other words, every daycare center, school, and upper secondary education institution. The service areas will specify the contents of the action program to suit their own specific operating environments. Service units will agree on all concrete operating methods applied. The action program will be integrated into the service units in spring 2022 and taken into use on August 1, 2022. The first assessment will be made at the end of 2022, after which the action program will be assessed at least once per council term.

Measures to prevent bullying

It is important that every child, teen, and adult student feel an equal member of their community. Children, teens, and adult students actively participate in planning, implementing, developing, and assessing community welfare work. Community welfare is also created in cooperation with guardians. Guardians will be informed about operating models for preventing bullying and intervening in it. Special attention will be paid on children, teens, and adult students in vulnerable positions.

Accounting for continuous group bonding

Group bonding is a continuous, around-the-operating-year / around-the-school-year process. Special attention will be paid to transitional stages. Student welfare employees will meet 7th-graders and students in upper secondary education in groups, discussing, among other things, wellbeing, mental health, and the impacts of bullying on wellbeing. Group bonding will be conducted in cooperation with Youth Services and/or other partners.

All units will deploy the wellbeing annual clock, as well as a plan for bolstering and teaching emotional and interaction skills.

These will be integrated into existing plans, for instance, annual plans. Employees will be provided with training in promoting wellbeing, emotional and interaction skills, as well as preventing and intervening in bullying.

Values and attitudes are reflected in everyday practices; they are concretized together with children, the young, and adult students. At the beginning of the school year, schools and educational institutions’ regulations will be handled. Classes and groups’ regulations will be compiled together. Adhering to shared regulations and instructions will be strengthened in a positive manner.

Measures to intervene in bullying

In daycare centers, schools, and educational institutions every adult shall systematically intervene in any disrespectful and inappropriate behavior they notice. Employees’ knowhow to identify bullying will be bolstered. More in-depth process descriptions of intervening in bullying will be included in unit-specific plans for preventing and intervening in bullying. Guardians and parents will be informed about the ways in which units analyze bullying.

Bullying must be widely seen. Every child, teen, guardian, and adult student must know the different kinds of ways to bring bullying to the fore. Active discussion about bullying shall take place both on community and individual level.

For instance, units have mailboxes where schoolchildren/students can submit announcements of bullying. Basic education uses an online Someturva service to inform about bullying on social media and to ask for help.Use of the Someturva service will be extended from basic education to upper secondary education. In upper secondary education, Vantaa Vocational College Varia uses the Annie app.

The team is responsible for intervening in bullying and monitoring it in the entire community. Representatives of children/teens/adult students will be assigned for the team. Guardians and parents will be heard on a regular basis. The team will utilize unit-specific plans and, when required, crisis cards in its operations.

Investigating, recording, and monitoring bullying has been described in unit-specific plans to prevent and intervene in bullying. They will account for guardians’ active participation to put an end to bullying.

An adult support person will be named for the victim of bullying. It will be agreed with the bullied person that a trusted adult, who is a member of the community, will be designated as his/her support person who will give him/her special support and help. The child, teen or adult student can have an influence on who the adult support person will be. Also, the bully can be named an adult support person.

You can always ask the Mediation Office for help when the school or educational institution's own means are not enough, or when outside help in handling the situation is required. Cases that meet the criteria of a crime may be directed to mediation by the police. In case the matter’s applicability to mediation is in doubt, you can make a consultation call to the Mediation Office and address the matter with a mediation professional.

Anchor work is targeted at early prevention of crimes and at promoting the wellbeing of the young involved in crime. An Anchor team consists of a police officer, social worker, public-health nurse, and youth worker. In addition, an employee representing the education department will be named for the team.

Action program in other languages

Program operacional për ndërhyrjen dhe parandalimin e bullizmit Albanian البرنامج التشغيلي لمنع حالات التنمّر والتدخل لمواجهتها Arabic Kiusamise ennetamise ja sekkumise tegevusprogramm Estonian Программа мер по предотвращению и устранению издевательств Russian Barnaamijka hawl galeed ee ka hortagga u xoog sheegashada iyo wax ka qabashada Somali language

Other materials

The Child Friendly City Initiative

Back to basic education site.

Back to early childhood education site.

Back to general upper secondary education site.

Bullying Well-being Primary schools Daycare center High schools Vocational College Varia