Vantaa’s anti-bullying work

Behavior is learned through interactions. Bullying is prevented through caring interactions and the feeling of becoming part of a community. We invest in positive and respectful interaction between students, among staff, and between staff and students. 

Bullying is predominantly a group-based phenomenon, largely influenced by the members of the group and their behaviour. In order to prevent bullying, we support students in becoming part of the community and strengthen positive, caring and respectful interaction. We build an operational culture that supports positive peer relationships and does not accept offensive behavior. We pay special attention to students who are in a vulnerable position. 

Every early childhood education unit, school and upper secondary education institution has a plan for strengthening and teaching emotional and interaction skills. We train staff in promoting wellbeing, emotional and interaction skills, and anti-bullying work. 

As bullying is connected to the actions of an entire group, we can prevent it best by strengthening positive interaction. 

We make rules together with the students. When the rules are made together, it is easier for students to commit to following them in their daily lives. The rules are visible in everyday life so that they are clear to children and the young and help create a safe learning environment. We give positive feedback when students follow the common rules and thus strengthen compliance.  

It takes time and getting to know each other for the group to become functional and capable of cooperating. Fostering group cohesion means that we continuously support children and the young in getting to know each other as well as spending time together in a safe and positive way. We support positive group cohesion in cooperation with student welfare services staff (such as the school social workers and psychologists) and youth services. 

We encourage children and the young to actively participate in wellbeing planning and the development of everyday life in early childhood education, primary and lower secondary education and upper secondary education institutions. 

In strengthening inclusion and cooperation, we help students gain positive experiences of helping each other and influencing opportunities for building a safe shared learning environment. For example, schools have prefects, peer supporters and tutors who promote thriving at school, prevent bullying and can help resolve minor conflict situations. 

Cooperation with guardians is important for the wellbeing of children. The guardians’ attitudes and ways of acting also heavily influence the child’s behavior and interaction relationships. When the guardians are involved in everyday life, such as by helping make the rules, we can, together, build an everyday life in which no one is excluded or bullied.  

You can find more information on the “Cooperation between home and learning” page: Cooperation between home and learning | Vantaa. 

We regularly track wellbeing data with the help of surveys, such as the school health survey and units’ own surveys. We analyze the data and utilize it in our work to prevent and intervene in bullying. 

We always intervene in any disrespectful, inappropriate and hurtful behavior that comes to our attention. We take conflicts between students seriously. 

Bullying may involve emotional/physical abuse or harassment, and the acts committed may constitute a crime. In situations where the bullying committed at the school constitutes a crime, we will file a child protection notification as well as a police report. 

We make sure that every student knows the different ways that bullying can be brought up in our units; for example, through mailboxes where students can submit a report on bullying.  

We bring up bullying as a phenomenon and discuss it. We actively strengthen the skills of our staff to intervene in bullying.  

In primary and lower secondary schools, we use the online Someturva service, which can be used to report bullying on social media and ask for help in resolving the situation.  

When bullying occurs, there are adults in the early childhood education units, primary and lower secondary schools and upper secondary education institutions who will take charge of the matter. They keep in contact with the teachers and guardians and monitor the situation regularly. In primary and lower secondary education, this work is supported by a bullying intervention team. Monitoring continues until it is confirmed that the bullying has stopped. 

Bullying affects the entire group. As such, we may also make changes to the group’s activities, such as class arrangements or group divisions. 

We appoint a support adult for both the bullied and the person doing the bullying. The student has a say in who their support adult will be. If necessary, we will draw up a plan to safeguard the bullied person’s day at school or the early childhood education unit together with the person in question. 

We offer support for the bullied person as well as those who participated in the bullying and direct them to student welfare services. We will establish a multidisciplinary team of experts if concerns are raised about a student’s wellbeing. The multidisciplinary team of experts may include professionals from the school and student welfare, as well as experts from outside the school, if necessary.

If bullying persists for a long time or the situation is particularly difficult, the school may ask a specialist in intervening in bullying for help. Watch the video and read more: Safety factors: “There are always ways to solve bullying”. If necessary, Vantaa’s employees with K-0 training can also help to resolve the situation in primary and lower secondary schools. 

In Vantaa, the preventive policing of the Eastern Uusimaa police works closely together with schools. Schools receive support from the police in resolving situations that involve criminal acts. 

If the school’s methods are not sufficient for resolving a conflict or the conflict occurs outside of the school day, the school's employees or guardians can ask the mediation office for help. The mediation office may also be involved in cases where the act constitutes a crime, in which case the matter will proceed through the police. The guardian or school employee can call (+358503122072) or send an email (sovittelutoiminta@vantaa.fi) to the mediation office and ask a professional for advice if they are unsure about whether a case requires mediation. 

The Mannerheim League for Child Welfare’s (MLL) “Ehjäksi” project offers group and individual support for children and young people aged 8–20 who are recovering from bullying in Vantaa. The family can also receive support for processing their feelings from a family counseling clinic and MLL’s Uusimaa district. For victims of bullying - MLL Uusimaa district (in Finnish).