The Support Centre for Bullying Issues - Valopilkku
The Support Centre for Bullying Issues, Valopilkku, is based on peer support. We offer professionally directed post-treatment of bullying to those who have been bullied and to bullied children´s families. The support is offered in support groups, individual support sessions and on the internet and by phone. Support Centre Valopilkku provides services in Finnish.
Valopilkku has been the first in Finland to offer peer support specifically to those having been bullied. We offer training on bullying as a phenomenon, bullying intervention and aftercare for both professionals and parents of bullied children.
The main goal of this English text is to highlight bullying as it occurs in the Finnish school. The purpose is also to highlight how Finnish legislation relates to bullying as a phenomenon and what responsibility schools have in relation to it. We hope this will benefit immigrants, for whom this kind of information can be difficult to find.
School-safety is always a basic and human rights issue
According to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the child has the right to protection from violence and all ill-treatment in all situations and environments. This includes the school environment. Legally, it does not matter what kind of activity we define as bullying, because all mistreatment of a child must be addressed. According to the Basic Education Act §29, the child has the right to protection from anything that endangers his or her physical, psychological, social or pedagogical safety during the school day. The responsibility for the safety of the students always rests with the organizer of the lesson. The teacher or principal must inform the guardian of both the bully and the victim of any harassment, bullying or violence that has occurred at school or on the way to school.
There are no provisions in the Basic Education Act on what bullying is, methods of investigating bullying, methods of preventing bullying or follow-up of the situation. The school-specific operating methods can be found in the student care plan, which parents can request to see (often found on e.g. the school´s website or the municipality´s curriculum) (Hakalehto 21.4.2021)
Cooperating with the school
The school`s obligation to cooperate with the guardians is written into the law, and the implementation of the cooperation is the responsibility of the school. In bullying situations, cooperation can be challenging because of the strong emotions that bullying often raises in all parts. Educational partnership at its best, means sharing challenges and successes and sharing mutual support, with the child`s best interests at the forefront. If the cooperation is not successful, e.g. the child`s bullying continues or the parties views on the situation differ greatly, the parent`s trust and faith in the school staff, professionalism and fairness will be put to the test The schools personnel are bound by a duty of confidentiality regarding the information they receive about the student and the family in their work. Personnel are not allowed to disclose this information to outsiders (Education Board) - because of this, it can be difficult to get information about what measures have been taken and what methods have already been tried, e.g. with the child that bullies.
Operating model for investigating a bullying situation
As a parent or guardian, it is natural to want to do something about the situation. Firstly, you can try to find out what has happened, when it happened and who is involved in the situation. The school personnel should start investigating the situation as soon as they hear about it. The safety of the victim should be ensured through the whole process.
As a parent, you should contact the child`s teacher or class supervisor, who has the primary responsibility for clarification. If the bullying has continued for a long time, or you´re not sure the teacher has responded enough, you could contact the principal. Find out what concrete actions have already been taken in relation to the various parties and what kind of plan has been made for the future. Ensure there is a plan. Ask about how the bullying is going to be monitored, how safety is guaranteed, and what the plan is, if the bullying continues. Monitor your child`s well-being and note, for example, whether he or she is depressed or fearful because of the situation. Contact the student care, e.g. a counselor, if the child`s sense of security is shaken and bullying, or the fear of it, affects school attendance. Investing in the child`s safety (class situations/transition situations/trips to and from the school) is crucial.
Active monitoring of the situation and prevention of recurrence of bullying - possibly regrouping the class and improving group spirit, e.g. by breaking up cliques or other needed arrangements. If the bullying does not stop with the aforementioned measures, it is possible to contact the education director, file a child protection - and/or criminal report against the bullies in order to get help for your bullied child. Bullying is not good for anyone. The child whose aggressive behavior is not addressed, learns that abuse of power is okay. It is not a healthy way to grow up. Bullying affects the safety and atmosphere of the entire community.
Forms of bullying and the criminal law
The following forms of bullying are, according to Heino 2023) prohibited by law:
Berating and spitting on the victim (kunnianloukkaus, RL 24:9)
Pushing and hitting (ruumiillinen väkivalta, pahoinpitely, RL 21:5)
Damaging or disposing of goods (vahingonteko, RL 35:1)
Threatening (laiton uhkaus, RL 25:7)
Spreading of sensitive or offensive knowledge or information (yksityiselämää loukkaavan tiedon levittäminen, RL 24:8)
Locking or otherwise blocking access to toilets or other facilities (vapaudenriisto, RL 25:1)
Forcing the victim to do humiliating or harmful acts, such as licking someone´s shoes, undressing in front of others etc. (pakottaminen, RL 25:1)
The school has both rights and obligations to file a child protection or criminal report
Is there a child protection report filed against the victim or the bully? Basically, from the school`s point of view, these roles do not matter if there is a concern about the student. Which student are you more worried about and why? The school has the obligation to report to both child protection and the police, if they have received information based on which there is reason to suspect a sexual crime against a child or certain crimes against life or health (acts that are punishable as a crime, e.g. assault).
The police must also be notified of acts that meet the characteristics of a crime by a young person under the age of 15. The staff of the educational institution have the right to notify the police if they have received information according to which there is a reason to suspect that someone is at risk of being subjected to violence. The personnel of the educational department have the obligation to file a child protection report without delay if they learn of a child whose need for care and concern, circumstances that endanger development or their own behavior, require the investigation of the need for child protection.
Handling the bullying situation to the end
We should always pay attention to the time after the concrete bullying is over. There will probably be at least some consequences of the loss of security. We should think of how to ensure the child`s safety in the future and how to create a safe atmosphere after there has been bullying in a class. It is important not to keep silent about the bullying that happened, so that the victim does not get the impression that what happened, was of no importance.
It is important that the teacher verbalizes the issue and explores how the different parties relate to the issue, or have recovered from it. Active post-treatment and a follow-up should always be a standard practice in a bullying situation. The parties to the situation, both the bullies and the victim, should be offered the opportunity to deal with the matter as soon as the situation calms down. The child that has been bullied, should be supported in joining the play or activity again.
Dealing with emotions (fear, anxiety, thoughts of revenge) should be made possible for the child to talk about with the support of adults. The bully`s situation, behavior and possible need for support should also be taken into account. Post- treatment does not mean passive monitoring of the situation. It means active attention to the consequences of bullying for individuals and the community, and practical measures to improve the situation in the future.
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Health nurse and counselor support
Health nurses play an important role in the prevention of bullying and in its recognition: health checks should always bring up questions about bullying, whether the child might be a victim, has witnessed bullying or been bullying others.
The school counselor`s support is usually short-term. There is on average 2-4 meetings per student, but the counselor can, if necessary, guide and support further towards other treatment contacts. Individual student or study care is voluntary (note! Support for learning and school attendance does not require the consent of the student or guardian).
A child involved in a bullying situation is often a child with special needs
Special needs children have a fourfold risk of falling into the role of a bully or becoming a victim already in kindergarten – and an eight fold risk of becoming both a bully and a victim. (Repo 2015) School-age ADHD/ADD children have a 3–17-fold risk of being bullied, a bully, or both. (Fogler ym.,2020) A child with behavioral symptoms is easily labeled as a troublemaker (bully) or as being strange or different (potential target of bullying) in the eyes of both adults and children.
Difficulties in interaction can appear in such a way that the child does not know how to defend him or herself at all, or defends him or herself with aggression in situations, where there is no reason for defense. The feeling of being different and lonely can drive a special needs child to accept any group of friends and any role in the group. When overloaded, a child can react strongly or abnormally to stimuli, in which case he or she is an easy target for bullying. The child can also discharge his or her burden as aggression towards other children, in which case the behavior is perceived as bullying. Early identification of special needs, correct diagnosis and the right support as well as understanding and accepting differences (both in adults and in children) are decisive factors in the prevention of bullying.
Supporting the victim
The first and most important support is securing the school day so that the bullied child can be in recess or study in a different room away from the bullies. Counselor`s visits should be made easily accessible and be supporting for the victim. The focus should be on what the victim´s real needs are and how the school can meet these needs. The goal should be to ensure safety and the changes it requires in everyday school life. A feeling that adults take responsibility for every child`s safety in the school, is important, and this should become evident in the adults actions as well.
Helping the bully
There is a lot of talk about victims of bullying and supporting them. It is , of course, extremely important to support the victims of any kind of violence. But it is as important to pay attention to the perpetrators and the need to address their way of behaving aggressively towards others. How can we help those who bully?
They should be held accountable, which means that there should always be consequences for bullying behavior, possibly sanctions. Both children and guardians should be openly informed about bullying and its consequences in advance. Increasing the bully`s self-awareness and learning and practicing emotional and empathy skills is a good start. Finding out the need for support and the bully´s home situation (child protection) is important, especially if the bullying continues. One way in repeated bullying situations could be change of class, dismissal from school or change of school, which are rarely used measures. They are all, nevertheless, allowed by law. The question that needs answering should be: what does the bully need in order to change his/her behavior?
The school´s legal disciplinary measures
The school has some disciplinary measures they can use in bullying situations. The parenting discussion is primary. It must be recorded, and the guardian must be informed. Ordering a student to leave the premises or refusal of the student`s participation in teaching for a maximum of the remaining working day, are possible measures. Other measures are:
Detention
Inspection of goods, taking possession of prohibited/dangerous objects or substances
Security measures (use of necessary means of force)
Written warning --> temporary dismissal --> dismissal:
When a student has behaved in such a violent or threatening manner that the safety of another person has been affected or seriously endangered, and there is an obvious risk that the violent or threatening behavior will be repeated, a temporary suspension can be implemented regardless of the fact that the decision is not legally binding. The principal of the school can also decide to give a written warning if the organizer of the lesson decides so. (Laitinen ym. 2020)
Supporting the victim´s self-esteem
The victim may need support in many ways. To ensure his or her physical safety comes first, then other measures should be taken. As a parent, we can support the child in forming relationships and attending groups outside school. This is important so that the child can experience acceptance and success, which he or she is otherwise denied. Bullying-free peer support is extremely important for the development of the child´s self-esteem. Emphatic adult support, also from other adults than the child´s own parents, is an important piece of supporting self-esteem. Places where the child can meet other children in a safe environment could be girls'/boys' houses, youth houses or hobby groups, etc.
Parenting the victim is stressful
As a parent, it is natural to be concerned about the child´s well-being and safety. Having a child that is being bullied, is tough for the whole family. Family counseling, child welfare, youth clinics, youth psychiatry, therapy or peer support groups can be of help. When the parents cope better with the situation, the child´s chances of coping, grows. When bullying persists, it can cause a chronic state of stress for the parent, which affects everyday life and interpersonal relationships. The effects often also extend to the child's siblings and the parents’ intimate relationship. Sleep problems, anxiety, hyperactivity/depression, strong emotional reactions are common.
It is important as a parent to recognize, allow and process your own feelings:
1. In terms of your own coping and well-being
2. Makes it possible to support the child better
3. Facilitates the smoothness of the bullying investigation process with the school/authorities
Support for dealing with emotions can be talking to a friend, relatives or professionals, peer support, writing thoughts down or other forms of own "therapy", or getting own time to get the thoughts off the bullying situation sorted.
A parent's own victim experience can influence the reactions
It is not unusual that a parent of a child that is being bullied is a victim him- or herself. Therefore it is important to recognize the impact of one´s own experience and taking it into account. Being a victim oneself can influence the reactions and the way a parent works with the issues of the child. Roughly there are two ways of reacting.
REACTING SENSITIVELY
Being overprotective or overreact
Reacting over-sensitively in other situations as well
One's own trauma can arise to be dealt with again - given the opportunity to do so
Distrust of employees/certain groups of people - can also be passed on to the child
DENYING THE CHILD´S EXPERIENCE
You can downplay the child's experience: "I used to have much worse"
Not willing/able to see the situation as it is in reality
You can try to harden the child "attack is the best defense", "real boys can fight back"
You can use the same words that you yourself have heard: "you just go along
briskly", "real man endures"
Ways to reduce the victim´s shame
When we fail to join in, we feel ashamed. The child begins to think that there is something wrong with him or her. Beware of increasing shame, e.g. comments about the child's fear or difficulties in the hearing of others. Encouragement and praise are important so that the child can see that he or she is also successful and brave in many situations. Create situations where the child's strengths come to the fore and where he or she can shine. Support the child so that he or she sees him or herself in more ways than just as bullied, a failure, exposed or as a victim. Do not increase the child's shame by, for example, putting the child in situations where he or she is in a subordinate position from the start (group situations, bullying investigation situations).
Sources:
Hakalehto, S. (21.4.2021). Työrauha, turvallisuus ja oppimisen tuki oppilaan oikeuksina-opetusmateriaali. Itä-Suomen yliopisto. www.tuvet.fi
Heino, J. (2023). Luentosarja Koulukiusaamiseen puuttuminen lain keinoin yhteistyössä Tukikeskus Valopilkun kanssa.
Laitinen, K., Haanpää, S., Francke, L. ja Lahtinen, M. (2020). Kiusaamisen vastainen työ kouluissa ja oppilaitoksissa. OPH, Oppaat ja käsikirjat 2020: 3a. Saatavissa osoitteesta: https://www.oph.fi/sites/default/files/documents/kiusaamisen_vastainen_tyo_kouluissa_ja_oppilaitoksissa.pdf