Bullying can happen anywhere and to anyone.  Children and young people in Warwickshire wrote their own definition of bullying:

When a person’s or group of people’s behaviour, over a period of time, leaves someone feeling one or more of the following:

• Physically and/or mentally hurt or worried
• Unsafe and/or frightened
• Unable to do well and achieve
• ‘Badly different’, alone, unimportant and/or unvalued
• Unable to see a happy and exciting future for yourself it could be bullying

When a person, or group of people, has been made aware of the effects of their behaviour on another person, and they continue to behave in the same manner, this is bullying.  If someone feels like this, or if they think someone they know feels like this, it should be investigated.  This should happen straight away as it can take a long time to build up the courage to tell.

Who could you talk to?
If you are experiencing bullying, or are worried your friend is, you should talk to someone who can help you tackle it.  It could be your parent or carer, an adult at school or a support worker.

If you want to talk to someone in confidence, there are other organisations that could help:

NSPCC by contacting 0808 800 5000, where you can speak to trained Counsellors at any time or visit their website by clicking here.

Childline by contacting 0800 1111 anytime, all calls are free of charge.

Family Lives website and information