What to do if you are being bullied or see someone being bullied

Bullying is not acceptable - tell someone

What you must do
  • Talk to an adult you trust, such as a teacher, parent, relative or friend as soon as you can. Be persistent
  • If the first person you talk to doesn’t help, don’t give up. Speak to someone else
  • Ask the person you talk to not to do anything without telling you about it first. You have a right to know what is being done on your behalf and to say whether you think it is a good idea or not
What not to do
  • Don’t try to deal with the problem on your own. There is nothing wrong with asking for help
  • Don’t hurt the people who are bullying. You might end up being accused of bullying yourself
  • Don’t exaggerate. Always tell the truth about what has happened. If a small part of what you are saying is shown to be untrue then it throws everything else into doubt
  • Don’t hide what is happening from the adults you trust. Keeping things secret is the biggest weapon of someone who bullies. That is why they go to so much trouble to stop you telling
  • Don’t copy the bullying behaviour
How you can help
  • Do not tolerate bullying behaviour even in your friendship groups. Watching and doing nothing can suggest support for the person/people doing the bullying
  • Bullying behaviour will soon stop if it is challenged or rejected and seen as socially unacceptable
  • If you know someone who is being bullied, encourage them to talk to a trusted adult or offer to talk to someone on their behalf
What we will do to help

People from all organisations that form Hampshire Children’s Trust (including school staff, Personal Advisors, Youth Workers, Social Workers, Educational Psychologists and Primary Behaviour Team Workers) will help to make sure that if you experience bullying, someone will:

  • listen to and reassure you
  • help, advise and support you
  • take immediate action to stop the bullying, or threats of bullying, and not make the situation worse
  • investigate and establish if the bullying is part of a pattern and make it clear to the person doing the bullying that such behaviour is not acceptable
Sources of support

“Help! I’m being bullied” – 10 practical strategies to stop bullying by Dr Emily Lovegrove

Family Lives - advice and help about bullying

ChildLine - bullying, abuse, safety and the law

Kidscape – preventing bullying and child abuse

Contact a family or call 0808 808 3555

Information, advice and support in Hampshire

Contact Children's Services

Phone 0300 555 1384

Email [email protected]