Anti-Bullying Statement

The purpose and scope of this policy statement

The purpose of this policy statement is:

  • to prevent bullying from happening between children and young people who are a part of our organisation or take part in our activities
  • to make sure bullying is stopped as soon as possible if it does happen and that those involved receive the support they need
  • to provide information to all volunteers, children and their families about what we should all do to prevent and deal with bullying.

This policy statement applies to anyone volunteering on behalf of Shropshire Chess Association.

Separate documents set out:

What is bullying?

Bullying includes a range of abusive behaviour that is repeated and intended to hurt someone either physically or emotionally.

The club will take accusations of bullying outside the club (including online), between children who know each other through the clubs activities, as seriously as accusations of bullying made during club hours.

Legal framework

This policy has been drawn up on the basis of legislation, policy and guidance that seeks to protect children in the UK. The NSPCC provides summaries of the key legislation and guidance on

Bullying:                           learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-abuse-and-neglect/bullying

Online Abuse:                   learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-abuse-and-neglect/online-abuse

Child Protection:               learning.nspcc.org.uk/child-protection-system

We believe that:

  • children and young people should never experience abuse of any kind
  • we have a responsibility to promote the welfare of all children and young people, to keep them safe and to practise in a way that protects them.

We recognise that:

  • bullying causes real distress. It can affect a person’s health and development and, at the extreme, can cause significant harm
  • all children, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, race, religion or belief, sex or sexual orientation, have the right to equal protection from all types of harm or abuse
  • everyone has a role to play in preventing all forms of bullying (including online) and putting a stop to bullying.

We will seek to prevent bullying by:

  • developing a code of behaviour that sets out how everyone involved in our organisation is expected to behave, in face-to-face contact and online, and within and outside of our activities
  • holding regular discussions with volunteers, children, young people and families who use our organisation about bullying and how to prevent it. These discussions will focus on:
    • group members’ responsibilities to look after one another and uphold the behaviour code
    • practising skills such as listening to each other
    • respecting the fact that we are all different
    • making sure that no one is without friends
    • dealing with problems in a positive way
    • checking that our anti-bullying measures are working well
  • providing support and training for all volunteers on dealing with all forms of bullying, including racial, sexist, homophobic and sexual bullying
  • putting clear and robust anti-bullying procedures in place
  • making sure our response to incidents of bullying takes into account:
    • the needs of the person being bullied
    • the needs of the person displaying bullying behaviour
    • needs of any bystanders
    • our organisation as a whole.
  • reviewing the plan developed to address any incidents of bullying at regular intervals, in order to ensure that the problem has been resolved in the long term.

Related policies and procedures

This policy statement should be read alongside our organisational policies and procedures including:

Contact details

Nominated anti-bullying lead
Name: Christopher Lewis
Phone:  01630 801860
Mobile: 07508 487092
Email: christopher.d.lewis44@gmail.com

We are committed to reviewing our policy and good practice annually.

This policy was last reviewed on: 16th December 2020