Bullying
The impacts of bullying can be detrimental to a child’s health, safety and wellbeing. Bullying is the deliberate hurting, threatening or intimidation of a person who can’t defend themselves. It is ongoing and repeated, and can cause physical or psychological harm. Bullying can happen in person or online and it can be obvious or hidden. It can also have long-term negative effects on the child including mental health impacts like depression and anxiety, and social implications such as self-doubt and withdrawal from social activities.
Some carers report that a child in care may be at increased risk of bullying, particularly where they tell other children about their past or current circumstances.
There are many useful resources on bullying for you and the child in your care, such as:
- Kids Helpline
- Beyond Blue
- Bullying. No Way!
- Cyberbullying
- Helping your child stop bullying: A guide for parents.
If you suspect or know that a child in care is being bullied, it is important to raise this with the child’s safety and support network, or their Child Safety Officer (CSO).
Identifying and responding to self-harm and suicide risk
Children and young people who have experienced abuse and who have very little family support are at an increased risk of self-harm or suicide.
The most common indicators of a child being at risk of self-harm or suicide include:
- a previous suicide attempt—this is the most significant risk factor for a child to commit suicide
- deliberate self-harm
- a history of mental illness, including clinical depression
- being bereaved by the suicide of a family member, friend or other significant person
- drug and alcohol abuse
- suffering major loss
- having a disruptive and unsupportive family, family breakdown or conflict
- being exposed to suicide
- feeling socially isolated, alienated, or not belonging within family or community
- having poor coping and problem-solving skills and low self-esteem
- having issues with sexuality and sexual identity
- having problems with the law, being detained in a watch house or detention centre
- being on remand and uncertain about their future.
Self-harming or suicidal behaviour
If the child in care is not their usual self, or if they are showing some of the indicators for self-harm or suicide, you should not ignore it. You must immediately:
- talk to the child about what is happening
- call your CSO to report and discuss your concerns, and ask for help to respond to the child.
If a child is assessed as being at risk of self-harm or suicide, Child Safety will:
- inform you about the self-harm or suicide risk alert
- develop a risk management plan to identify immediate and ongoing actions, interventions and support to be implemented to keep the child safe.
Confidentiality
If a child is suicidal or is self-harming, it is important to talk openly with Child Safety and other significant people in the child’s life (for example, their teacher, doctor, youth worker, or counsellor).
Be open about your concerns, and tell the child that you will seek additional help from others, including the CSO, because you care about them and want them to be safe.