Parents - What to do now

As a parent the things you do and say have a major impact on your child’s perception of the world and their place within it.  Your reaction to bullying – irrespective of whether it involves your child or not – will influence how they feel about themselves, how they behave towards others and what they say and do when bullying occurs.

• Encourage your child to tell you about the incident(s).
• Be supportive.
• Talk to your child’s coach or the club’s Member Protection Information Officer about the bullying as soon as you become aware of it.
• Work with the club if there are particular issues involving your child e.g., if your child has been bullied or has been accused of bullying.
• Make sure you’re aware of the club’s policies (e.g., Member Protection Policy or specific anti-bullying policy) and Code of Behaviour – if the club doesn’t have these policies or if they’re difficult to understand, talk to the club administrator about the issue.
• Investigate - if your child has been accused of bullying, find out why they’re bullying other children and work with them on changing their behaviour.
• Monitor the situation and if it doesn’t improve talk to the club administrator about the behaviour and document the discussion.