<aside> 💡 Applicable to: All

This policy takes account of the Residential Holiday Schemes for Disabled Children (England) Regulations (2013) and the National Minimum Standards for Residential Holiday Schemes for Disabled Children (Department for Education).

This policy has been approved by the OMH Board of Trustees

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Policy Statement

Oundle  Mencap Holidays is dedicated to the prevention of bullying in any form. All holiday makers and volunteers have the right to a secure and caring environment. They also have a responsibility to contribute, in whatever way they can, to protecting and maintaining this environment.

Definition of Bullying

There is no legal definition of bullying.   Common characteristics of bullying are:

• Deliberate and repeated behaviour, with the intention of causing distress or harm, either physically or emotionally to others.
• It can be orchestrated by groups or an individual and aimed at groups or individuals, e.g., because of race, gender, religion or sexual orientation.
• Bullying can be verbal, physical, emotional or electronic.
• A bully is someone who targets others and makes them unhappy or frightened over a period of time.

Bullying can include: physical assaults; teasing, mocking; name calling, insulting comments; making threats; cyber bulling via electronic media; spreading rumours; stealing (hiding or damaging) someone else’s property, taking or demanding monies; excluding someone from a group activity; writing offensive notes, letters, graffiti.

A single incident may not be bullying, however if a behaviour is repeated it may be categorised as such.

The Law

Some forms of bullying are illegal and should be reported to the police.  These include: theft; violence or assault; repeated harassment or intimidation; hate crimes.

The Children’s Act (1989), states that a bullying incident should be raised as a concern where there is “reasonable cause to suspect that a child is suffering, or is likely to suffer, significant harm”.  In the context of OMH this principle equally applies to bullying of vulnerable adults. Where this is the case, incidents should be raised as outlined in the OSMH document on the protection of children and vulnerable adults.

Responsibilities

All participants in holiday schemes overseen by OMH seek to prevent bullying in the ways outlined.

Volunteers

• show self-respect and respect for others, providing good role models to the holiday makers.
• demonstrate high standards of personal and social behaviour