Help! The bullying does not stop.

It is upsetting that the bullying does not stop! When your child has been bullied for a long time and feels lonely, you can expect the school to take action. Sometimes it is not possible to stop the bullying. This can be because the school does too little or cannot handle the bullying. Below you can read what steps you can take then.

The school does too little against bullying

Not every school accepts bullying situations. Talking to the teacher does not help or the school does not keep to agreements. This is hard. You have a sad, angry, and frustrated child at home. This can lead to a child who does not want to go to school or gets health problems. Luckily, there are things you can do if you feel the school does not take your worries seriously. You can look for extra help inside or outside the school:

Look for help inside the school

Sometimes you notice the school tries too little to stop bullying, while the anti-bullying policy offers more ways and tools. Try to solve it inside the school first: talk to the teacher, your child’s mentor, the department head and finally the director. If this talk does not lead to solutions or actions, then contact the school governing body. You can also make a complaint. Does this not help? Then you can contact these people:

• School governing body (you can also make a complaint here)
• Confidential adviser (look in the school guide for more information)
• School doctor
• Bullying coordinator
• School participation council (the school participation council is not for personal cases, but you can share ideas or suggestions about the school’s bullying policy)

Help outside the school

Can you not solve it inside the school? Or is your child’s safety seriously at risk? Then you can look for help outside the school. You have these options:

• Have you made a complaint to the school governing body but it is not solved? If the school is part of a national complaints committee, you can also make a complaint there.
• If the complaint is not handled well, you can contact the children’s ombudsman.
• Make a report to the education inspectorate. They usually do not act immediately but check the safety policy at the next inspection. You can make a report here.
• If bullying seriously threatens your child, you can contact the confidential inspector of the education inspectorate.
• If your child no longer wants to go to school and stays home, contact the attendance officer of your municipality.
• In some cases, you can file a report at the police.
• Organize help for your child. Bullying can have a big impact on your child’s feeling of safety and self-image.
• It can also be hard for you as a parent. If you want to talk, contact us. You can also call the parent phone.
• An external confidential adviser. Check the school guide for who this is and how to contact.