Councillor Keith Glazier has put the issue on his priority list and says it’s just the start of a campaign that aims to reduce bullying wherever it occurs in the county.
Announcing the initiative at a Lewes Area Youth Development Conference, Councillor Glazier, said: "We are committed to the fact that there should be no tolerance of bullying or the culture of acceptance of bullying in our community.
"We will launch our strategy by the end of this year – this will be the start of much closer working between professionals, agencies, schools and young people to find the best possible ways to stamp out the problem.”
Councillor Glazier said the issue is being given a high priority because the Council had listened to the views of local young people and their parents.
"At the last youth conference, we recognised the depth of young people’s concerns about bullying. The vast majority also felt the existing systems were not effective enough to deal with the problem. I believe that the best way to make changes is to tackle the issue head on and that’s why I’ve made anti-bullying a top priority.”
The County Council has already appointed a strategic lead officer – John Khan – to work on anti-bullying initiatives. John is linking up with other professionals, councils, agencies, schools and colleges, young people and the wider community to improve ways of tackling bullying.
The Council’s anti-bullying strategy will set out the path the Council will take to help create an environment where all members of schools and the wider community feel safe, respected and valued and where bullying cannot flourish.
Reference:
04/373/MF
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