Bullying is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour involving the misuse of power that can make a person feel vulnerable, upset, humiliated undermined or threatened. Harassment is when someone intentionally or unintentionally violates a person’s dignity or creates an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment, which interferes with an individual’s learning, working or social environment.
If you think someone you know is being bullied, there are lots of ways in which you can help them.
What can you do?
Think
- Are they in immediate danger? If they are in immediate danger or seriously injured, you can call 999 (or 112 from a mobile).
- Find a safe space. If an incident has just happened try and find somewhere they feel safe.
Talk
- Listen. Just taking the time to listen to someone and talk about what has happened can help. These six active listening tips might help you support them.
- If someone you know has been affected, you can encourage them to seek support. Alternatively you make an anonymous disclosure which will allow us to investigate if there are multiple instances in one area.
- Give options. When they have finished talking ask them if they are okay to talk through some possible options and next steps.
Get Support
- Report and Get Support. An advisor can talk through the University's procedures and what support is available, in confidence. Advisors can talk to someone who is experiencing something, or someone who is supporting that person.
- University Procedure. Reporting via Report and Support does not necessarily initiate a formal investigative process, but will allow an appropriate member of staff to contact you to speak to you about the options available to you, and the steps we may take as a University. The information you provide in this report will only be shared with relevant members of staff on a need-to-know basis.
(Based on the Samaritans guidelines for active listening)