(Last reviewed 08/01/25)
Relevant Legislation & Guidance
• Children’s Act 1989, Regulations & Guidance Volume 4
• Fostering Service Regulations 2011
• National Minimum Standards for Fostering Services, Standard 3
• Care Standards Act 2000
• Safe from Bullying 2009
• Working Together to Safeguard Children, 2018
• The Online Safety Act 2023
Policy Statement
At Positive Aspirations, we are committed to creating an inclusive, respectful, and safe environment for all children, young people, foster carers, staff, and associated professionals. This policy outlines our zero-tolerance stance on bullying and discrimination, in line with relevant legislation and guidance.
Bullying and discriminatory incidents of any kind are unacceptable within fostering households. If bullying or discrimination occurs, it will be taken seriously and addressed promptly and effectively.
All children and young people in our care are encouraged to speak up and should feel confident that foster carers and, where appropriate, their supervisors will respond without delay.
We are a ‘telling’ organisation. This means that anyone in or visiting the foster home—including children and young people, foster carers, supervisors, social workers, and other professional visitors—who knows of or suspects bullying or discrimination is expected to inform someone who can help resolve the issue.
When bullying or discrimination happens outside the foster home—whether at school or in the community—the Agency’s foster carers must be alert to this possibility and must support the young person to report concerns, follow up outcomes, and seek support from the relevant organisations.
Objectives of this Policy
• To prevent and respond to bullying and discriminatory behaviour.
• To promote equality, inclusion, and mutual respect among everyone in our fostering community.
• To ensure children and young people feel safe, valued, and empowered to report concerns.
The Agency is committed to providing a friendly, caring, and safe environment so every child can live and grow in a relaxed and secure atmosphere.
All foster carers and Agency staff should understand what bullying and discriminatory incidents are.
All foster children and birth children should understand what bullying and discriminatory incidents are.
All foster carers and staff should know the Agency’s anti-bullying and discriminatory incidents policy and follow it when any bullying or discrimination is reported or suspected.
All foster children and young people placed with Agency carers should know the Agency’s anti-bullying and discriminatory incidents policy and understand what to do if bullying or discrimination happens or is suspected.
Definition of Bullying
Bullying may be defined as deliberately hurtful behaviour involving a power imbalance. This behaviour is usually repeated over time, making it difficult for the person being bullied to defend themselves.
Bullying can take many forms, but the five main types are:
• Physical – hitting, kicking, pushing, any other act of violence, or theft.
• Verbal – racist or discriminatory remarks, threats, name-calling, sarcasm, spreading rumours, and teasing.
• Emotional – deliberately isolating an individual from activities and social acceptance by their peer group, including unfriendly behaviour, tormenting, taunts, and discriminatory remarks based on race, gender, disability, or sexual orientation.
• Sexual – unwanted sexual contact, whether physical or verbal.
• Cyber Bullying – when a child, pre-teen, or teen is tormented, threatened, harassed, humiliated, embarrassed, or otherwise targeted by another child using the internet or other interactive and digital technologies such as Facebook and other social-media websites.
The effects of bullying can cause considerable distress to children and young people, potentially harming their health and development and, in extreme cases, leading to significant harm, including self-harm. When responding to a bullying incident, foster carers should consider:
• The seriousness of the incident.
• The safety of the child.
It is the Agency’s responsibility to ensure foster carers promote positive, open relationships that support our ethos of care—characterised by respect, tolerance, cooperation, and vigilance for signs of bullying. To achieve this, foster carers are expected to:
• Challenge sarcastic comments, derogatory name-calling, and humiliating behaviour toward a child.
• Ensure that the child who has been targeted feels safe.
• Encourage positive behaviour from those who bully and/or those who collude.
• Listen to children and young people when they share their experiences of bullying.
The Supervising Social Worker, Team Manager, and/or Registered Manager must be informed of any incidents of bullying. Depending on the circumstances, a meeting may be required with the Social Worker and/or school or the parent of the child or young person who has bullied to discuss the incident and its consequences, then agree a strategy to prevent further incidents.
Signs and Symptoms of bullying
A child or young person may show signs or behaviours that suggest they are being bullied. Every child is unique, and signs of bullying can vary widely. Any changes from a child or young person’s usual behaviour or routine should be monitored and explored.
Foster carers should be aware of these possible signs and investigate if a child:
• changes their usual routine
• becomes withdrawn, anxious, or lacks confidence
• has unexplained cuts or bruises
• starts stammering
• reverts to more immature behaviours (e.g., thumb-sucking or bed-wetting)
• flinches
• becomes aggressive, disruptive, or unreasonable
• is bullying other children or siblings
• stops eating
• attempts or threatens suicide or runs away
• cries themselves to sleep at night
• has nightmares
• feels ill in the morning
• changes in school-work achievements
• comes home with clothes torn or books/possessions damaged
• has possessions go ‘missing’
• asks for money or starts stealing money (to pay a bully)
• is frightened of walking to or from school
• does not want to go on the school/public bus
• asks to be driven/taken to school
• is unwilling to go to school
• avoidance of certain days/lessons
• begins truanting
• has dinner or other monies continually ‘lost’
• comes home ‘starving’ (money or lunch has been stolen)
• is frightened to say what’s wrong
• gives improbable excuses for any of the above
It must be remembered that some victims of bullying do not appear to exhibit any of these signs, and that these signs and behaviours could indicate other problems, particularly as fostered children have often experienced traumatic life circumstances. Bullying should always be considered a possibility and should be investigated.
What is discriminatory incident?
Discrimination involves unfair treatment based on protected characteristics as defined by the Equality Act 2010, including:
• Race, ethnicity, or nationality.
• Gender or gender identity.
• Sexual orientation.
• Disability.
• Religion or belief.
• Age.
As with bullying, discriminatory behaviour can be physical, verbal, or indirect and can occur face-to-face, via third parties, or through means such as text messaging, emails, or internet chat rooms. Discriminatory behaviour often focuses directly on a person’s race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, or disability—e.g., racist, homophobic, or sexist comments. It can also occur when no direct reference is made, such as deliberately and persistently excluding someone.
Not all incidents of bullying are discriminatory, and not all discriminatory incidents constitute bullying—for example, a one-off sexist or racist comment made in an argument.
Discrimination can take many forms:
Racist: racial taunts, insults, racist comments or jokes, offensive mimicry, graffiti, gestures, being called derogatory names because of ethnicity, nationality, or skin colour, ridicule for cultural differences (e.g., food, music, dress), physical assault because of race, racist graffiti, reading racist materials, property damage or arson, or provocative behaviour such as wearing racist badges or insignia.
Sexual: affecting any gender, unwanted physical contact or sexually abusive comments or gestures, remarks about appearance, attractiveness, or puberty, threats of physical assault, requests for sexual favours, threatening behaviour, sexual assault, rape, or attempted rape.
Homophobic: focusing on sexual orientation; use of inappropriate language, threats to “expose” lesbian or gay young people, anonymous phone calls and threatening letters, or persistently ignoring or excluding lesbian and gay young people from group activities.
Disability: focusing on disability, including name-calling, taunts, exclusion from groups/activities, deliberate acts to cause inconvenience, threatening behaviour, or victimisation for having additional support.
Difference: focusing on any difference, including personal hygiene, appearance, clothing, family/home life, being in care, diet, academic abilities, sporting abilities, or any other area of skill.
Religious: Islamophobic or anti-Semitic name-calling and mimicry, discriminatory graffiti, isolation through peers refusing to co-operate because of religious beliefs, physical assault due to race, colour, ethnicity, or religion, derogatory names, insults, jokes, or ridicule of cultural differences (e.g., food, music, dress).
Importance of responding to bullying and/or discriminatory behaviour?
Most adults can recall experiencing bullying and/or discrimination at some point in their lives and remember the lasting impact. Bullying hurts; discrimination hurts. No one deserves to be a victim. Everyone has the right to be treated with respect. Children and young people who bully and/or discriminate need to learn healthier ways of behaving.
Foster carers, supported by their supervisors, have a responsibility to respond promptly and effectively to bullying and discrimination, whether in the household, at school, or in the community.
Anti–Bullying and Discriminatory Incident Procedures
The Agency requires that all foster carers and the staff supervising them have a range of appropriate methods and strategies to help children and young people prevent bullying and discriminatory incidents.
When each young person joins a foster home, they are made aware of expected behaviour, including zero tolerance for bullying or discriminatory behaviour and the need to report any occurrences—whether toward themselves or observed toward others.
Foster carers must work, alongside other professionals where necessary, to support young people in developing assertiveness, taking responsibility, managing anger, negotiating, and resolving conflict.
Foster carers to make sure all young people are aware of ChildLine’s confidential counselling service for young people in trouble or danger, and of the range of other support organisations available.
Foster carers need to be familiar with social media and the risks of inappropriate use. Computers should be used in shared areas of the home; parental controls should be applied where possible; and use of phones, the internet, and social networks should be monitored as agreed within the care plan.
All incidents of bullying and/or discriminatory behaviour will be recorded by foster carers in the daily log, and the supervisor and child’s social worker will be informed via phone and/or email. Likewise, any relevant staff from school or other organisations must be contacted and met with as soon as possible. If necessary and appropriate, the police will be consulted.
Where necessary, a referral will be made to the Agency Education Consultant for additional support for the child and the foster carer.
As good practice, foster carers should obtain a copy of the school’s bullying policy so that, if issues arise within the school or community, they can ensure the school follows its policy and, with support from the Supervising Social Worker or Education Consultant, hold the school to account when it does not.
All bullying and/or discriminatory behaviour, and threats of bullying and/or discrimination, must be investigated and stopped quickly.
Within the home, or in liaison with the school or another organisation, all children/young people involved and their parents/carers will be supported to understand bullying and/or discriminatory behaviour and its effects. Strategies to help the child who is bullying and/or discriminating to change their behaviour will be put in place and monitored. The child who has been subjected to bullying and/or discrimination will also be monitored.
Children who are being bullied are often frightened to speak about what is happening, so foster carers must be prepared for the child or young person to deny at first that anything is wrong.
The child or young person should be given a safe time and space to talk through what has happened. They should be reassured that it is not their fault and that bullying should never be tolerated. They should be involved in deciding how, when, and with whom to follow up the issue.
Having one-to-one time with a child or young person each day provides a safe space for them to open up about any difficulties they are facing, including incidents of bullying.
If a child prefers, they should be allowed a safe environment to write down their concerns.
N.B. This policy is relevant to children and young people in foster homes. For issues relating to bullying in the workplace, see the accompanying Agency staff policy.
Appendix – Useful organisations
ChildLine 0800 1111 www.childline.org.uk
Young people can call ChildLine free at any time for confidential information and advice about any problem, including bullying. Children who are deaf or find using a regular phone difficult can use the textphone service on 0800 400 222. The website also has more information, advice, and true stories about bullying.
Parentline Plus 0808 800 2222 www.parentlineplus.org
Confidential 24-hour helpline for parents and carers concerned about a wide range of issues, including bullying.
Advisory Centre for Education (ACE) 0808 800 5793 www.ace-ed.org.uk
This organisation publishes information sheets on bullying and runs a helpline 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday to Friday.
Bullying UK 0808 800 2222 www.bullying.co.uk
An online service with information, articles, resources, and ideas for both parents/carers and young people.
Young Minds 0800 018 2138 www.youngminds.org.uk
A charity that supports parents and carers with concerns about young people’s emotional wellbeing or behaviour and has a section for young people. The free advice line for parents and carers is Monday and Friday 10 a.m.–1 p.m.; Tuesday and Thursday 1–4 p.m.; Wednesday 1–4 p.m. and 6–8 p.m.
Get Connected 0808 808 4994 www.getconnected.org.uk
Free, confidential telephone and email helpline that directs young people to the best help for any problem. Helpline open daily 1–11 p.m.
Victim Support 0845 3030 900 www.victimsupport.org.uk
Confidential information and support for people affected by crime.
Department for Education www.education.gov.uk
The government education department website contains useful articles and documents regarding bullying within education.
The Fostering Network 0800 040 7675 www.fostering.net
Fosterline, the confidential advice line for foster carers, provides independent, impartial advice about fostering issues. Open 9 a.m.–5 p.m. Monday to Friday, with late opening until 8 p.m. on Wednesdays. If you cannot get through, or it is outside opening hours, you can leave a message and a Fosterline Adviser will call you back as soon as possible.
Children’s Commissioner
Sanctuary Buildings, Great Smith St, Westminster, London SW1P 3BT
Tel No: 020 7783 830
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