While St Peregrines is recognised for the overall developmental opportunities it provides to young people the club is not immune to instances of poor or unacceptable behaviour. Such behaviour may in fact be deemed to be breaches of the Code of Behaviour. A notable example of such behaviour is Bullying. Unfortunately, Bullying may occur in school settings, in communities, in the workplace, via social media interaction or within our sports association where a small cohort of people may choose or even direct others to engage in Bullying behaviour.

St Peregrines aims to create a supportive environment where any form of bullying is unacceptable. We adopt a whole club approach to addressing bullying and are committed to implementing structures and relevant training to deal with allegations of bullying. St Peregrines is committed to achieving an ethos of respect so as to maximise the potential of all our members when playing or participating in our Gaelic Games.

We recognise that incidents of bullying are a serious breach of the Code of Behaviour and of our “Give Respect - Get Respect” initiative and all such incidents will be dealt with accordingly. Our duty and challenge as Club leaders, coaches or parents is to challenge, counteract and eliminate such unacceptable behaviour through awareness, education and proactive measures that are based on inclusivity and respect for all in St Peregrines GAA Club.

Our aim is to:

• Understand Bullying and its possible impact within the context of St Peregrines GAA Club.

• Identify a range of approaches in relation to preventing Bullying

• Equip ourselves to deal with incidents of Bullying

• Maintain and utilise an Anti-Bullying Policy within our club

• Implement a “whole club approach” to any instances of Bullying:

o Recognising that Bullying can be tackled by all in the Club – Players, Coaches, Parents, Referees...

o Promoting policies and procedures which aim to prevent Bullying in the first instance and intervene when appropriate

o Shifting from a problem based focus to a solution based focus

o Creating a supportive environment where its “ok to tell”

o Creating an awareness, and implementation, of best practice St Peregrines seeks to ensure that:

• Any and all Incidents of bullying behaviour are addressed efficiently and appropriately

• All persons who are members of St Peregrines GAA Club, or are attending our games/activities, are aware that bullying behaviour is unacceptable in the GAA and, by association, St Peregrines.

Definition

Bullying behaviour can be defined as unwanted negative behaviour be it verbal, psychological or physical conducted by an individual or group against others and which is repeated over time. This includes cyber-bullying and identity-based bullying such as homophobic bullying and racist bullying.

It is widely accepted that bullying contains seven key features:

• An intention to be hurtful

• This intention is carried out

• The behaviour harms the target

• The bully overwhelms the target with his/her power

• There is often no justification for the action

• The behaviour repeats itself again and again

• The bully derives a sense of satisfaction from hurting the target Bullying can happen from:

• Young person to young person

• Young person to adult

• Adult to young person

• Adult to adult Signs of bullying include:

• Fear of going to training , games or school

• Poor or deteriorating schoolwork, inability to concentrate

• Withdrawn behaviour

• Depression

• Loss of confidence

• Reluctance to go out

• Shortage of money

• Torn clothes, broken glasses, missing schoolbooks

• Repeated signs of bruising and injuries

Prevention of Bullying:

• Adoption of the joint Code of Behaviour (Underage) which highlights good practice and clarifies that instances of Bullying are deemed to be a breach of the Code

• Creation of a supportive environment for all where it is not acceptable to Bully and highlight that St Peregrines has a “zero tolerance” for Bullying

• Development of an ethos in which it is “ok to tell” the Club Children’s Officer or team coach of incidents of Bullying. Underage players should be made aware

of the policy that “it’s ok to tell” and be supported if they report any incidents of Bullying.

• Publicise St Peregrines Anti-Bullying Statement and display of Anti-Bullying Posters

Dealing with bullying

If you are aware of, or have a concern that, bullying behaviour is happening within St Peregrines you should report the matter to the Club Children’s Officer who will assess the report in the context of the Code of Behaviour:

• Confidentiality will be maintained

• Children’s Officer will collate all relevant information

• Children’s Officer will conduct an initial assessment

• Children’s Officer will carefully consider all information to determine whether an incident of Bullying has occurred

• Children’s Officer informs the alleged bully and target as to what procedures will follow on from the assessment

• If bullying has occurred it is dealt with as per Section 4 of the Code of Behaviour (Dealing with Alleged Breaches of the Code of Behaviour).