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Children's Homes
Resources
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the case studies page of the toolkit.
Children in care are among the groups who are most vulnerable to
bullying. They report twice the level of bullying than other
children in primary years and four times the level in secondary
years.
Children who are looked after and living away from home are
particularly vulnerable, and may face discrimination from other
children at school and in the community, simply because they are
looked after.
In a consultation for Ofsted’s Children’s Rights Director, two
thirds of children in care or living away from home said that
bullying is getting worse. 14% said that they were bullied ‘often
or most of the time’, while a further 20% were bullied sometimes.
When children live together new hierarchies can form, with the
strongest bullying the weaker or younger ones. When supervision is
limited or staff change frequently, an underlying culture can
develop in which children do not report bullying. Looked after
children may have several placements and have to adapt to new
situations and people repeatedly. They can lose contact with
friends and often with extended family members. There may be higher
levels of psychiatric disorders, with conduct and anxiety disorders
being the most common. The life experiences, lost friendships and
family difficulties of some children in care emphasise how
important it is that they are protected from bullying and supported
to avoid bullying others. Staff may find it difficult to know who
are the victims and the perpetrators. Some young people constantly
change their status between victim and bully.