For children and young people
If you are being bullied or know of someone else who is being bullied, you should tell someone about it. Tell a parent, a teacher or someone you know who will listen to you and help you stop the bullying.
If you cannot find someone to listen and you want to talk to someone now, go to
Kids Helpline or call them on 1800 55 1800. It's a free call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
eheadspace also offers online chat or email support services for young people and their families. If you prefer, you can phone them on 1800 650 890, a free call, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
For parents
If you have specific concerns about your child at school, you are encouraged to contact the class teacher in the first instance. Any matters that cannot be satisfactorily resolved with the class teacher may need to then be addressed by the school principal. If you want to speak to someone else about your child, you can contact
Parentline for confidential counselling and support.
If you believe the bullying behaviour constitutes a crime, you may consider
reporting the bullying to other authorities.
If your child is experiencing serious online bullying, the eSafety Commissioner provides steps to
make a complaint.
For school staff
For assistance with managing incidents of cyberbullying and reputation management, Department of Education staff should contact the Cybersafety and Reputation Management team (Visit OnePortal for the contact information).
The
Advice for state schools on acceptable use of ICT facilities and devices (DOCX, 505KB) document sets out the department's position on managing mobile phones.
The
eSafety Commissioner provides resources for students, teachers and caregivers regarding cybersafety. The
eSafety Toolkit for Schools is a free suite of evidence-based resources designed to support schools to create safer online environments.
The Department of Education, in collaboration with school authorities from the Commonwealth, State and Territory governments and Catholic and Independent sectors, has developed a national website,
Bullying. No Way! to assist Australian school communities create learning environments where every student and community member is safe, supported, respected, valued and free from bullying, violence, harassment and discrimination.