Bullying-type behaviour can occur in every community. To address this, a new law came into effect in Northern Ireland on 1 September 2021. This legislation provides schools with a single, clear legal definition to assess all reported incidents of bullying-type behaviour within the school environment.
What is the legal definition?
“Bullying” includes, but isn’t limited to, repeated verbal, written or electronic communication, by a pupil(s) against another pupil(s) that is intended to cause psychological or physical harm. This also includes leaving someone out on purpose.
How is the legal definition used to assess bullying type behaviour?
To assess concerns of bullying type behaviour, schools use the TRIP criteria below. All four criteria must be met for bullying type behaviour to be confirmed.
- T - When the behaviour is TARGETED at a specific pupil or group of pupils.
- R - When the behaviour is REPEATED over a reasonable period.
- I - When the behaviour is deliberately INTENDED to cause harm.
- P - When the behaviour causes PSYCHOLOGICAL and/or PHYSICAL harm.
What happens if the behaviour doesn’t meet TRIP criteria?
Behaviour that does not meet the legal definition and TRIP criteria is referred to as socially unacceptable behaviour. Whether socially unacceptable or bullying type behaviour, schools will support all young people involved to address behaviours effectively.
Concerns initially assessed as ‘socially unacceptable behaviour’ may be reclassified as ‘bullying-type behaviour’ if new information emerges, additional concerns are reported, and the TRIP criteria are subsequently met.
What about a one-off incident?
A significant one-off incident can be considered bullying type behaviour if schools include reference to it in their Addressing Bullying Type Behaviour Policy.
For instance, a single digital communication that has been repeatedly shared with the intention of causing harm may meet TRIP criteria.
Schools aim to avoid labelling a child or young person based on their presenting behaviour. Instead, they focus on providing support through a relational, solution-focused approach. For this reason, schools refer to those involved as ‘the pupil experiencing and/or displaying bullying-type behaviour’.