Bullying Concern Assessment Form (BCAF)

BCAF Step 1 & 2:  Assessment of the Concern: Reaching a decision - the process.

When a concern involving bullying-type behaviour is reported, school staff must follow the statutory response flow to ensure a consistent and legally compliant approach:

• Information Gathering: Collect details about the reported concern and review previous records to identify any patterns or history.
• Documentation: Initiate a Bullying Concern Assessment Form (BCAF) Part 1, and store it securely in digital format.
• Assessment: Designated staff assess the concern against TRIP criteria or one-off incidents.
• Policy Alignment:
  • If the concern meets the criteria, staff follow procedures outlined in the school’s Addressing Bullying-Type Behaviour Policy BCAF Part 2 will be completed identifying methods and potential motivation.
  • If it does not meet the criteria, staff refer to other relevant pastoral policies such as SEND, Safeguarding, Positive Behaviour etc.
• Monitoring and Support: Track and evaluate progress for all pupils involved—whether experiencing or displaying bullying type behaviour—in line with the SEND Code of Practice.
• Ongoing Review: Regularly assess the effectiveness of support plans, interventions, and BCAF documentation (Parts 3 & 4), in collaboration with pupils and their parents/carers to ensure agreed outcomes are achieved.

1. Collect details about the reported concern and review previous records to identify any patterns, evidence of repetition, intent or history.
2. Based the gathered information, complete the TRIP criteria grid to determine whether bullying-type behaviour has occurred. Key staff should work collaboratively to complete the BCAF, ensuring shared accountability and supporting the best possible outcomes for all pupils involved. Please note: The assessment of TRIP criteria is determined at the school level and remains a school-based decision.

Determining Next Steps Based on TRIP Criteria

If one or more of the four TRIP criteria are not met, the behaviour is classified as socially unacceptable rather than bullying-type behaviour. In such cases, schools should not proceed with Parts 2-4 of the Bullying Concern Assessment Form (BCAF). Instead, the incident should be addressed through the relevant SEN, Safeguarding Pastoral policy. Staff should continue to track and monitor the behaviour to prevent escalation.

If all four criteria are met, bullying-type behaviour has occurred. Schools should then complete Parts 2 and 3 of the BCAF. Part 4 should be completed following a review of the effectiveness of the support measures outlined in Part 3.

Assessing Intent Under the 2016 Act

The 2016 Act requires schools to consider whether a pupil intended to cause harm when determining if an incident meets the legal definition of bullying-type behaviour. The following factors should be considered when assessing intent through the TRIP framework:

• Capacity for self-regulation and understanding of behavioural impact
• Developmental age and stage
• Additional needs—educational, special, physical, or medical
• Presenting behavioural profile, whether diagnosed or undiagnosed (e.g. Social, Behavioural and Emotional Wellbeing, Autism, ADHD, Moderate Learning Difficulties)
• Individual circumstances, including trauma history, safeguarding concerns, family context, and resilience

Key staff will work collaboratively to complete the Bullying Concern Assessment Form (BCAF), ensuring shared accountability and supporting the best possible outcomes for all pupils involved.

Once TRIP criteria have been assessed and bullying-type behaviour is collaboratively confirmed, schools must specify the method used and identify any potential motivation behind the incident.

In line with legal requirements, the Education Authority (EA) and schools must give due regard to promoting equality of opportunity across nine categories: age, gender, disability, marital status, political opinion, caring responsibilities, sexual orientation, religion, and ethnicity. Additionally, EA and schools must consider the promotion of good relations in relation to political opinion, religion, and ethnicity.

The BCAF Intervention Plan is not a substitute for other active pupil plans e.g. Pupil Learning Plan (PLP), Social, Behavioural, Emotional and Well-being Plan (SBEW), Risk Assessment and Management Plan (RAMP), Risk Reduction and Action Plan (RRAP), Children Looked After Personal Education Plan (PEP), but should complement and refer to them as appropriate, avoiding duplication.

Interventions: Supporting Pupils Experiencing and/or Displaying Bullying-Type Behaviour

School staff should refer to the updated Effective Responses to Bullying Behaviour summary table within the ABSIT Policy template. They should use the descriptors to determine the appropriate response level (Levels 1–4) and align selected interventions with existing pupil support plans.

Additional intervention frameworks may be considered, including:

• SEN Resource File
• High Five Hub (Primary)
• Boxall Profile
• Nurture Approaches
• Emotional Health and Wellbeing Framework
• Trauma-Informed Practice
• IES Newcomer Good Practice Guidance
• Putting Care into Education

All interventions must be co-developed in partnership with the pupil, their parents/carers, and the school. The focus should be on relationship repair—responding, resolving, and restoring—rather than relying on a sanction-led approach.

For pupils on the SEND register, whether experiencing and/or displaying bullying-type behaviour, support must include reasonable adjustments in line with SENDO (2005). Safeguarding and multi-agency collaboration should be prioritised throughout.

All behaviour is a form of communication and must be understood through a young person’s lens. Incidents should be addressed in a relational, supportive, nurturing, and solution-focused manner, aligned with both Safeguarding and SEND principles

Setting Success Criteria

When establishing Success Criteria, staff should apply SMART(E) principles—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timebound, and Evidence-based—to guide adult-led monitoring and support.

Effective Success Criteria should:

1. Enhance pupils’ sense of safety and connection
2. Reflect positive, unconditional regard for the pupil(s)
3. Distinguish the pupil from their behaviour, promoting dignity and respect

Collaboration is key: Parents/carers and pupils must be actively involved in the development of Success Criteria to ensure relevance and shared ownership.

Sensitive communication matters: Concerns related to bullying-type behaviour should never be shared via text, voicemail, or Parent App. Instead, they must be communicated thoughtfully and in line with the Rationale for Planning and Recording Information guidance

Part 4 of the Bullying Concern Assessment Form (BCAF) focuses on reviewing the effectiveness of actions taken to support pupils who have experienced or displayed bullying-type behaviour.

To maintain open and constructive communication, face-to-face meetings with parents/carers are advised as best practice. Where appropriate, schools should also engage with external agencies involved with the pupil or family to collaboratively inform and agree on the ongoing support plan.

Following a review of progress, staff should assess the situation using the agreed criteria and determine next steps to ensure continued support and resolution.

• Intervention agreed as successful by consensus. Proceed to case closure.
• Intervention agreed as sufficiently successful by consensus.  Proceed to case closure.
• Intervention agreed as moderately successful by consensus. Review and maintain BCAF for an agreed period, revisiting parts 3a and 3b.
• Intervention had limited success. Review and maintain BCAF for an agreed period. Revisit parts 3a and 3b and select alternative strategies aligned to graduated response.