Kidscape is an Anti-Bullying charity. We were founded by child psychologist Michele Elliott in 1985 tokeep children safe from abuse and bullying.
Primarily known as a Child Protection Charity, Kidscape has expanded over the years, working in collaboration with a number of external agencies, to offer advice and support to children and young people, parents and carers and professionals.
In 2019, Kidscape were able to expand their services into Wales, with a series of ZAP Anti-Bullying workshops for schools and communities, to help children to recognise bullying; whilst building resilience and confidence skills to overcome bullying situations. We understand the larger effect that bullying can have on families too, which is why we also offer advice and support to parents and carers. We empower them to work collaboratively with schools and education providers to try find a resolution or signpost the appropriate steps to take should that not be possible.
Research has shown that 1 in 4 children are bullied or have experienced bullying, which equates to a staggering 7 children in one class. Since the launch of the ZAP Anti-Bullying workshops, we have made an incredible impact in helping children in Wales (many of whom are experiencing severe bullying) to feel less alone, to use the strategies taught in the workshop to help stop the bullying in its tracks and prevent the long term damaging effects that bullying can have on a person’s mental health and wellbeing.
New research states that 40% of 11-year olds feel anxious about moving up to secondary school, with bullying listed as the top concern! 31% are concerned about not making new friends.
We know that both the fear of bullying and the likelihood of experiencing bullying increases as children transition to secondary school from primary school. Our RISE transition workshops help children to overcome the worries and concerns they may have, with a staggering 95% of children who have attended our RISE workshops saying that they now felt more confident moving up to secondary school.
95% saying that they felt more confident in dealing with a bullying situation. 100% agreed that they felt more confident about making new friends.
We recognise that young people are facing increasing pressures as they reach their teenage years, and their lives are being run ever more so by technology. Many young people use social media to express themselves, to communicate with their friends and family, however research shows that the longer that young people spend online, the more at risk they are of cyberbullying, which offers no escape for the target; yet can offer anonymity to the perpetrator.
We have found that bullying online, often extends from bullying within a community environment, be that a school or after school club. The features of face to face bullying are still prevalent online including social exclusion.
We offer Online Safety and Cyberbullying Awareness for parents and carers, to share ways in how
they can keep their young people safe online, with information around gaming, social media and apps. We show how to enable privacy settings and highlight other organisations that can help. We explore online grooming, sexting, cyberbullying and other potential risks that children may face in the online world.
We know that our work changes lives, and we are truly grateful that we have received funding to deliver our workshops free of charge to children and families in Newport and the surrounding areas. During the Covid-19 lockdown period, we have been able to adapt quickly to deliver our workshops online, to enable us to offer that continuous support to those who need it, as well as providing professional training to leaders out there in the community who encounter young people through their work.
Our vision is for all children to grow up in a world free from bullying and harm, with adults who keep them safe and help them reach their full potential. Please join us and share the help available through Kidscape with your family and friends.
With your support, we can reach more children and families than ever!
To find out more about what we do, or about our workshops, please visit https://www.kidscape.org.uk/