Child protection agency conducting workshops to fight bullying in schools

The Child Protection and Family Services Agency (CPFSA) has partnered with the Anti-bullying Technical Working Group to host a series of workshops focusing on bullying in schools and cyberbullying.

The long-planned series comes amid a reported escalation of violence in schools. 

The first forum, which will be part virtual, is scheduled for the Medallion Hall Hotel in Kingston on Thursday, under the theme 'Make Kindness Go Viral'.

Research and Development Manager at the CPFSA, Gleasia Reid Smith, told JIS News that the workshops initially targeted student-teachers.

She indicated that the forums were intended to equip them with certain soft skills to enable them to assist children in dealing with bullying in school, and cyberbullying.

Reid Smith pointed out, however, that the CPFSA deemed it prudent to extend the outreach to all professionals dealing with children and the focus issues and how these impact the youngsters who are affected.

The target stakeholders now include senior teachers, such as deans of discipline and guidance counsellors; social workers; and children's officers, as well as parents, and the youngsters.

Thursday's cyberbullying workshop will examine how the issue is treated in current legislation, and the extent to which teachers will be aided in navigate the relevant issues.

Case studies will be reviewed during the session to identify antecedents, as also victims' experience, and the extent to which the law can be used as a resource to enable participants to understand cyberbullying.

Among the slated participants are members of the CPFSA Child Advisory Panel and other agency executives; representatives of Bureau of Gender Affairs, Jamaica Constabulary Force, Jamaica Prefect Association, Get Safe International and Bully Proof Kids International, and academia; a children's panel, and cyber experts.

Other workshops are scheduled for December 12, 2022, and March 16 and 17, 2023.

- JIS News contributed to this report. 

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