October is National Bullying Prevention Month. Bullying can have a detrimental effect on a child’s well-being, and children who have experienced abuse or neglect are at a higher risk for bullying among their peers because of the trauma they have experienced in their home lives.
Program Manager Gilbert shared that among the children CASA serves, “Bullying happens very, very often, unfortunately, especially for youth in their adolescent years.”
Program Manager Gilbert shared that among the children CASA serves, “Bullying happens very, very often, unfortunately, especially for youth in their adolescent years.”
When a child is being bullied, Gilbert said, the child’s CASA volunteer and advocacy team often know about it without the child having to tell them. Because the CASA volunteer is in communication with the youth’s teacher, counselor, and placement, another adult in the child’s life may have let their CASA volunteer know about an incident or other signs of bullying in its early stages. This allows the young person to have a safe space to vent or problem solve.
If a child is being bullied, the CASA volunteer and their advocacy team work to ensure they put as many safety measures in place to mitigate as much risk as possible. The volunteer also works with the placement and school to ensure a safety plan is in place.
For children who are bullying others, CASA takes a similar approach. Their advocacy team understands that some behaviors are a response to trauma and require support rather than punitive action.
“A lot of the things these youth do are triggered from behaviors they’ve learned or trauma they’ve experienced when they are younger. They haven’t experienced healthy relationships like other kids. We have to be careful with that and make sure those around them, their volunteer, and their advocacy team are aware of that,” Gilbert shared.
CASA works hard to remain trauma-informed so that teams can advocate to put supports in place for youth. Our advocacy teams work to focus on the whole child rather than the behavior.
Small actions like engaging in more conversations about mental health and normalizing therapy or other supports when a child is struggling are critical steps to preventing and responding to bullying.
Check out StopBullying.gov for prevention and safety resources.
As a CASA volunteer, you have the opportunity to be a healthy relationship and advocate in the life of a child! Learn more about becoming a CASA volunteer at https://www.casatravis.org/volunteer.
