What are other people saying?

On George and Barbara’s Support Group Method

Professor Al Aynsley-Green, Childrens’ Commissioner for England

“Bullying is an incredibly emotive issue which polarises opinion, particularly for those who wish to have punishment and control and those that may be seen to be liberalist. My view is quite explicit. There is no one size which fits every experience of bullying.

… Bullying is not just an issue for children, it is very relevant to the adult world. Two million adults were described by the TUC as having being bullied in the first six months of 2005. On the issue of no blame, I repeat there is no one size fits all. There is a temptation to have a knee jerk reaction, that we should punish the bully. From my contact with bullies, many of them have been bullied themselves and come from very troubled backgrounds. I am not using that as an excuse for their behaviour, but we need to look at ways of approaching this.

The Anti-Bullying Alliance has been charged with being a no blame organisation, which I do not think it is. What I am asking for is serious thought to be applied to each individual case of bullying, looking at the circumstances and finding the best ways

I ask for a more structured debate about this than just polarised “punish the bullies”. That is not the answer to every issue.”

(From his oral evidence to the House of Commons Education Select Committee on 5 December 2005 ).

http://www.childrenscommissioner.org/

 
Edward Davey MP
Liberal Democrat Shadow Education Secretary

Responding to the Prime Minister's criticism of Bristol City Council's anti-bullying policies, Edward Davey said on 23 November 2005:

" Bristol 's anti-bullying strategy has involved the enthusiastic support of Bristol schools, businesses and local football teams. It is also strongly backed by local Labour MP, Kerry McCarthy.

"The document being launched mentions the "No Blame" approach briefly and only as one of many available approaches. This directly follows the guidance of Mr. Blair's government's own "anti-bullying pack" on the Department for Education website.

"The Prime Minister owes the people of Bristol an apology. His own government's record on school discipline is poor. I'd encourage him to make the time to attend Bristol's anti-bullying initiative on Friday and to learn from a serious, inclusive and well-planned strategy to protect our children from bullying, rather than scoring cheap political points."

Regional Coordinator
Anti-Bullying Alliance

The No Blame approach, which has been the subject of criticism from certain people, is one of many different strategies I use successfully when dealing with bullying cases, along with other methods. The strength of the ABA is the rich mixture of different professionals and the many different working practices available. This sharing of good practice is so useful and effective.

Val McFarlane
Regional Coordinator
Anti-Bullying Alliance

http://www.anti-bullyingalliance.org/index.htm

Young Voice
The national charity that makes young people's views count

We admire the work of George Robinson and Barbara Maines in developing new ways of thinking about resolving bullying and conflict. They have led the way to a re-think of how we teach values and behaviour. Their contribution to anti bullying work is enormous.

Adrienne Katz
Young Voice - The national charity that makes young people's views count
Member of the Anti Bullying Alliance and Regional Coordinator for the West Midlands.

http://www.young-voice.org/ 

National Centre for Restorative Justice in Education, UK

I am concerned about the proposed new, more punitive, anti-bullying policy in schools in England. Punishment may have its place but it can also be ineffective and dangerous.

It does not make young people who bully accountable before the people who have been affected - those victimised themselves, their parents, their own family, and the wider school community.

It does not teach an alternative way of behaving, or answer any of the many questions that all involved need answering to feel safe, better about themselves and move on. It can be dangerous because it does nothing to repair relationships between those bullying and those bullied – and indeed they make them worse. Young people who bully, and their friends, often seek revenge unless they feel fairly treated by the school.

A restorative meeting, which in serious cases should involve not just the young people but their families/carers as well, offers a unique space for those who have been bullied to hear, at first hand, how much pain and distress they have caused to all present.

They then get the chance to acknowledge this, express genuine remorse and make amends. Evidence nationally suggests that this experience can make a dramatic difference in bullying situations, healing relationships, restoring self-esteem, re-building respect and confidence on all sides.

A restorative response is not a 'no-blame' response. It is a 'full accountability /damage repair' response – unlike punishment.

We must remember that punishment can be dangerous and ineffective. Let it be a very last resort if all else fails – but let us be aware of the potential damaging consequences to everyone involved.

Belinda Hopkins
Director
Transforming Conflict
National Centre for Restorative Justice in Education
Mortimer
UK

 www.transformingconflict.org 

Fachstelle fuer schwierige Schulstiuationen
Schulhaus Moosmatt,
Urdorf,
Switzerland

We've run countless training sessions for teachers on "No Blame" in the German-speaking Swiss cantons since 1998. For a few years now, the method has been spreading in Germany.

On the basis of documented case studies and my own professional practice, I can attest to the success of the approach as one element of systematic anti-bullying provisions in schools.

In the context of a school in which clear behavioural expectations are positively expressed, where pupils are encouraged to report any bullying episodes (either to their parents or their teachers) and when pupils and parents know that the teachers will respond immediately and consistently to such incidents, the "No Blame" Support Group Approach has been found to be very effective, very quickly.

The Swiss approach is to find solutions through dialogue. The No Blame Support Group Approach fits our culture.

We find that the victims are much more interested in having the bullying stopped than the bullies punished. The victims aren't so interested in the bullies; they just want to feel better and be able to concentrate on their school work and not be isolated during the school breaks or threatened on the way home.

The key to the method, as I see it, is to give those pupils involved in the bullying a chance to change their behaviour. The method is about assuming responsibility for one's actions.

When we as adults model the behaviour that we expect from the students (respect, dignity, self-responsibility), we are normally rewarded with responses in kind.

I have never yet experienced or heard of a No Blame intervention which has resulted in the situation getting worse for the victim. With a week or two, we can see whether we are having an effect, and, if not, then we move to another form of intervention.

I tell the victims that I work with that the intervention has a 90% chance of success. I tell them that if we are unlucky and the pupil is one of the 10%, then we will continue to find new solutions that will lead to a cessation of the bullying. We won't stop until the bullying stops. We always find a solution.

Christopher Szaday

Fachstelle fuer schwierige Schulsituationen
Schulhaus Moosmatt
Urdorf
Switzerland

William Colenso College
New Zealand

"For the last ten years we have been using the Maines/Robinson (No Blame) Support Group Method to address bullying issues in our school. Our adoption of the method came after extensive research and experience in attempting to deal with bullying behaviour in our college.

The approach is not only the most effective intervention method we have come across (i.e. it works), but it provides the participants with invaluable life-skills in solving relationship conflicts and provides real life opportunities for young people to intervene to challenge anti-social behaviour and support victims.

I am horrified that this programme is under attack.”

Mark Cleary
Principal,
William Colenso College , (Te Kāreti o Wiremu Koroneho),
New Zealand

www.colenso.school.nz

Stockdale Road Primary School
Australia 

Late last year I attended a Professional Development training day on the (No Blame) Support Group Method to Bullying. At the beginning of the day I became quite defensive as George and Barbara purposefully challenged us to think differently about our approach to dealing with bullying. As the day unfolded I began to agree with their premise that bullying (to an extent) is a normal part of human social behaviour. Any approach to dealing with it in schools should aim to stop bullying when it inevitably occurs, rather than to punish it.

Not surprisingly my first chance to use the method came on the following Monday when I got back to school. There was some ongoing victimization of a student in a group of friends.

I followed the method to the letter by first talking to the victim and finding out how she felt and what had happened to her. I asked her to draw or write down the way she felt, which she did very enthusiastically. I explained to her that I was not going to punish anyone, but that I would help to make the bullying stop.

I told her that I was going to talk to the bullies and would she mind if I showed them the drawing she had done. She said she was quite comfortable with me showing them one side of the page, but not the other. I assured her I would do as she requested.

At recess I met with the group responsible for the bullying, as well as two other girls that I had selected from the grade. I knew the latter were astute and had healthy social skills. I told the group that I needed some help to fix a problem for the victim. This is where things strayed from the videos we had seen on the PD day. As soon as I mentioned the victim’s name, the girls in the friendship group folded there arms, began to snarl and put their side of the story.

I had to restrain myself from retaliating on the victim’s behalf. Instead of defending her position, I made notes and said, “I will talk to her about that.” I then continued to emphasise that no one was being blamed. We needed to find ways to help the victim with her problem.

Then I showed the group the victim’s drawings. They touched a raw nerve. Instead of a guilty silence, the drawings drew floods of tears. Not for the victim’s pain, but for their own. Two of the bullies related directly to the feelings represented in the drawings.

I later held individual meetings with the children who were upset. They explained the extreme difficulties that they faced in their family lives. Both were themselves victims in conflict torn homes. I listened intently to their stories and counselled them as best I could. I offered on-going support and talked about ways of managing their feelings.

As things hadn’t gone completely to plan, I wondered how successful the outcomes would be.

To my surprise the victim and the perpetrators came to see me (separately) the following day with looks of relief and happiness on their faces. They expressed gratitude and appreciation for my help. The bullying stopped.

 Brian Strating
Assistant Principal and Welfare Coordinator
Gippsland , Australia

 
Thomas Brown
National Anti-Bullying Awareness Speaker
School Violence and Bullying Film Creator
The United States of America

Regarding the 'no-blame' approach to dealing with school bullying...it's not always easy for people to understand how effective it can actually be. I have shared the no-blame concept at every parent and teacher group I've ever been at, and the results are mixed. But thank goodness, there is always one wonderful teacher who stands up and shares a personal story that completely legitimizes the 'no blame' concept.

Regarding my program, I would get absolutely nowhere if I even 'hinted' at blaming or pointing out bullies in my audience or in general terms.

I always stress that it is 'bullying' that is the problem, not bullies. I stand on the belief that 95% of our school bullies can be reached, provided we give them the tools.

It is not 'bullies' that are our big problem anyway, it is the notion that bullying is 'just a part of growing up' or a 'rite of passage' that has been handed down over the years.

It is the fact that bullying is often made 'light of' in popular children's animated programs and feature films, as well as on more general audience sitcoms.

If anyone is responsible for the epidemic that the school bullying problem ultimately is, it is adult ignorance about the severity of the bullying problem and its affects, on not only the emotional stability of children, but the learning process in general. This kind of attitude is inexcusable when so many child suicides and school shootings were directly caused by school bullying.

By using the 'no blame' concept in my work with children, I don't put the actual bullies in the audience on the defense, because it is 'bullying' that is my focus, rather than children acting out with bullying behavior. Because of that strategy, they are more open-minded to my message, and some, whether we want to believe it or not, actually listen with their heart and mind to the extent that there is change for the good.

A great personal story of mine is the school administrator from Pennsylvania who stopped me before I was to leave for the airport. He was so excited to tell me that after my morning program, a girl who was widely known as one of the worst bullies in the school...had gone around and apologized to various girls and smaller boys that she had picked on.

It is because of the 'no blame' ideals that a miracle was experienced in that school. The principal came right out and told me that he had never seen anything like that happen in his years of being an educator. He added that it was because of my program that the change came about in that girl; a 'bully' that he and his staff had given up on.

But it wasn't anything 'I' did that turned this girl around. It is because she listened when I spoke, and did not turn me off. And why? Because I did not make her out to be a bad person. My focus was on the 'problem' and not bullies.

Imagine that girl in a 'zero tolerance' situation in which bullying was treated like some kind of throw-away problem, in that you get rid of the 'problem' (aka the child) and then all is supposedly well. Would that solve the problem? Would that help her? No. She would return the same antagonist she always was...and I dare say that things would be even worse for her victims. In short, absolutely nothing would have been accomplished by 'placing blame' or using only 'punishment' as the answer.

A father of a bullied boy who took his own life told me that bullying should be treated like a crime, and that schools should post large posters that state exactly that.

I told him then, and I mean it now, I don't want kids to stop bullying because they will 'get in trouble.' I want them to stop because they come to realize that it is unfair and wrong to treat someone in a way that you would not want to be treated yourself.

And the only way to even 'have a chance' of getting a bully to turn their attitude around, is by helping them understand how much it hurts to be bullied in the first place, by using non-threatening tools and awareness, and certainly not by punishing them with suspension or expulsion...or punishing their parents.

Punishment is too easy...too convenient...and it NEVER does any good. For fifteen year, I've been incorporating the no-blame concept in my films and in my school programs, and I will continue to do so....simply because IT WORKS.

Thomas Brown
The Broken Toy Project
LionHeart Multimedia Productions
National Anti-Bullying Awareness Speaker
School Violence and Bullying Film Creator
The United States of America

On the role of George and Barbara in the ABA …

Members of the Anti-Bullying Alliance

As members of the Anti Bullying Alliance we regret the decision by the chief executive of the NCB not to renew the contracts for George Robinson and Barbara Maines in the South West. The quality of the work they have done since their appointment in 2004 has not been in question. As originators of the No Blame, Support Group Approach they have made a valuable contribution to the range of approaches in this field and should not suffer discrimination for this reason.

Anita Compton
London Regional Co-ordinator

Val McFarlane
North East Regional Co-ordinator

Melanie Goddard
Andy Ritchie
North West Regional Coordinator

Peter Smith
Member of the ABA Advisory Group

ChildLine in Partnership with Schools UK

As a UK organisation that has people at grass roots in all regions, I can absolutely confirm that the work in the SW has always been a casebook example of how partnership work can and should happen, to the benefit of all concerned.

Lindsay Gilbert
Head of CHIPS UK (Childline in Partnership with Schools)
ChildLine

www.childline.org.uk

South-West Group, Anti-Bullying Alliance

We have been very happy with the role George Robinson and Barbara Maines have played. They have valuable experience and a broad understanding of the national and local picture. The group is currently in the middle of developing an agreed SW Accreditation Scheme that we feel will have a positive impact on reducing bullying in schools in the SW. We have dates agreed for future meetings.

With George and Barbara's chairmanship we have produced anti-bullying guidance for the region in a very short time span. Both George and Barbara have, as facilitators, encouraged the dissemination and development of a broad spectrum of good practice.

We feel that one of the strengths of this group has been not only to support work in our LEA's for the national Anti-Bullying Week as well as local initiatives but through George and Barbara's extensive knowledge and contacts they have linked us in with good practice in other parts of the country.

This statement represents the personal views of the Local Authority representatives attending the SW ABA meeting on 23.01.06.

Teresa Bliss, Sammy Boyle, Tony Glula, Ester Pickup-keller, Cath Wilson, Sue Walker, Andy Hickson, Bob Basley Geoff Wood

Actionwork, a member of the Anti-Bullying Alliance

As a member of ABA and the ABA South West I am writing to express my dismay on hearing that George Robinson has lost the ABA contract for the South West Region. My understanding is that this was a politically motivated decision due to George's development and support of the 'No-Blame' approach to bullying.

I have been an active member of the South West region ABA since its conception and have found George's organisation of this to be impeccable. He has not pushed the No Blame approach in the region at all, but has in fact advocated a wide range of anti-bullying activities and approaches to all concerned.

What I have noticed in all my dealings with George is that he is very much in favour of a whole school approach and recognises that there is a huge variety of ways to deal with the issue of bullying. I have never heard him suggest that one way is better than another, but like all of us who work in the anti-bullying field, he of course has his own preferred way of working.

George has been a great ambassador for the ABA in the South West and has worked tirelessly in his dealings with local ABA members, the LEA's and a wide range of other groups in the region. His departure is a huge loss to the ABA and will leave a great hole in the region and the alliance as a whole.

Andy Hickson
Director
Actionwork

www.actionwork.com

Childline in Partnership with Schools (CHIPS)

 I have met George and Barbara on several occasions now and I have always found them most genuine, helpful and clearly committed to promoting the health and wellbeing of children and young people.

George has initiated joint working among organisations concerned with young people, on the subject of bullying, and has been most supportive of ChildLine's work in the region.

During my work with pupils and staff on tackling bullying  we discuss a variety of strategies including the " No blame support group  approach" as well as peer support schemes etc.

I receive feedback from young people in my workshops and they are very clear that punitive approaches do not always work and may make a situation worse - clearly schools need to have a variety of strategies to use.
 
Judith Moore
CHIPS Co-ordinator SW
ChildLine

www.childline.org.uk

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