Anti-Bullying and Harassment Policy

Street Lights Collective CIC is committed to creating safe, respectful, inclusive and trauma informed environments where every child, young person, adult, staff member, volunteer, practitioner, partner and community member is treated with dignity. Bullying, harassment, intimidation, victimisation, discrimination and abuse of power are not acceptable in any part of the Organisation or in any activity delivered in its name.

The purpose of this policy is to set out how Street Lights Collective CIC prevents, identifies, responds to and learns from bullying and harassment. The policy supports the Organisation to maintain a culture of safety, respect, accountability and care across all programmes, events, school delivery, mentoring, community engagement, online spaces and internal operations.

Street Lights works with young people, families and communities who may have experienced trauma, exclusion, violence, discrimination, exploitation, social isolation and mistrust of systems. Because of this, the Organisation has a particular responsibility to ensure that its spaces do not reproduce harm, humiliation, fear or misuse of power.

This policy should be read alongside the Safeguarding Policy, Code of Conduct Policy, Online Safety and Social Media Policy, Complaints and Whistleblowing Policy, Incident Reporting Policy, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy, Mentoring and Boundaries Policy, Volunteer Policy, Safer Recruitment Policy and Data Protection Policy.

This policy applies to all people connected with Street Lights Collective CIC, including:

• directors and members of the governance structure
• board advisors and specialist advisors
• employees, sessional workers and contractors
• the six trauma informed practitioners and any future delivery practitioners
• volunteers, mentors and youth ambassadors
• young people, parents, carers and community participants
• partner organisations, external trainers and visitors
• people attending Street Lights events, meetings, workshops, programmes and online spaces.

The policy applies in all settings where Street Lights operates, including schools, youth clubs, community venues, faith settings, public spaces, offices, online sessions, social media platforms, messaging groups, trips, outreach, placements and events.

Street Lights Collective CIC is guided by its core ethos: Presence. Power. Purpose.

Street Lights Collective CIC understands that bullying and harassment do not only happen between individuals in one room. Harm can happen across peer groups, online networks, postcode boundaries, school communities, local parks, transport routes, estates, community spaces, group chats and social media platforms.

This policy therefore applies a contextual safeguarding lens. Staff and volunteers must consider the wider environment around the behaviour, not only the incident itself.

Contextual factors may include:

• postcode conflict and area based intimidation
• peer group pressure and fear of retaliation
• gang association, criminal exploitation or county lines risk
• online humiliation, threats, doxxing or image based abuse
• sexual harassment in peer groups
• bullying linked to school exclusion, SEND, poverty, care experience or family circumstances
• racism, cultural disrespect, faith based hostility or language based exclusion
• adult minimisation of harmful behaviour as banter, conflict or normal youth behaviour
• unsafe travel routes or community spaces where young people feel targeted.

Where bullying or harassment raises safeguarding concerns, the matter must be reported to the Designated Safeguarding Lead and managed under the Safeguarding Policy.

Street Lights Collective CIC takes a trauma informed approach to bullying and harassment. This means the Organisation recognises that harmful behaviour can sometimes be linked to trauma, fear, shame, learned survival responses, unmet needs, community violence or previous experiences of being harmed.

However, trauma does not excuse bullying, harassment, abuse or intimidation. The Organisation will seek to understand the behaviour while still holding firm boundaries and protecting those affected.

A trauma informed response means:

• taking all concerns seriously
• avoiding shame based responses that make harm worse
• protecting those affected from further harm
• listening carefully and respectfully
• recognising power imbalance and fear
• creating safety before attempting repair
• using restorative approaches only where safe and appropriate
• providing support for both those harmed and those who have caused harm where suitable
• challenging behaviour clearly without labelling a young person as beyond hope.

Everyone connected to Street Lights Collective CIC is expected to:

• treat others with dignity, kindness and respect
• avoid threatening, humiliating, intimidating or discriminatory behaviour
• respect boundaries, consent, privacy and personal space
• use respectful language in person and online
• challenge bullying and harassment where safe to do so
• report concerns promptly
• support a culture where people feel safe to speak up
• avoid retaliation against anyone who raises a concern
• follow the Code of Conduct Policy and Safeguarding Policy
• represent Street Lights in a way that reflects Presence. Power. Purpose.

Street Lights Collective CIC will work to prevent bullying and harassment by:

• embedding respectful conduct into induction, training and session agreements
• using clear group agreements for workshops, mentoring, events and youth programmes
• teaching emotional literacy, identity, empathy, responsibility and conflict awareness through programmes such as TIPS and Hood Lessons
• supporting youth ambassadors to model positive representation and peer leadership
• risk assessing events, outreach and online activity
• applying contextual safeguarding to identify unsafe peer dynamics and community tensions
• ensuring staff, volunteers and practitioners know how to report concerns
• promoting equality, diversity and inclusion across all activities
• responding early to low level concerns before they escalate.

Any person can report bullying or harassment. This includes young people, parents, carers, staff, volunteers, practitioners, advisors, partners, visitors and community members.

Concerns may be reported to:

• a Street Lights director
• the Designated Safeguarding Lead, Phillip Chackochen
• a programme lead
• a trusted staff member, practitioner or volunteer
• the complaints route set out in the Complaints and Whistleblowing Policy.

Where the concern involves immediate danger, emergency services should be contacted on 999. Where a child or adult at risk may be at risk of significant harm, safeguarding procedures must be followed immediately.

When a concern is reported, Street Lights will:

• listen carefully and respectfully
• take the concern seriously
• check whether anyone is at immediate risk
• record the concern factually
• inform the DSL where safeguarding may be involved
• agree immediate protective actions where required
• consider whether parents, carers, schools, partners or statutory services need to be informed
• investigate or review the matter fairly and proportionately
• support those affected
• take appropriate action and record the outcome.

Staff and volunteers must not promise absolute confidentiality. Information may need to be shared where there is risk of harm, safeguarding concern, legal duty or need to protect others.

Concerns will be handled in a way that is fair, timely and proportionate. The level of investigation will depend on the seriousness and nature of the concern.

An investigation or review may include:

• speaking with the person who raised the concern
• speaking with the person affected
• speaking with the person alleged to have caused harm
• gathering witness accounts where appropriate
• reviewing messages, screenshots, incident forms, attendance records or session notes
• considering safeguarding, contextual risk and power imbalance
• agreeing protective measures during the process
• seeking advice from the DSL, Board, school, local authority or statutory services where needed.

Where the concern involves a member of staff, practitioner, volunteer, contractor, director or advisor, the matter may also be handled under the Code of Conduct Policy, Safer Recruitment Policy, Complaints and Whistleblowing Policy, Safeguarding Policy or disciplinary processes.

Depending on the circumstances, outcomes may include:

• no further action where the concern is not upheld, with reasons recorded
• support, mediation or facilitated conversation where safe and appropriate
• restorative work where all parties agree and safeguarding allows
• clear behavioural expectations and monitoring
• apology or repair work where appropriate
• removal from a session, programme or event
• restriction of contact or changed group arrangements
• additional supervision or training
• ending a volunteer, staff, contractor or partnership role
• referral to safeguarding services, police, school safeguarding lead or another statutory agency
• review of risk assessments, policies or delivery arrangements.

Restorative practice must never be used to pressure a person who has been harmed into forgiving, meeting or engaging with the person who caused harm. Safety and consent must come first.

Street Lights will seek to provide appropriate support to people affected by bullying or harassment. Support may include:

• listening and reassurance
• safety planning
• adjusted group arrangements
• support from a trusted adult
• referral or signposting to specialist services
• parent or carer involvement where appropriate
• school or partner communication where required
• follow up check ins
• support to make a formal complaint where needed.

Online bullying and harassment can create serious safeguarding risks, especially where young people are affected by postcode conflict, exploitation, sexual harm, image sharing, threats, humiliation, fake accounts or peer group pressure.

Any online concern connected to Street Lights activity, participants, staff, volunteers or programmes must be reported and recorded. Harmful online behaviour may need to be escalated to the DSL, parents or carers, schools, platform providers, police or safeguarding services.

Staff, volunteers and practitioners must follow the Online Safety and Social Media Policy. Personal direct messaging with young people must not take place outside agreed organisational boundaries.

Street Lights community events and outreach activities must be planned with attention to crowd safety, community tensions, postcode conflict, online promotion, safeguarding and inclusive participation.

Event staff and volunteers should be briefed on how to respond to intimidation, discriminatory behaviour, threats, harassment, sexual harassment, conflict, unsafe filming, online escalation, gang related concerns and safeguarding disclosures.

Where a person’s behaviour creates risk or undermines the safety of others, they may be removed from an activity or refused future participation.

All concerns must be recorded factually, securely and in line with the Data Protection Policy. Records should include what was reported, by whom, when, who was involved, immediate actions taken, safeguarding decisions, outcomes and follow up actions.

Records involving children, young people, safeguarding concerns or sensitive personal information must be handled with particular care. Information should only be shared with people who need to know in order to protect individuals, investigate concerns, fulfil legal duties or manage risk.

Street Lights Collective CIC will take all concerns seriously. If, after appropriate review, a report is found to be deliberately false, malicious or made to cause harm, the Organisation may take action under relevant policies. This must be handled carefully and must not discourage people from raising genuine concerns.

Street Lights will not tolerate retaliation, victimisation or intimidation against any person who raises a concern, supports someone else to raise a concern, participates in an investigation or challenges bullying and harassment.

Any retaliation must be reported and may result in further action.

Street Lights will ensure that staff, practitioners, volunteers, directors and relevant partners understand this policy. This may be done through induction, safeguarding training, code of conduct briefings, supervision, event briefings and programme planning.

Young people and participants should be given clear, accessible expectations about respectful behaviour, reporting concerns and safe group culture.

Street Lights Collective CIC will monitor bullying and harassment concerns to identify patterns, risks and learning. This may include reviewing:

• types of concerns raised
• locations or settings where concerns occur
• online platforms or group dynamics involved
• whether certain groups are disproportionately affected
• response times and outcomes
• training needs
• changes needed to risk assessments, programmes or policies.

Learning should be reported to the Board in a way that protects confidentiality and supports organisational improvement.

Breaches of this policy may lead to action under the Code of Conduct Policy, Volunteer Policy, Safer Recruitment Policy, Complaints and Whistleblowing Policy, Safeguarding Policy, partnership agreements or staff disciplinary procedures.

Serious breaches may result in removal from duties, termination of role, referral to statutory agencies, referral to the police, referral to the Local Authority Designated Officer where applicable, or ending a partnership arrangement.

This policy will be reviewed annually, or sooner if there is a significant incident, safeguarding concern, change in law, learning from practice, new area of delivery or Board decision requiring review.

Name: Andrew Fuller

Role: Director

Signature: __________________________________________

Date: _______________________________________________

Name: Mark Anthony Malcolm

Role: Director

Signature: __________________________________________

Date: _______________________________________________

Name: Phillip Chackochen

Role: Designated Safeguarding Lead

Signature: __________________________________________

Date: _______________________________________________