Bullying

Overview

The Guide has been developed for:

• employers (e.g. parish priests of primary schools)
• school principals
• school leaders (for example, deputy principals and business managers) who are responsible for human resources, occupational health and safety (OHS) issues, return to work (RTW) coordination and staffing matters. 

Generally, principals and school leaders will deal with bullying complaints made by staff at schools.  However, if a complaint is made against a principal of a school, then the employer will be required to deal with the complaint.

Purpose of the Guide

The Guide aims to provide:

• a clear understanding of what constitutes workplace bullying
• an overview of the relevant legal framework and potential implications of legal action for schools
• advice on preventing workplace bullying in schools, including implementation of the necessary policies and training
• advice on what to do if a complaint of bullying is received, or an employer otherwise becomes aware of a bullying situation amongst staff
• a list of resources relating to workplace bullying.

Contact Officers

A Contact Officer is a staff member who is trained in and responsible for being a contact point for staff with concerns about whether they may have been bullied. A Contact Officer is able to provide staff with information on bullying, clarify any questions or concerns a person may have and provide advice on the options that are available for dealing with bullying.

For information on Contact Officer training, please contact an Employee Relations or OHS Advisor on 9267 0431.

Bullying Templates