Prevention of Bullying in School: An Emerging Area in the field of School Social Work

Abstract

Student's mental health is considered one of the most important aspects to ensure their overall well-being. The mental health of students in school can be affected because of various reasons. One of them is bullying among students in school. Most of the time, bullying behaviours are just being ignored and considered a part of growing up. Bullying can have both short and long-term implications for the mental health of students. The effect is on both victims of bullying and also for those who bully as well. Thus, bullying needs to be addressed in schools. This paper is based on the author's clinical experience and research. This paper aims to highlight the issues and impact of bullying on children, the existing intervention model, and the social work profession's role in preventing the same. This paper argues that the professional social worker has a major role in creating awareness and sensitizing all school stakeholders on bullying. This paper would also discuss the scope for school social workers to facilitate and contribute to preventing and managing bullying in school.