Bullying is a huge blight on the lives of many young people and their families that can lead to problems such as low self-esteem, depression and isolation.

But in Bolton, Greater Manchester, a project is helping young people to resolve bullying incidents and provide support for their families.

Called the Family Support Project, it won the supporting children and families category in the Community Care Awards, announced in December.

Set up in November 2003 by Bully Free Zone, a leading anti-bullying organisation in the North West, its referrals come from young people and their parents, Connexions, schools and community mental health teams.

Emma Elcoat, the project’s family support co-ordinator, emphasises that the damage bullying causes cannot be underestimated. “We had a case recently where a girl wouldn’t leave the house,” she says.

After the initial referral, Elcoat meets the young person to assess the situation and they and their family are offered a package of support which can include one-to-one intensive support meetings, group work, peer support, coping strategies workshops and creative art and drama.

Elcoat says: “A lot of the cases involve girls, and the most common form of bullying is psychological which is more difficult to deal with than physical violence. It causes so many problems for the victim and affects their self-esteem. We work with the school and the family to sort out the problem and reach agreement about how this will be done.”

The project has forged links with more than half the schools in Bolton, including secondary schools, to resolve specific cases and raise awareness of the broader issues.

But it’s tough for parents too. Elcoat says: “They feel helpless and isolated and don’t know the procedures and policies and it helps to talk to someone who can point them in the right direction.”

A young persons’ group meets monthly, and recent innovations have included an arts project featuring a graffiti wall and photo board where young people expressed their feelings and exhibited pictures of subjects that were important to them.

Elcoat says: “The last group bonded well and over the summer we worked with the tour manager of comedian Peter Kay and the Phoenix drama group to create a 15-minute DVD about bullying. It was premiered at a ceremony attended by the Coronation Street actor Chris Finch.

“When the kids first come here many are closed off from everybody and monosyllabic. But after a couple of months you see them laughing, joking, making friends and going to each other’s houses for tea.”

Did they expect to win? “We were surprised. We thought of the awards as a nice day out. We took two of the young people with us and everybody had a fantastic day. It’s been brilliant since - now we can say we are a national award-winning project!”

So popular was the film-making that the project may use the £5,000 prize money to buy its own equipment. But first, Elcoat says, the young people themselves must be consulted for their ideas.

Sadly, the project’s funding is secure only until March. “We are not sure whether we are going to get the funding to continue, which is worrying. The work we are doing is invaluable.” 

Making a difference

What the young people said:

• “Bully Free Zone has helped me keep going to school and I now feel a lot more confident in myself.”
• “Working on the video was great. We’re all really good mates now and it doesn’t matter what happens at school because I know I’ve got someone to talk to.”
• “Thank you for listening to me and helping me. I probably wouldn’t have gone back to school if it wasn’t for everyone at Bully Free Zone.”

 The supporting children and families category was sponsored by Sedgemoor