Tip Top / You Can Sit With Me research reveals more than half of parents believe their children have been victims of bullying

New research has revealed the shocking number of parents who say their children have been bullied at school, as a charity steps up its efforts to combat the issue on the Gold Coast. FULL DETAILS

New research has revealed that more than half of parents suspect their child has been a victim of bullying at school.

The research, released by charity You Can Sit With Me and partner Tip Top, also found that two in five parents felt ill-equipped to address the topic of bullying at home, while 55 per cent were not sure their child would have the confidence to speak up against bullying in the playground.

You Can Sit With Me founder Sophie Whitehouse-Sparks with staff and students at William Duncan State School in Highland Park.

Speaking at an event held by the charity at William Duncan State School in Highland Park, founder Sophie Whitehouse-Sparks said it worked to combat loneliness and isolation in young children by encouraging students to wear bright yellow wristbands signalling they welcomed anyone to sit with them.

“I came up with the idea in 2015, just before going back into the schoolyard. I saw that same age-old problem where children were saying they had no one to sit with, no one to play with,” Ms Sparks said.

“And actually I thought, schools are filled with really kind, empathetic children, they’re just really hard to identify.

“By wearing a highly visible yellow wristband they’re now very easily identified.

“And they’ve all been trained. So the children know how to welcome the children who are feeling isolated or lonely into the game.”

The You Can Sit With Me program has been launched in more than 900 schools nationwide since 2015 and is also available to sporting clubs and community organisations.

For more information visit www.youcansitwithme.org.

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