Press release
Minister Foley launches Implementation Plan for Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying
Published on
Last updated on
Published on
Last updated on
Minister for Education Norma Foley has today launched the Implementation Plan for Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying. This is the Department of Education’s whole-education approach to preventing and addressing bullying in schools.
Four key areas of the implementation plan are:
Cineáltas is dedicated to the prevention and addressing of bullying, cyber bullying, racist bullying, gender identity bullying and sexual harassment, among other areas, in schools.
It is centred on a child right’s based approach and provides a collective vision and clear roadmap for how the whole education community and society can work together to prevent and address bullying in our schools.
The implementation plan for Cineáltas commits to implementing each of the 61 actions contained in Cineáltas within a five-year period and sets out timeframes and information about how the department is going to implement the actions.
An Implementation and Evaluation Group is being established to oversee implementation of the actions and the publication of annual implementation and evaluation reports, informed by feedback from children and young people, parents, school staff, education partners, key stakeholders and relevant agencies.
Minister Foley said:
“I am delighted to be launching the Implementation plan for Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying. I am keenly aware of the harm that experiencing bullying of any type can cause our children and young people and I am fully committed to implementing the actions in Cinéaltas through the implementation of this plan.
“I know that in delivering these 61 actions over the next five years, through collaboration and partnership, we will build on the work already done to prevent and address bullying and to promote equality, diversity, inclusion and wellbeing.
“Cineáltas was developed as a result of an extensive consultation process last year and I want to reiterate my thanks to the Steering Committee and all members of our school community, including most importantly, our children and young people, for helping to shape this plan.
“The UNESCO whole-education approach, on which Cineáltas is based, requires us to look at bullying behaviour from a variety of angles; we need to focus on prevention, providing support to every school community, improving oversight and awareness at all levels and working together as a community with a renewed sense of partnership and Cineáltas towards each other.
“The vision for Cineáltas is aimed at helping us all to work together towards a diverse, inclusive Irish society, free from bullying in all its forms and where individual difference is valued, nurtured and celebrated and where all our children and young people can feel happy and safe in our schools."
Implementation of the actions in Cineáltas has already started:
A copy of the Implementation Plan is available on gov.ie/actionplanonbullying.
Launched last December, Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying was developed by the Department of Education in collaboration with a diverse and dedicated Steering Committee led by Dr. Noel Purdy of Stranmillis University College in Belfast.
Cineáltas has been informed by the views of children and young people, parents, school staff, education partners and individual members of the public and succeeds in placing the students at the very heart of the plan.
The development of Cineáltas: Action Plan on Bullying was informed by an extensive consultation process:
Cineáltas builds on the achievements and ambition of the previous Action Plan on Bullying published in 2013, taking into account the work undertaken in recent years to ensure that schools are safe and happy places for all our children and young people.