ISPCC Shield Campaign 2013- Media Pack
MEDIA PACK
ISPCC Shield Campaign 2013- Media Pack
CONTENTS
 Campaign Overview
 Press Release
 Bullying statistics
 Bullying Case Study
 National Day of Action
 Shield Ambassadors
 Campaign Visuals
 About the ISPCC
 ISPCC Services – Childline, Leanbh, Emotional & Behavioural
Support services
 Campaigning and Advocacy
 Fundraising
 Media Contacts
ISPCC Shield Campaign 2013- Media Pack
ISPCC SHIELD CAMPAIGN - OVERVIEW
"It can get so bad that people are driven to unimaginable things" - 6th Class Student
“People don't realise what one text message can do" - 6th Class Student
"Only we can stop bullying" - 6th Class Student
The ISPCC are launching the ISPCC Shield Campaign to protect children from bullying. Bullying has
been in the spotlight in recent years and here’s why:

In 2012 Childline received over 9,000 calls from children and young people in relation to
bullying - In addition we received a large number of calls on issues relating to bullying
including self-esteem, depression, mental health issues, and school problems

26% of young people in secondary school have been victims of bullying, or know someone
who has (link to NCC)

22% of young people in primary school have been victims of bullying, or know someone who
has (link to NCC)

40% of 9 year olds were victims of bullying in the last year (link to Growing Up in Ireland – 9
Year old Survey)
The ISPCC is well aware, through our direct services with children and young people, of both the
impact of bullying and the challenges of dealing with it. This is why we are launching the ISPCC Shield
Campaign on March 4th to address this complex and multifaceted issue that the whole community
has a role in dealing with.
Campaign Mission
The Shield aims to provide a unique response that will support, empower and equip the entire
community to deal with the issue effectively.
Bullying Strategy
The ISPCC Shield Campaign has a number of components which will help us to achieve our mission.
Click on any of the links below to find out more about this element of the campaign.

Ambassador Support a national media campaign involving our celebrity Ambassadors to
raise awareness of the issue of bullying

Anti-Bullying Awareness Week from March 4th -10th

Launch of a brand new Online Bullying Support service - a live one-to-one text messaging
support service for children and young people affected by bullying. By texting the word
‘Bully’ to 50101 a young person from anywhere in Ireland can avail of this free confidential
service. This service is available from 2pm – 10pm every day

Launch of the ISPCC 'Shield My School' Programme - a self-assessment tool to combat
bullying

A National Day of Action on Friday 8th March
ISPCC staff and volunteers will be selling the ISPCC Bullying Shield (€2) nationwide to raise
awareness and funds for our Anti-Bullying work
ISPCC Shield Campaign 2013- Media Pack
PRESS RELEASE
ISPCC Shield Campaign Launches– “I’m standing up against bullying,
are you?”
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Today, Monday 4 March at 11.30am at The Westbury Hotel in Dublin the second ISPCC Shield
campaign launches aiming to heighten awareness on the issue of bullying. The National Children’s
Consultation report “This will come back and bite us in the butt” published in October 2011, which
involved a total of 18,116 young people showed that 1 in 4 young people had experienced or knew
someone who had been bullied. The ISPCC believes that this issue needs to be tackled head on, and
wants to build on the momentum of last year when Mark Feehily launched the charity’s bullying
awareness campaign and spoke openly about his own experiences of childhood bullying. Mark was
joined in the campaign by other well-known celebrities including Colin Farrell, Saoirse Ronan, Brian
O’Driscoll, Westlife, Louis Walsh, Keith Barry, Jedward, Jamie Heaslip, Mrs Brown, Laura Whitmore,
The Wanted, Olly Murs and Cher Lloyd who all supported the campaign by being photographed with
the ISPCC Shield. With the campaign this year, even more celebrities have generously given their
support to raise awareness and tackle this issue with the addition of Gary Barlow, Emeli Sande, Little
Mix and renowned child psychologist David Coleman joining the campaign.
CEO Ashley Balbirnie said at the launch today; “In 2012, Childline received over 2,000 calls every day
and far too many of these were in relation to bullying. Children who were afraid, embarrassed,
confused and suffering from low self-esteem as a result of bullying. Some young people even blamed
themselves for what is happening to them. And others were desperately looking for ways to escape
the torment”.
Child psychologist David Coleman said; “This campaign is an important one. We know that since the
campaign was launched last March that bullying has rarely been out of the spotlight and continues to
have detrimental and often devastating consequences on the lives of children and young people. We
all need to tackle this issue – in the home, in the school, in everyday life to try and stamp it out. The
effects of bullying can last a lifetime”.
This year’s campaign will once again involve the ISPCC through the month of March selling the iconic
blue shield pin. This year the pins will also be sold at 700 till points of Penneys stores nationwide as
well as in Elverys, Harvey Norman, at 123 till points in M&S and Sam McCauley Chemists. The
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National Day of Action is Friday March 8 . Caroline O’Sullivan Director of Services at ISPCC said today;
“Without the dedication of our volunteer force and the support for our retail partners it would be
impossible for us to sell our blue shield pins. Every pin sold will help us to combat bullying”.
There are a number of new initiatives for this year’s campaign announced at today’s press conference
including:
Shield My School Programme - A self- evaluation tool to combat bullying – the ISPCC aim to offer a
positive and proactive response to bullying which will reduce its incidence nationwide. The charity has
designed a comprehensive self -evaluation tool to assist schools to understand and reflect on how
effective they currently are in tackling bullying. This will be available to download from www.ispcc.ie
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from March 4 . On-going support will be available from our Bullying Co-ordinator for the duration of
the year.
Orla Hanahoe, Principal of Scoil Cnoc Mhuire, Killinarden, Tallaght whose school has been part of the
pilot scheme for the Shield My School programme said; “we have a responsibility to those children we
have in our care to ensure that there is a safe environment for children to learn, socialise and grow.
This initiative from the ISPCC will focus and empower schools to make positive change with regards to
bullying”.
ISPCC Shield Campaign 2013- Media Pack
A new dedicated bullying support service. by texting the word ‘bully’ to 50101, children and young
people can access real-time support from 14:00-22:00, Monday to Sunday. By logging on to
www.childline.ie they can access the live chat facility. The ISPCC also announced the appointment of a
full time Bullying Co-ordinator to support schools, parents and communities in relation to bullying.
Online Resources via www.ispcc.ie and www.childline.ie – a range of materials such as posters, info
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graphics and information leaflets will be available for download from 4 March.
Future Plans – It was also announced that the ISPCC were working on a joint project with Facebook.
Simon Milner, Facebook’s UK and Ireland Policy Director, said: “We believe in creating a culture of
accountability where people report bullying and stand up for each other, so we’re pleased to see the
ISPPC’s ‘I’m Standing up against bullying, are you?” campaign. We are working on a project with the
ISPCC to develop a healthy, anti-bullying culture in Ireland on Facebook, and look forward to
announcing more about it later this year.”
Ashley Balbirnie CEO of ISPCC said; “Every day ISPCC volunteers and staff work as shields; protecting,
supporting and listening to children. Our services are preventative and empowering, providing children
and young people with the necessary coping skills to deal with and protect themselves from bullying.
But standing up against bullying is not something that we can do alone - everyone has a part to play in
highlighting this important issue.”
We’re Standing up Against Bullying, Are You?
The ISPCC would like to thank photographer Barry McCall who continued his on-going support to the
ISPCC by photographing all the celebrities involved in the campaign.
-EndsFor more information, please contact:
Presence PR:
Joanne Byrne
016761062 / 087 2494 668
ISPCC:
Caroline Kingston, Communications Coordinator
Caroline O’Sullivan, Director of Services
Mary Nicholson, Advocacy Manager
01 676 7960
087 6914399
087 9073633
ISPCC Shield Campaign 2013- Media Pack
BULLYING STATISTICS
Childline Bullying Statistics 2012:

In 2012 Childline received over 9,000 calls from children and young people in relation to
bullying

In addition we received a large number of calls on issues relating to bullying including selfesteem, depression, mental health issues, and school problems.

Last year Childline received 2,000 calls every single day. Many of these calls were about
bullying and the impact it can have.
National Bullying Statistics:

26% of young people in secondary school have been victims of bullying, or know someone
who has (link to NCC)

22% of young people in primary school have been victims of bullying, or know someone who
has (link to NCC)

40% of 9 year olds were victims of bullying in the last year (link to Growing Up in Ireland – 9
Year old Survey)
These startling statistics clearly show that bullying is a very real problem in Ireland and one that is
affecting children at a very young age.
Calls to Childline:
Calls to Childline reveal that the impact of bullying can be detrimental to a young person’s life and
wellbeing. It can negatively affect self-esteem and feelings of self-worth, increase social isolation, lead
a child to become withdrawn and depressed, anxious and insecure. In desperation, some young
people even consider suicide.
Every day ISPCC volunteers and staff work as shields; protecting, supporting and listening to children.
Our services are preventative and empowering, providing children and young people with the
necessary coping skills to deal with and protect themselves from bullying.
But standing up against bullying is not something that we can do alone - everyone has a part to play in
highlighting this important issue.
ISPCC Shield Campaign 2013- Media Pack
BULLYING CASE STUDIES
Liam, 16 - Bullying and Self-Harm
Liam is 16 years of age. He enjoys films and music and especially dancing. He is shy and quiet but
really comes out of his shell when he is at his local dance club. Like many young guys his age he
prefers his hobbies to going to school. But the reason for his dislike of school is because for Liam
school is a lonely, terrifying, confusing place. He has been bullied at school for 4 years. Fellow
classmates make fun of his appearance, the way he walks and his interest in dance.
Liam told all of this to Childline on his first time using web chat on www.childline.ie He was ready to
talk about it, he was ready to take action, to make it stop. Previously he had tried other things he
thought might make it stop; like cutting his arms and thinking about suicide. He feels now that this
was a mistake but at the time he couldn’t think of any other way out. Liam was able to tell Childline all
about how things made him feel, how he felt about his life and the people in it. He listened when
Childline told him that he no-one had the right to make him feel this way; scared, ashamed, hopeless.
He listened when Childline said that he had the right to tell someone and to have the bullying stop.
Liam took some time to think and when he contacted Childline again he had decided to not only
report the bullying in school but also to tell his parents about how he’d been feeling. He felt that even
if the bullying didn’t stop, he wanted to speak to someone about how he could cope with is feelings
and move on from what was happening in school. He wanted to see a counsellor.
Liam contaced Childline again several months later to say that he was doing better. His school was
dealing with the bullying and while it hadn’t stopped completely, he felt more comfortable in school.
He was seeing a counsellor and was able to talk opening with his parents when he was feeling down.
He said he was able to cope better when he felt himself getting low. When he said goodbye, he
thanked Childline for being there for him.
Lorna, 17 - Cyberbullying
Lorna-17 called Childline to talk about cyberbullying. She talked about how when recently she had a
falling out with some girls in her sports club she began receiving nasty messages on her social network
profile. These girls quickly told her it was them sending the messages and told her to watch out. Lorna
said she had felt upset and embarrassed that others may have seen these comments. Then she
noticed that her own photos from her profile were being posted elsewhere on other pages and
people were posting horrible comments. She was so shocked that her own pictures were being used
to bully her. She told her mother straight away but felt frustrated as her mother didn’t know what to
do. She didn’t understand social networking and how comments and photos were posted.
Childline talked to Lorna about her rights; that she had the right to tell somebody and to have this
stop. Lorna said she was glad to know this but felt unsure of what to do or who to turn to. She was
concerned that things wouldn’t be taken seriously as she is 17 now and wondered if this was childish.
She was worried that whatever she did, it would make things worse between her and these girls.
Childline reassured Lorna and helped her to think about her options. She decided that she would look
into how to report abusive content and postings on her social network profile and thought maybe she
could do with this with her mother, so that they would both learn. She also decided to tell the coach
in her sports club about the messages and photos as she thought that maybe they could discuss
things as a group.
She told Childline she felt relieved to have made a plan and felt more certain that she didn’t deserve
what was happening and wanted to make it stop. She thanked Childline for the support.
ISPCC Shield Campaign 2013- Media Pack
NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION
On Friday March 8th 2013, the ISPCC will be holding a National Day of Action. The society is calling
for over 1,000 people to get out into their communities, to sell the Shield Pin and to spread the
message that bullying is not acceptable. The Shield Pin is a symbol of child protection and funds
raised from the campaign will go towards our anti-bullying work.
The society is looking to its supporters, to communities, to workplaces- to all of those who feel a need
to protect children. Volunteer your time on the 8th of March, stand together and make a real
difference in the life of a child. To get involved in the Shield campaign, contact the ISPCC offices on
1850 50 40 50 or email us
The ISPCC Shield
The Shield is a symbol of protection against bullying and will be on sale from selected retailers
nationwide. You will also be able to buy your Shield on streets on Friday March 8th. If you would like
to find out more about Shield stockists please call us on 1850 50 40 50.
Click here to see some of our Celebrity Ambassadors who supported last years AntiBullying campaign.
ISPCC Shield Campaign 2013- Media Pack
ISPCC SHIELD AMBASSADORS
ISPCC Shield Campaign 2013- Media Pack
CAMPAIGN VISUALS
Below are some infographics on the many aspects of bullying from its impacts, to the role of the
bystander to suggested responses to bullying. These, and all other campaign materials will be
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available to download from www.ispcc.ie from Monday 4 march.
ISPCC Shield Campaign 2013- Media Pack
ABOUT THE ISPCC
Who we are
The Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (ISPCC) was founded in 1889. It is Ireland’s
oldest and most well-known children’s charity. The ISPCC has a long, proud history of service delivery
and advocacy on behalf of children.
Why we exist
The ISPCC exists to:

Ensure all children are given the chance to feel love and happiness

Stop discrimination and exclusion of children

End cruelty and injustice to children
The ISPCC is the only national organisation offering a 24-7 service to children and operates 12 local
offices nationwide.
Our vision
To see an Ireland where all children are heard and valued.
Mission statement
To advocate on behalf of all children in Ireland, and to provide a range of independent and unique
services which are preventative and empowering in nature.
Our activities
The ISPCC has three main activities:

Service Delivery

Advocacy

Consultation and Participation
Our targets





Inclusion – to include children in society
Support – giving children the support they need to work through emotional problems
Protection - preventing cruelty to children
Consultation & Participation - seeing children as equals and letting them have a say
Citizenship - valuing children’s rights as citizens
ISPCC Shield Campaign 2013- Media Pack
ISPCC SERVICES
What is Childline?

Ireland’s only multi-media listening service for children up to 18 years of age operating
24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Childline seeks to empower and support children using the medium of
telecommunications and IT.
By utilising the www.childline.ie website and automated text service, a child can avail of
24 hour support and information.
Calls, texts and web posts vary from a chat about everyday life to relationships, suicide,
depression, physical and sexual abuse, neglect and homelessness.



What does Childline do?
Childline provides a 24 hour listening service for all children up to the age of 18. Childline seeks to
empower and support children using the medium of telecommunications and information
technology.
The service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Childline receives thousands
of calls every year. These are answered by volunteers and staff who are trained to listen and
understand young people. Young people contact the service for a wide range of reasons such as
bullying, sexuality, everyday chat and lots of other issues.
Putting you in control
Childline is a service for and owned by young people which means:


The young person can decide what they want to talk about
The young person can remain anonymous – they don’t have to give their name so there are
no consequences to making a call
If they aren’t safe and tell us where they are, we will pass their details on to someone who can help,
like the Gardai or a Social Worker. If they don’t give their name, no action will be taken – so they can
stay in control.
How Childline works
Telephone support
This year marks Childline's 21st birthday. It is a free phone service available 24 hours a day, 365 days
a year. This kind of support allows the young person to make contact with the ISPCC without meeting
someone face to face. This allows the caller to feel safe and not have to identify themselves. Call
Childline on 1800 66 66 66
Text support
Childline Text is an automated service that supports children by providing a free text support service.
A young person can get support on a variety of issues including pregnancy, suicide, facts of life etc.
This service can be accessed by texting ‘List’ to 50101
Web based support on the internet
ISPCC Shield Campaign 2013- Media Pack
Childline online answers messages posted on the Childline message board for all young people. Email
support is available for all young people by accessing www.childline.ie This website also provides
access to games, information about specific topics such as bullying, family break up and lots more.
Behavioural & Emotional Support Services:





Our ChildFocus [0-12 years] and TeenFocus [12-18 years] programmes provide a
comprehensive, directly accessible one-to-one support service to children experiencing
emotional and behavioural difficulties.
These difficulties can range from mental health issues to domestic problems to drug and
alcohol usage and challenging behaviour.
Both programmes utilise professional staff for direct one-to-one support for periods of
roughly six months, with consistent follow-up until adulthood.
We also train volunteers as mentors. Mentoring is a supportive, preventative, tailor
made volunteer led programme which aims to promote the development of life skills
and self esteem in young people.
In all cases we bring these services to children through their preferred medium (face to
face, phone or web counselling) no matter how remote their address or how difficult the
case is.
Leanbh:



Is a 24/7 service for children, young people and parents who are begging or at risk of
begging on the streets. Leanbh also provides support to children from minority ethnic
backgrounds including the Roma, travelling and new communities who are seeking
asylum in Ireland.
We are the only non-Governmental agency specifically working with these children and
families both on the streets and in their own homes.
We work directly with these children and their families either face-to-face, or through
phone or web-based interventions.
ISPCC Shield Campaign 2013- Media Pack
CAMPAIGNING & ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES
Children’s Referendum
Over the last several years the ISPCC has been advocating for constitutional change to enhance the
protection afforded to children, and to further enshrine the rights of children. We have maintained
over these years that amending the constitution was an important step in ensuring the protection of
children in Ireland. In 2012 the ISPCC, along with Barnardos, Children’s Rights Alliance and Campaign
for Children, came together with this common goal and formed the ‘Yes for Children’ campaign.
Together the Yes for Children group campaigned on a number of points which informed the Irish
public as to why a Yes vote was the way to go:
- Greater child protection
- To prioritise children
- Give children a second chance to grow up in a stable, loving home.
- Making decisions in the child’s best interests
- Listening to children
We embarked on a national bus campaign which travelled all around the country, stopping at 50
locations, to engage with and inform the local communities on the Children’s Rights Referendum.
This was a valuable opportunity to speak to people directly about one of the most significant changes
to be made to the Irish Constitution.
The Yes for Children campaign activities saw the passing of a yes vote in November 2012 and we
believe this will enhance the rights and protection of children in Ireland.
Missing Children Hotline
The ISPCC have been advocating on the issue of support for missing children for a number of years.
This includes, separated children who go missing, runaways and parentally abducted children. As the
EU Universal Service Directive, the ISPCC has lobbied for the implementation of the 116 000 Missing
Children Hotline, believing that we were best placed to facilitate this service. In 2012 the ISPCC were
awarded a European Daphne grant, as well as funding from the Department of Children and Youth
Affairs, to set up a Missing Children’s Hotline which is a European wide common Hotline number for
missing children available by ringing 116 000. In addition to children and families, this service will also
provide assistance and support to others involved with the missing child such as An Garda Siochana
and the HSE.
Other pertinent issues
The ISPCC has a long history of advocating on behalf of young people on a number of various issues.
These include;
Garda Vetting; Strengthening the vetting process for those wishing to work with children and
allowing for the sharing of soft information. The ISPCC had the opportunity to make a submission to
address the joint oireachtas committee and positively received the new National Vetting Bureau Bill
2012.
Withholding Information The ISPCC had continually called for sanctions for those who withheld any
information regarding the abuse of children and in 2012 positively welcomed legislation to make it an
offence for individuals to fail to report a sexual offence against a child or vulnerable person.
Children First: National Guidance for Protection and Welfare of Children; Placing Children First on a
statutory basis would help to ensure improved consistency and uniform standards across the country
as all incidences would be thoroughly investigated and followed up with appropriate services when
required in the interests of protecting the child. Resources must be put in place to ensure the highest
level of child protection and investigation through the social care system.
ISPCC Shield Campaign 2013- Media Pack
Physical Punishment; The ISPCC continues to lobby and campaign on a ban on physical punishment
and seeks to promote alternatives via positive parenting. The ISPCC views physical punishment as not
just a key human rights issue but also a key child protection issue.
Internet Safety;
As a Safer Internet Project partner and a provider of online support services, the ISPCC has been vocal
about the risks to children online as well as offering support and guidance to young people and
parents about how to navigate the online world safely.
ISPCC Areas of Expertise
The ISPCC is always available to talk about child protection and welfare issues such as the following:
 Children's Referendum
 24 Hour services
 The child protection and welfare system in Ireland
 Garda Vetting
 Sexual offences and sex offenders (in relation to children) including online grooming, child
pornography etc
 Begging
 Missing Children
 Separated Children
 Mental Health
 Parenting
 Legislation, policy and service provision in relation to the above
 ISPCC services
We will be happy to give the ISPCC stance in relation to any these issues.
We also have a number of position papers in relation to the above issues and these are available on
our website www.ispcc.ie
ISPCC Shield Campaign 2013- Media Pack
FUNDRAISING
The Shield is our symbol of protection against bullying:
Using that symbol, we have developed an ‘ISPCC Shield Pin’ which is a lapel pin that can be purchased
and worn by supporters of the campaign.
Our ISPCC Shield pins are available to purchase for €2 each from our retail partners for the month of
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March 2013 and during our National Collection Day on Friday, 8 March 2013 where volunteers will
be present in shopping centres and on busy streets across Ireland.
This year, we are delighted to have the support of the following retail partners who are stocking ISPCC
Shield Pins at till points across stores:
o
o
o
o
o
Penney’s
M&S
Elverys Sports
Harvey Norman
Sam McCauley’s Chemists
The funds raised will help the ISPCC reach out to, and support, some of the most vulnerable children
in Ireland who are experiencing bullying. Every euro raised helps us work with more children to build
better, brighter futures.
We would like to thank all of our retail partners and volunteers nationwide for the wonderful support
they are giving to the ISPCC.
If you would like to find out more about Shield stockists please contact us on 1850 50 40 50.
ISPCC Shield Campaign 2013- Media Pack
MEDIA CONTACTS WITHIN THE ISPCC
Caroline Kingston, Communications Coordinator
01 676 7960
Mary Nicholson, Advocacy Manager
01 676 7960 / 087 9076366
Caroline O’Sullivan, Director of Services
061 409629 / 087 6914399
Tess Noonan, Quality & Assurance Manager
021 455 0600 / 087 4161078
For more information please visit us online at:
www.ispcc.ie/shield
www.childline.ie
[email protected]