Impact of our work

Our ZAP assertiveness workshops have fantastic feedback. Of the young people who attend:

• 96% of young people feel more confident
• 98% feel more able to be assertive
• 95% feel better about themselves
• 93% experience less bullying
• 96% of young people report improvements in mental health
• 99% have improved self-esteem
• 92% of young people have fewer negative thoughts
• 91% of children report improvements to their schooling
• 91% are going to school more often
• 91% of young people feel family relationships have improved
• 91% of young people feel more supported by their parents

Awards

We are delighted to have been recognised for our work: 

• Most Dedicated Anti-Bullying Organisation 2023 - South East England from Acquisition International 
• Bronze in the Charity Film Awards for our film 'What does STRONG mean to you?'

What do we aim to do?

We reduce the impact of bullying and harm on young lives through programmes and services that:

• Build communities of support
• Reduce isolation and loneliness
• Promote positive relationships
• Support resilience and wellbeing
• Help children recognise and respond to bullying behaviour.

In the last three years we directly supported:

• over 14, 000 children
• over 23,000 parents and carers
• and over 9500 teachers and other professionals throughout England and Wales. 

Building communities of support

Children and families need to be able to access timely advice and support. Our Community Leader training empowers adults working with children and young people to identify bullying behaviour and children at risk; create environments where all children feel safe and included; support children to build positive relationships with one another; and signpost children and families to further support. We also deliver a range of teacher and parent training to ensure adults are equipped to keep children safe.

"I felt that I had been listened to, which was incredibly important and a huge relief. I also knew that I was right to raise an issue with the school and as such, felt more confident in my dealings with them." - Parent Advice Line caller

"My child saw that there were others like him who were funny and articulate." 

Reducing isolation and loneliness

For over 15 years we have delivered ZAP resilience workshops to support children and families impacted by bullying.  Our workshops bring together children and families impacted by bullying and teach a range of practical tools (the ‘ZAP tools’) for handling a bullying situation. ZAP workshops are delivered to children and families both in the community and through schools.  ZAP workshops significantly reduce feelings of loneliness and isolation, with 91% of children and 95% of parents saying they now feel less alone, as children and families come together to share their experiences. We also operate a Parent Advice Line where we support 300 families a year to positively resolve a bullying situation and improve their communication with the school in order to keep their child safe.

Promoting positive relationships

Children need support to develop positive relationships both face to face and online; to learn how to resolve conflict, to negotiate peer pressure and to take positive action in a bullying situation.   Kidscape programmes and campaigns have a central focus on promoting positive relationships. Our ZAP in schools programme was delivered to over 3000 children last year, teaching them skills to recognise bullying behaviour (both in themselves and others) and take positive action to stop it. Last year we launched the RISE transition programme that supports children with the social skills they need to manage key transitions. Last year we delivered the programme to over 350 children in Year 6 and 7 and will be adapting the programme to support children with the return to school post CV-19. We also deliver peer mentoring training to encourage and help children to support one another with the challenges that they face.

Supporting resilience and wellbeing

Central to our approach is building the confidence and resilience of children and young people. We all experience challenges and conflict in our lives, but there are practical steps we can take to keep ourselves and others safe. We engage a range of strategies to build the resilience and wellbeing of young people, and empower young people to take positive action to keep themselves and others safe.

"Jamie is much more confident and assertive. I no longer worry about sending him to school. He got an award for 100% attendance and another for resilience for what he has been through. I feel the school has finally realised what has been going on. I can’t praise you enough." 

Recognising and responding to bullying behaviours

It’s vital that children are supported to name bullying behaviour and take positive action in a bullying situation. Through our school based programmes we support all children to understand the difference between bullying and teasing (or banter), the impact of bullying, and what it means to be a bystander and an upstander. We teach children practical tools (the ‘ZAP tools’) for responding effectively to someone exhibiting bullying behaviour, and help them become more conscious of how their behaviour both face to face and online may impact others. After attending our ZAP bullying awareness lessons, 93% of children said they knew more about bullying and 89% said they felt more able to help someone in a bullying situation. 

"Since I attended this workshop everything has got better for me. I have shared the techniques with my bullied friends and it has worked for them as well." 

"We are so very, very grateful for this workshop. It has made a real difference to our daughter. We believe she is more resilient and although the troublesome kids have not changed or gone away, she knows how to deal with them."

Our goals 2021 - 2024 'Hope and help'

We have three pillars for future growth:

1) REACH - make sure we are reaching the children and families that need us most and that we have a significant impact on young lives.

2) REPRESENT - make sure our staff and volunteers are representative of the communities we serve, and that our programmes and services are accessible to children and families most impacted by bullying

3) RESPOND - make sure we listen to children, families, schools and communities, constantly improving our programmes and services.

Help us continue our life changing work with children and families.