Anti-Bullying Week 2026: Break the Silence – from 16th to 20th November 2026
There are many reasons why a child might feel different from their peers. For children growing up in care, some of those differences can be particularly difficult to escape.
It might be the social worker arriving at school, the questions about where they live, or having to explain why they cannot do something that their friends may take for granted. Sometimes it is more direct: name-calling, exclusion, unkind assumptions about their family or being bullied simply because they are ‘in care’.
As we approach Anti-Bullying Week 2026, I think there is an opportunity for those of us working in children's social care to consider not only how we protect children from bullying, but how our own practices might sometimes contribute to their sense of being different.
This year's campaign, organised by the Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA), takes place from 16th to 20th November 2026, with the theme Break the Silence. It is a particularly appropriate theme for children in care, whose experiences of bullying, discrimination and stigma are perhaps not always recognised or spoken about.
More than bullying
Bullying is a familiar concern within children's homes and schools, and we rightly expect staff to recognise it, respond appropriately and protect children from harm. The ABA define it as “The repetitive, intentional hurting of one person or group by another person or group, where the relationship involves an imbalance of power. Bullying can be physical, verbal or psychological. It can happen face-to-face or online.”
However, there is another, sometimes less visible, experience worth considering: othering. Othering describes the process by which individuals or groups are made to feel different, excluded or somehow less valued than others. The concept is closely associated with the work of Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak (1985), who explored how those with greater power can define others in ways that reinforce their marginalisation.
For children in care, I think this is particularly relevant. They may find themselves defined by their care status, family circumstances or earlier experiences, rather than simply being recognised as children with their own interests, personalities and aspirations.
Othering does not always arise from deliberate prejudice. Sometimes it is found in the language we use, the assumptions we make or the everyday arrangements we put in place with the best of intentions.
Goffman's (1963) work on stigma is also relevant here. He explored how particular characteristics can become the basis for negative social judgements, affecting how people are perceived and treated. For children in care, the stigma may arise not from anything they have done, but from assumptions about their family circumstances, experiences or behaviour.
The language we use can contribute to this. Describing a child as a 'placement', referring to the residential childcare sector as an ‘industry’ or to their home as a 'unit', or routinely defining them by their trauma or behaviour can unintentionally reinforce the idea that they are somehow different from other children.
Of course, there are times when professional language is necessary. But we should remain conscious of how it sounds to the children whose lives we are describing.
The independent review of children's social care recognised the discrimination and prejudice experienced by care-experienced people, including the way these can become embedded in professional practice and public perceptions (MacAlister, 2022).
What children have told us
The Children's Commissioner for England has highlighted these experiences over several years.
In Voices of Children in Foster Care (2018), children described feeling labelled and judged. One young person explained how being required to attend a special group for looked-after children at school made her feel singled out. Although the activity was intended to provide support, she experienced it as embarrassing and patronising.
I find this particularly important because it illustrates how support, however well intended, can have quite a different impact from the one adults anticipate.
Similarly, research from Coram's Bright Spots programme found that approximately 12% of children in care aged 11–18 reported that adults had done things that made them feel embarrassed about being in care. The proportion varied considerably between local authorities (Coram, n.d.).
The Anti-Bullying Alliance also identifies children in care as being particularly vulnerable to bullying. Earlier studies, brought together by the ABA, found substantially higher reported levels of bullying among looked-after children than among their peers. Although some of these findings are now quite old, they remain an important indication of the additional difficulties children can face (ABA, n.d.-a).
More recent research continues to highlight the issue. The ABA's summary of Coram's From Surviving to Thriving research (2025) reports that three in ten girls in care and two in ten boys in care were afraid to go to school because of bullying.
These findings deserve attention. They suggest that, for some children, school and other everyday experiences of childhood may be accompanied by anxieties that are not always visible to the adults supporting them.
When the care system makes children feel different
Over the years, I have become increasingly conscious of how much of children's lives can be organised around the requirements of the care system.
There are meetings, reviews, assessments, appointments and decisions that other children rarely encounter. Sometimes these are necessary and helpful. At other times, I wonder whether we sufficiently consider their cumulative impact on a child's sense of identity and belonging.
For example, a child might be taken out of lessons to meet a professional, have personal information discussed in front of others, or find that ordinary requests need agreement from several adults.
They may also experience restrictions that make friendships and social activities more difficult. A sleepover, school trip or visit to a friend's home can sometimes become a complicated exercise in permissions and risk assessments. Safeguarding considerations are important, but so is the child's right to experience an ordinary childhood.
I think we need to ask whether some of the arrangements intended to protect children inadvertently reinforce the differences they are already conscious of. And this in a sector which is regulatorily wired to be risk-averse.
This is not an argument for overlooking risk. It is about understanding that dignity, privacy, friendships and a sense of belonging are themselves important elements of children's wellbeing.
The Department for Education's Enduring Relationships policy paper (2026) reinforces the importance of maintaining children's relationships with the people who matter to them, including friends, family and others within their communities.
For a child in residential care, feeling connected to ordinary community life can make a considerable difference to how they understand themselves and their place in the world.
What should we expect from children's homes?
The Children’s Homes (England) Regulations 2015 provide a clear basis for addressing bullying and discrimination. Regulation 11, the Positive Relationships Standard, explicitly requires staff to understand and communicate that bullying is unacceptable and to have the skills to recognise and respond to it.
Regulation 12 requires children to be protected from harm, while Regulation 34(3) requires the registered person to prepare and implement a policy for preventing bullying within the home, including procedures for dealing with allegations.
Regulation 7 is equally relevant. Children must be supported to express their views, wishes and feelings and understand how these have influenced decisions affecting their lives.
Ofsted's Social Care Common Inspection Framework (SCCIF), updated in October 2026, considers how well children are protected from bullying and discrimination, but also the quality of their relationships, their sense of belonging and the extent to which they are treated with dignity and respect (Ofsted, 2026a).
I welcome this emphasis on children's lived experiences. It encourages us to look beyond whether policies and procedures exist and consider what difference they actually make.
A home may have a comprehensive anti-bullying policy, yet still have a child who feels isolated, excluded or unable to speak about their experiences.
The question, therefore, is not simply whether bullying has been recorded. It is whether children feel safe, accepted and confident that adults will listen when something is wrong.
The importance of schools and professional relationships
Children's homes cannot address these issues in isolation.
In March 2026, Ofsted published research examining how schools and colleges support the academic and personal progress of children in care. It found that individualised approaches, trusted adults, effective communication and staff understanding of trauma were important features of successful support (Ofsted, 2026b).
The research also identified inconsistency in professional development and the support available to children. I think children's homes have an important part to play here, particularly through relationships with designated teachers, virtual schools and other education professionals. Staff should be confident in challenging bullying, but also in questioning practices that make children unnecessarily conspicuous.
For example, does a child want their social worker visiting them at school? If a meeting is necessary, can it be arranged discreetly? Are teachers sensitive to the child's circumstances without lowering expectations or making assumptions about their behaviour?
These can appear to be relatively small considerations, but they matter.
The Anti-Bullying Alliance's consultation with care-experienced young people offers helpful advice, particularly around staff training, protecting privacy, avoiding labels and developing trusting relationships (ABA, n.d.-b). Importantly, young people also describe how difficult it can be to report bullying when they have little confidence that adults will listen or respond.
What can children's homes do?
Anti-Bullying Week provides an opportunity for reflection, but preventing bullying and challenging stigma should be part of everyday care. There are several practical steps that homes might consider.
Listen to children about their experiences. Ask children not only whether they are being bullied, but whether anything makes them feel embarrassed, excluded or different. Consider how these conversations might take place naturally, rather than relying entirely on formal meetings or questionnaires.
Review language and everyday practice. Look at how children are described in records, meetings and conversations. Consider whether professional terminology is necessary and whether it reflects the child's identity, strengths and experiences fairly. Involve children in reviewing the language adults use about them.
Protect privacy and confidentiality. Agree with children how information about their care circumstances will be shared, particularly with schools and other organisations. Children should have some control over their personal stories, within the limits of safeguarding and information-sharing responsibilities.
Support ordinary childhood experiences. Friendships, sleepovers, hobbies, celebrations and spending time in the community should be actively supported wherever possible. Risk assessments should help children participate safely, rather than become unnecessary barriers to their involvement.
Work closely with schools. Ensure designated teachers and relevant staff understand the child's needs and concerns. Where bullying occurs, agree coordinated responses and follow up with the child to establish whether things have improved.
Look beyond individual incidents. Bullying may involve patterns of exclusion, group dynamics, online behaviour or discriminatory attitudes. Staff need to understand these wider influences, including situations where a child may be both experiencing bullying and responding in ways that bring them into conflict with others.
Use supervision and team meetings. Encourage staff to reflect on attitudes, language and assumptions. Records should be meaningful to children too, recognising that they may read them now or in the future, and that the words we choose can influence how they understand their own experiences.
Consider whether behaviour is sometimes interpreted through a child's care history rather than understood in its immediate context.
Make advocacy accessible. Children should understand their right to raise concerns and have access to independent advocacy. Some will find it easier to speak with someone outside the home, particularly when their concerns involve adults (or other professionals) responsible for their care.
These are not necessarily complicated changes, but they require awareness, consistency and a willingness to question established ways of working.
Breaking the silence
The Anti-Bullying Alliance's 2026 campaign encourages children and adults to speak up, listen and take action together. Its resources include activities, films and discussion materials that can be adapted for schools and other settings. Children's homes could use the week to open conversations about bullying, but also about friendship, difference, discrimination and belonging.
Odd Socks Day, taking place on Monday 16 November, offers a simple way to celebrate individuality. I remember fondly an inspector wearing odd socks to the second day of her inspection, following some encouragement from young people. However, I think the more meaningful opportunity is to explore what happens when difference becomes a reason for someone to be excluded or treated unfairly.
It is also important that children do not feel obliged to disclose personal experiences as part of an activity. Participation should be sensitive, voluntary and appropriate to their needs.
The campaign may be particularly useful for involving children in reviewing a home's anti-bullying arrangements and identifying what would help them feel safer and more included.
Resources and guidance are available from the Anti-Bullying Alliance.
A final thought
Children in care should not have to feel grateful for experiences that other children take for granted. Nor should they be expected to accept being singled out, labelled or treated differently simply because they receive care and support. There are, of course, important differences in the circumstances and needs of children living in residential care. Good care recognises these differences and responds sensitively to them.
But recognising a child's needs should not mean defining them by those needs. I think this is one of the important challenges for children's homes: providing individualised care while ensuring that children feel they belong, are valued for who they are and have the same opportunities to enjoy childhood as their peers.
Anti-Bullying Week reminds us that speaking up matters. For children in care, it is equally important that adults listen carefully, challenge their own assumptions and act.
Perhaps one of the simplest questions we can ask a child is whether there is anything about living in care that makes them feel different in a way they would rather not. Their answer might tell us something that is missing from even the most carefully written care plan.
References (and resources)
Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) (2026) Anti-Bullying Week 2026: Break the Silence. Available at: https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/anti-bullying-week-2026/anti-bullying-week-2026
Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) (n.d.-a) Bullying and care-experienced young people: Prevalence and experience. Available at: https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/tools-information/all-about-bullying/at-risk-groups/looked-after-children/bullying-and-care
Anti-Bullying Alliance (ABA) (n.d.-b) What can schools and other settings do to support looked after children? Available at: https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/tools-information/all-about-bullying/at-risk-groups/looked-after-children/what-can-schools-and
Children's Commissioner for England (2018) Voices of Children in Foster Care. Available at: https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/VOICE-OF-CHILDREN-AND-YOUNG-PEOPLE-IN-FOSTER-CARE.pdf
Coram (n.d.) Bright Spots: Challenging Stigma in the Care System. Available at: https://www.coram.org.uk/resource/bright-spots-challenging-stigma-in-the-care-system/
Department for Education (2015) Guide to the Children's Homes Regulations, including the Quality Standards. London: Department for Education. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/childrens-homes-regulations-including-quality-standards-guide
Department for Education (2026) Enduring Relationships. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/enduring-relationships-for-care-experienced-children–2/enduring-relationships
Goffman, E. (1963) Stigma: Notes on the Management of Spoiled Identity. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
MacAlister, J. (2022) The Independent Review of Children's Social Care: Final Report. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/independent-review-of-childrens-social-care-final-report
Ofsted (2026a) Social Care Common Inspection Framework: Children's Homes. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/social-care-common-inspection-framework-sccif-childrens-homes
Ofsted (2026b) How Schools and Colleges Support the Academic and Personal Progress of Children in Care. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-schools-and-colleges-support-the-academic-and-personal-progress-of-children-in-care
Spivak, G.C. (1985) 'The Rani of Sirmur: An Essay in Reading the Archives', History and Theory, 24(3), pp. 247–272. Available at: https://doi.org/10.2307/2505169
The Children's Homes (England) Regulations 2015, SI 2015/541. Available at: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/541/contents