Community against violence

Violence is a community issue and we all want it to stop.

Whether it happens in someone’s home, school, workplace, sporting field or in a public space, violence is always unacceptable.

We understand from talking with students, staff and the community that ending violence is something people want. By working together, we can support each other to create change.

One way we can make a difference is by talking about violence and how we can all play a part to prevent it from happening.

School communities play an important role. Together, school staff, students and their families teach children and young people about appropriate behaviour, provide opportunities for them to examine and challenge social norms, and provide learning environments that promote positive and respectful relationships.

School staff work with their communities to foster and maintain a culture of positive behaviour, respect and unity, and address any incidents of violence.

In WA, students learn about respectful relationships as part of the curriculum. They learn:

what behaviour is and is not appropriate
how to build respectful, reciprocal relationships
how they can respond to, or challenge, disrespectful attitudes and behaviours.

Sadly, violence in the home is a reality for some students. One in four children is exposed to domestic violence. Teachers discuss respectful relationships in the context of family and domestic violence prevention, and schools take a whole school approach to this issue.

Unfortunately, there are a few students who intentionally harm or intimidate other students and/or staff members. They are in the minority, but their actions can have a significant impact on those targeted and others in their school community.

The following measures are in place to help school staff to respond to situations where students are intentionally violent:

automatic suspension of students who intentionally attack or instigate a fight with another student or film a fight between students
automatic move to exclude students who intentionally harm school staff
alternative learning settings for identified excluded students and/or the most violent students where they will be provided with an intensive, individualised program of support to effect positive and lasting change in their behaviour
advice, training and support for school staff in relation to responding to aggressive behaviour and identifying what actions are appropriate and reasonable
changes to schools’ behaviour policies to ensure students are accountable for their behaviour.

The role of communities

Western Australians want to see change and it is possible to get involved and make that change happen. Community organisations, businesses, leaders and members can join in this call for change by:

publicly speaking out against violence and advocating for change
following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter and sharing our posts
creating your own social media posts to promote respectful behaviours
supporting their local school and community
funding or resourcing support services
partnering with agencies, universities and researchers to develop strategies to address violence
sponsoring campaigns against violence
displaying physical or digital posters in your workplace or around the community.

Support the campaign

The Say no to violence campaign is now running across WA on social media.

The campaign was informed by consultation with young people, parents, community members and school staff and is designed to address violence in schools and encourage discussion about violence in the community.

Community against violence