Dr. Claire Hayes:

I agree with what Dr. Noctor said. When it comes to the culture around bullying, it starts with the school. We have not spoken yet about situations where there is a culture of bullying behaviour within staffrooms. My background is in primary school teaching and I know, as many members will know, that such a culture can, unfortunately, be part of schools. That is an important point when looking at changing cultures. In a school I worked in at one time as a student, there was a notice saying that no parents were permitted beyond that point. Fortunately, that was a long time ago. It is about making schools a place where respect is a core value and where respect is lived, not just through having anti-bullying policies but in the way teachers are treated by the principal and how parents are treated by the principal and board of management. It is a whole culture shift.

On the issue of CBT, like Dr. Muldoon and, I assume, the other guests, I submitted a detailed document to the committee. I did not have time in the three minutes allocated for my opening statement to draw more on that issue. CBT involves looking at and responding to our feelings, thoughts, beliefs and actions. Parents may feel disenfranchised and may believe they will not be listened to. Schools should focus on creating a culture of respect and really working on changing behaviour, as opposed to having lots of policies. I would love to see those policies implemented.