Rights, respect, equality guidance: children’s rights impact assessment
We assessed how the guidance on challenging bullying and harassment in schools and settings affects a number of areas.
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Policy objectives
Decision being impact assessed
This Children’s Rights Impact Assessment (CRIA) considers the impact of updating the Welsh Government’s statutory ‘Rights, Respect, Equality’ guidance, originally published in 2019. This section outlines why the update is relevant to children and young people, reflecting feedback from engagement activities, evidence of rising bullying trends, and the disproportionate impact on particular groups.
The guidance supports governing bodies, schools and education settings in preventing, identifying and responding to bullying and harassment.
The updated guidance is expected to enhance children and young people’s experiences of safety, inclusion, wellbeing, and participation in school communities.
The updated version reflects changes in legislation and policy since 2019, new evidence on bullying and prejudice‑related behaviours, and commitments in major strategies, including:
- the Anti‑Racist Wales Action Plan
- the LGBTQ+ Action Plan
- the Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE) Code
- the Whole School Approach to mental health and wellbeing
- Estyn’s 2021 report on peer‑on‑peer sexual harassment
- feedback from children, young people and practitioners
The updated guidance for schools, local authorities and governing bodies is being published in spring 2026. This update should improve consistency across Wales in interpreting, recording, and responding to bullying incidents, with specific attention to identity-based bullying.
Gathering evidence and engaging with children and young people
Existing research and data on children and young people
A wide range of evidence has been considered to shape the updated guidance and identify impacts on children and young people.
This includes:
Key findings from the 2024 School Health Research Network (SHRN) Student Health and Wellbeing Survey:
- Bullying data from the most recent SHRN schools survey for 11 to 16-year-olds covering the time period 2023 to 2024 shows bullying has increased, previous survey 2021 to 2022, with 38% of young people reporting they had been bullied in the last couple of months.
- 41% of girls and 33% of boys reported being bullied this often, with a much higher rate of 66% among those who identified their gender as ‘neither word describes me’.
- More young people are self-reporting as perpetrators of bullying: 19% of students said they had taken part in bullying other students at school in the past couple of months, up from 15% in 2021 and 16% in 2017.
Everybody’s affected. Peer on peer sexual harassment among learners (Children, Young People and Education Committee, July 2022):
- We have considered ways to effectively expand this work to include robust and consistent reporting, recording, and data collection of peer-on-peer sexual harassment, as well as homophobic harassment and bullying.
We Don’t Tell Our Teachers (Estyn, December 2021):
- We have considered the recommendations of this report in relation to Peer-on-Peer sexual harassment.
Anti-racist Wales Action Plan (ArWAP)
- We have considered the actions from the ArWAP which reflects the Welsh Government’s commitment to building an inclusive and equitable society for all our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people and communities in Wales.
- We have considered the findings in the Curriculum for Wales 2022 Feedback Analysis Children and Young People’s Report in regard to Bullying which whilst referred to as a general term it also specifically referred to racism and homophobia.
There are a number of specific policy areas that this update references and policy leads were asked to contribute to ensure the guidance aligns with these policies.
Mental health
This updated guidance also takes account of the impact bullying can have on a learner’s mental health and well-being as part of the whole school approach to mental health and wellbeing.
The WSA Framework is intended to support schools, including pupil referral units (PRUs) and education settings in reviewing their own well-being landscape and in developing plans to address their weaknesses and build on their strengths.
A robust evidence base demonstrates strong associations between bullying, emotional distress, self-harm and suicidal ideation. In April 2025, we published a ten-year Suicide Prevention and Self-harm Strategy for Wales along with its accompanying delivery plan.
Transport
Under Section 12 of the Learner Travel (Wales) Measure 2008. The Travel Code sets out specific requirements regarding the behavioural conduct of learners when travelling and requires all learners to ‘never bully other learners’ and ‘respect others (including the bus driver)’. The purpose of the Travel Code is to promote safety when travelling, by laying down a set of behavioural standards across Wales, for all learners, irrespective of the mode of travel.
ALN
Reports from Mencap and the Anti-Bullying Alliance show that disabled children and young people with disabilities and learners with ALN are more likely to experience bullying than their peers.
Attendance
The annual combined primary and secondary school attendance statistics for 2024 to 2025 was published on Tuesday 16 December. It is clear that children and young people face emotional barriers to sustaining regular attendance at school, following an experience of bullying. Poor attendance can impact on academic performance and social development. Therefore, it is important for schools to implement robust anti-bullying policies and create a supportive environment. By addressing the root causes of bullying, schools can mitigate its impact on attendance and ensure that all children and young people have the opportunity to thrive.
Community Focussed Schools
Family engagement is one of the key pillars of the Welsh Governments Community Focused Schools model, and is shows to have a positive impact on children and young people. Within a Community Focused School approach, families are made to feel welcomed, listened to and valued. Their strengths, skills and the role that they have in supporting their child’s learning and development is acknowledged and valued.
Relationships and Sexuality Education (RSE)
RSE is mandatory requirement within the Curriculum for Wales and aims to keep children and young people safe from harm. The mandatory RSE Code sets out learning at developmentally appropriate phases and includes learning on a range of issues such as healthy relationships, keeping safe, online and offline, and being confident to raise issues with responsible adults.
Anti-racist Wales Action Plan (ArWAP)
Racism continues to be prevalent and schools must continue to be alert to it and to challenge it. But there are forms of racism, which are primarily to do with culture, customs, religion and heritage. These too must be addressed and countered by Schools. The ArWAP sets out a number of actions which aim to embed anti-racism within Wales’ education system.
Anticipated positive and negative impacts on different groups of children and young people
It is evident that some groups of children and young people are more likely to experience bullying than their peers. This update is expected to have a positive impact on children, young people, and their families, without any anticipated negative effects. Its purpose is to enhance the existing guidance related to race-based bullying, peer-on-peer sexual harassment, and its connection with the LGBTQ+ Action Plan. Additionally, it aims to strengthen areas of prejudice-related guidance and incorporate relevant research available since 2019.
Participatory work with children and young people
Engagement activities included:
- Two stakeholder workshops with organisations representing anti‑bullying, LGBTQ+, race equality, Gypsy Roma Traveller communities, mental health, disability and ALN sectors.
- Workshops delivered by Children in Wales with primary school learners (ages 7 to 11 years old), secondary school learners (ages 11 to 16 years old) and the Young Wales Advisory Board (ages 11 to 25 years old).
Additionally, a wider questionnaire was commissioned by Children in Wales. In summary, the feedback highlighted need for:
- clarity on what bullying is
- importance of being believed and safe
- consistent recording processes
- better responses to identity-based bullying
- more visibility of reporting routes
Analysing the evidence and assessing the impact
Expected impacts on children and young people
- Improved access to information and advice for children, young people, and their families to understand what services are available to help address bullying, including issues related to race, gender, sexual orientation, and gender identity.
- Greater confidence and understanding of what bullying is by providing broad definitions and clear examples of different types of bullying, including racism, homophobia, transphobia, and sexual harassment.
- Clearer roles and responsibilities to manage expectations about who is responsible for tackling bullying, ensuring a holistic approach and accountability across all relevant parties.
- Increased awareness of bullying prevention and intervention, particularly in relation to prejudice and discrimination, by highlighting practical steps to address issues when they occur.
- Promotion of respectful relationships through better clarity on what appropriate behaviour looks like.
- Holistic approach to tackling bullying by addressing root causes of behaviour and signposting to services and support groups that can provide further advice and assistance on issues such as race, gender, LGBTQ+, and sexual harassment.
Steps to reduce negative effects
We recognise that the updated guidance may create unrealistic expectations that bullying will stop simply because guidance has been updated. To mitigate this, we will clearly communicate that guidance alone cannot eradicate bullying. Practical implementation by schools, local authorities, and other stakeholders is essential.
We will also emphasise that while bullying cannot be fully eliminated from society, proactive steps can significantly reduce its prevalence and ensure effective intervention and support when it occurs. Guidance and advice are one of many tools that contribute to this wider effort.
How the guidance enhances children’s rights
The updated guidance enhances rights under several UNCRC Articles and responds to recommendations from the 2023 UN Committee on the Rights of the Child Concluding Observations as below.
| UNCRC Articles or Optional Protocol | Enhances (X) | Challenges (X) | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Article 2: Non-discrimination | x | The updated guidance addresses disproportionate bullying experiences among minority ethnic, LGBTQ+, ALN and disabled learners. | |
| Article 3: All organisations concerned with children should work towards what is best for each child. | x | The updated guidance strengthens safeguarding and early intervention to prioritise learner welfare.
Additionally, it strengthens early identification and timely intervention in cases of bullying, ensuring every learner can achieve their educational potential.
It encourages collaboration between schools, education welfare services, youth support services, and families to address bullying holistically.
It also provides clear guidance on addressing unacceptable behaviour and embedding respect and dignity within school communities.
| |
Article 5: Parental guidance
| x | Revised guidance clarifies parental roles and school responsibilities, respecting evolving capacities. Additionally, a parents version of the guidance will be published. | |
| Article 12: Children have the right to say what they think should happen, when adults are making decisions that affect them, and to have their opinions taken into account | x | Children and young people have been actively engaged in shaping the need for updated guidance through initiatives such as ARWAP and ‘We Don’t Tell Our Teachers’.
A young person’s version of the consultation was also provided to ensure accessibility and inclusion. | |
| Article 13: Right to information | x | The updated guidance emphasises accessible communication which addresses the findings of the Children’s Commissioner’s survey which showed varying levels of awareness of school anti‑bullying policies. | |
| Article 14: Children have the right to think and believe what they want and to practice their religion, as long as they are not stopping other people from enjoying their rights. Parents should guide their children on these matters. | x | The revised guidance clarifies rights and responsibilities for learners and schools, including what constitutes acceptable behaviour towards peers and staff, supporting freedom of belief while promoting respect for others. | |
| Article 15: Freedom of association | x | The updated guidance supports safe participation in groups and clubs by tackling harassment and group-based bullying. | |
| Article 23: Children who have any kind of disability should have special care and support so that they can lead full and independent lives. | x | The revised guidance provides clarity on rights and responsibilities, including additional support for learners with disabilities, learning difficulties, and other protected characteristics to ensure they are best supported in addressing bullying.
| |
| Article 28: Children have a right to an education. Discipline in schools should respect children’s human dignity. Primary education should be free. Wealthy countries should help poorer countries achieve this. | x | The guidance clarifies the support systems available to address bullying and promote wellbeing.
It also outlines discipline procedures that respect dignity and ensure learners can fully benefit from educational opportunities. | |
Article 29: Education should develop each child’s personality and talents to the full. It should encourage children to respect their parents, and their own and other cultures.
| x | The revised guidance promotes respectful relationships as a cornerstone of positive behaviour.
It clarifies roles and responsibilities expected of all learners, encouraging tolerance and respect for others. | |
| Article 31: Right to play and leisure | x | The updated guidance addresses bullying behaviour more clearly during unstructured time (lunchtimes, playgrounds, online spaces). | |
Article 36: Children should be protected from any activities that could harm their development.
| x | The guidance strengthens safeguarding procedures to prevent and protect learners from bullying.
It also clarifies recording and monitoring processes to help schools respond effectively to incidents. | |
| UN CO 12(a)(b): Data collection | x | x | The updated guidance should improve recording incidents, though additional work is needed to embed this approach consistently. |
| UN CO 17(a): Access to justice | x | The updated guidance should clarify reporting and remedies. | |
| UN CO 19 to 20: Non-discrimination | x | The updated guidance should address discrimination affecting vulnerable groups. | |
| UN CO 23(a to c): Voice of the child | x | The updated guidance should strengthen participation and listening duties. | |
| UN CO 43(c): Mental Health | x | The updated guidance aligns with the Whole-School Approach and early support. | |
| UN CO 47: Education | x | The updated guidance supports safe, inclusive learning environments. | |
| GC1: Aims of education | x | The updated guidance promotes dignity, equality and respect. | |
| GC9: Children with disabilities | x | The updated guidance emphasises protections and adjustments. | |
| GC12: Right to be heard | x | The updated guidance reinforces voice of learner in reporting bullying. | |
| GC13: Freedom from violence | x | The updated guidance recognises bullying as violence requiring prevention. |
Ministerial advice and decision
In the ministerial advice, we have set out that the guidance is expected to have a positive impact by strengthening protections for learners, improving consistency and ensuring more effective responses to bullying. The guidance enhances children’s rights, particularly in relation to Article 2 relating to equality and discrimination.