Have Finnish schools found the solution to bullying?

We often look to Scandinavia, Finland in particular, for their innovative approaches to child rearing, from the baby box scheme in the hospitals, to their progressive maternity and paternity leave rules, to their excellent childcare facilities and funding. Now it seems they’re leading the world in another big issue for kids – bullying.

The innovative KiVa system (from the Finnish words “kiusaamista vastaan,” meaning “against bullying”) is used in the vast majority of the schools in Finland with an amazing success rate – 98 per cent of the students whose bullying incidents were tackled by the school’s KiVa team said their situations improved. And now it’s being brought into other countries, such as the Netherlands and the UK.

Meant as a permanent and ongoing part of a school’s fight against bullying, KiVa consists of three units aimed for kids between six and 16. Developers of the system recognised that adults are not usually present when bullying takes place, and so a particular emphasis of the programme is on teaching children how to behave constructively when witnessing bullying incidents. This is taught through devices like computer games, which also make it easier for children to report incidents to adults. Other KiVa universal devices include visible vests for teachers during break times, student online surveys, student lessons, virtual learning environments, and a website and guide for parents.

When bullying does occur, the KiVa team conducts individual and group discussions with both the bullied and the bully. Rather than going straight into punishment, after these discussions, the aim is for the bullies to suggest how they will change their behaviour. After a week or two, a follow-up meeting is conducted, and if the initial approach fails, punishment may be given.

Studies have shown that KiVa reduces the odds of a student being bullied by about a third to a half – plus early data shows that KiVa might also help reduce depression and increase self-esteem for kids who have already been bullied.

KiVa is currently being evaluated in the UK and the US – but should we take it on too?

For more on KiVa, see http://www.kivaprogram.net/

maternity & infant