Worried about bullying? Why not ask Dave?

Children in Leicestershire schools can receive confidential advice about bullying – by contacting a virtual agony aunt.

“Ask Dave” is a service run by Leicestershire County Council for children and young people who need support and advice about bullying.

The County Council is urging young people not to suffer in silence and to take advantage of the anti-bullying service.

All children and young people need to do is to email: askdave@leics.gov.uk if they have any worries about bullying. Emails are checked towards the end of every working day Monday-Friday and an emailed reply is sent within two working days. Those who write in will receive advice and information about further local services which may be able to help.

Dave offers virtual, confidential advice to help young people – but he is a real person. He is an educational psychologist at Leicestershire County Council with time allocated to anti-bullying work.

Ivan Ould, Leicestershire County Council’s Cabinet Lead Member for the Children and Young People’s Service, said: “Bullying can have a serious impact on the lives of children and young people and will not be tolerated.

“I would like to encourage youngsters in Leicestershire who are affected by bullying to use the confidential “Ask Dave” service for help and advice.”

Ask Dave is a pilot project which will run until the end of July.

Leicestershire County Council’s anti-bullying team works on initiatives to tackle bullying at County schools. They have a website: www.beyondbullying.com which has further information and advice for young people.