Safe and Caring Schools and Communities Approach

Bullying and Violence Prevention

The SACSC programs prevent bullying and violence in schools and communities through character-building and conflict management. They promote a problem-solving approach to discipline that encourages positive social behaviour by helping young people learn from their mistakes and understand why certain behaviour is inappropriate. The SACSC programs promote consistency at home, at school and in the community. School programs support the positive values that parents want to instil in their children. SACSC uses a comprehensive approach that includes components for students, teachers, support staff, parents and other members of the community.

The SACSC programs teach knowledge, skills and attitudes that are needed to build positive interpersonal and collaborative relationships and manage conflicts peacefully. Young people develop attributes that will help them put a stop to bullying and prevent violence and crime. The programs which are based on the core concepts of respect and responsibility develop positive, social character in children and youth. The Society, through its programs, strives to affect a child’s total environment.

Punishment and Problem-Solving Approaches to Discipline

One of the objectives of the Society for Safe and Caring Schools and Communities is to encourage adults to use problem-solving strategies rather than punishment when dealing with children’s and adolescents’ inappropriate behaviour. The problem-solving approach, incorporated into all of the SACSC programs, builds respect, inclusiveness and accountability in children and youth, and provides parents, teachers and community members with the means to model and reinforce positive social behaviour in children and youth. When using a problem-solving approach, the goal is for the young person to learn a better way to behave. With a punishment approach the goal is to impose a penalty (or reward). However, making mistakes is part of growing and learning. It is the behaviour not the child that is the issue.

SACSC Character Education

The Society for SACSC has no religious affiliations. The values promoted through SACSC character education such as respect, responsibility, inclusiveness, caring and compassion are acceptable among all cultural and religious groups. SACSC supports the values that parents instil in their children, without being offensive to any of Canada’s diverse cultures or religions. These values include respect, inclusiveness, caring, compassion, and responsibility. The programs promote consistency at home and at school, as school programs support the positive values that parents instil in their children.

When children feel safe, their learning increases, and they have more success in the other areas of their lives. According to brain research, when people feel stress or in danger, the brain enters “fight or flight” mode. In this mode the brain reverts to repetitive behaviours and is not capable of higher cognitive functioning like perception, association or analysis. The hormones released into the body suppress memory, and keep the body in an alert and agitated state. These experiences are often the cause of behavioural problems.

The SACSC program promotes problem-solving discipline over punishment approaches. The former encourages positive behaviour by helping students learn from their mistakes, and understand why some behaviour is inappropriate. The latter simply punishes disruptive behaviour without teaching students why the behaviour is inappropriate. This problem-solving style of discipline expects students to “fix their mistakes and ensures that students experience and understand the consequences of their actions and how they affect other people.

The core SACSC topics that are integrated into Alberta curriculum are:

• Building respect and responsibility
• Building self-esteem
• Respecting diversity and preventing prejudice
• Managing anger and dealing with bullying
• Managing and resolving conflicts peacefully

These core topics are included in each of the SACSC program areas and all of the SACSC resources. This ensures that all of the adults in the lives of children and youth are modelling consistent values, and reinforce the character-building efforts of the other adults.