CECNSW acting Executive Director Ian Baker said the new resources deserved the support of all schools, parents, carers and students.
“A person can be bullied for any type of characteristic - it could be the way they look, their cultural background, faith, sexuality, gender, a physical or mental disability, body shape or the sound of their voice,” Mr Baker said.
“Unfortunately, bullying occurs in a wide variety of contexts.
“But whatever the cause, bullying must never be tolerated in our schools.
“We need to ensure that our schools and classrooms are safe and supportive environments for everyone and that every person is clear about what constitutes respectful behaviour.”
Mr Baker said the NSW Government’s anti-bullying website brings together information and resources to deal with bullying and help parents, carers, and students respond if they witness bullying or are themselves bullied.
“These new online resources provide a practical, evidence-based approach to identifying and dealing with all forms of bullying.”
Mr Baker said the Catholic schools sector – which educates one in five NSW students - was involved in developing the new anti-bullying resources.
“The resources include content specifically designed for students and school staff.
“It includes educational content that allows students to develop social and emotional competencies and learn appropriate ways to respond to bullying.
“It also provides support and professional development to teachers and other school staff to help address bullying more effectively.
“We congratulate Education Minister Rob Stokes and Parliamentary Secretary for Education Gareth Ward for consulting widely in the development of this comprehensive set of resources.”
CECNSW represents the state’s 591 Catholic schools, which educate some 258,000 students and employ 27,000 teaching and support staff.
