A leading bullying charity has thrown its support behind the message delivered by the mother of tragic teen Jade McGrath after she called for parents and children to speak out over bullying issues.
Kidscape provides children, families, carers and professionals with advice, training and practical tools to prevent bullying and protect young lives.
Lauren Seager-Smith, CEO of Kidscape, said: “We are deeply sorry to read of the impact of bullying on Jade’s life. Her Mum is absolutely right – we have to support our children to deal with bullying.
“We urge any parents with concerns about bullying to contact the Kidscape Parent Advice Line on 020 7823 5430. Kidscape also run free ZAP workshops for children and young people that are going through a bullying situation.”
This week, Samantha Taylor, Jade’s mother, told the Press and Journal of the difficulty her daughter experienced in early childhood, leading on to her eventual admission to the New Craigs Psychiatric Hospital in Inverness.
Mrs Taylor said: “She was recently diagnosed with a borderline Personality Disorder which is mostly referred to as BPD, and BPD is usually the result of childhood trauma. In Jade’s case, the childhood trauma was bullying.
“I would say [to any kids going through similar issues] to tell your parents and your teachers everything. Don’t hide it.
“Also, a message to parents that there is always going to be bullying – we are never going to completely get rid of bullies in this world. What we have to do instead is make our kids tough enough to handle it and we have to help them to be resilient. We have to foster resilience in our kids when they are very small.”
The body of 19-year-old Miss McGrath was uncovered on Sunday afternoon around half a mile from the hospital where she was last seen. The discovery came after a major search operation was launched after she was reported missing on November 28.
