Key Proposals

✅ 1) Criminal Offence for Repeated Bullying (Age 10+)

• Repeated, targeted psychological or physical bullying becomes a criminal offence.

• Aligns with existing age of criminal responsibility in the UK.

• Extreme cases resulting in suicide/self-harm would send perpetrators to youth institutions.

Impact:
Creates legal accountability → harm has consequences.

✅ 2) Mandatory School Action Within 72 Hours

Schools must:

• Document events & investigate

• Contact safeguarding + guardians immediately

• Provide written reports

• Log injury/psychological harm

• Assign a staff member responsible daily until resolved

Impact:
Stops schools from ignoring or “minimising” abuse.

✅ 3) Mandatory Anti-Bullying Education (Starting Age 6)

Taught yearly to all children:

• What bullying is

• Emotional impact

• How to report safely

• How to support others

Impact:
Kids learn early how to recognise harm and speak up.

✅ 4) Digital / Cross-Region Accountability

If bullying happens online or outside normal jurisdiction, schools are still legally responsible to act.

Impact:
No more deflecting responsibility because it happened “off-site.”

✅ 5) Closing Safeguarding Loopholes

National guidelines would:

• Force schools to report across authority borders

• Require police involvement when necessary

• Ensure all agencies share information

Impact:
No more “not our problem — happened off school grounds.”

✅ 6) Legal Protection for Parents

Parents protecting their child from ongoing bullying would be protected from prosecution.

Impact:
Stops parents being punished for safeguarding when systems fail.

✅ 7) Mandatory Parent Involvement

Schools must notify parents of:

• Any bullying concerns

• Evidence (including CCTV)

• Actions taken

Impact:
No more parents being left in the dark.

✅ 8) Integrated Mental-Health Safeguarding

Schools + GPs must communicate when a child shows distress linked to bullying.

Impact:
Warning signs aren’t ignored; support begins early.

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Positive Outcomes

If implemented, Willow’s Law would:

• Set a legal boundary: repeated bullying = crime

• Force schools to take real action

• Stop “we didn’t know” excuses

• Hold institutions accountable

• Give victims protection + their families a voice

• Reduce long-term psychological harm

• Promote restorative justice and education

The Bigger Picture

Willow’s Law isn’t about punishment first — it’s about saving lives.

It ensures:

• Children are believed

• Systems respond fast

• No child is left to suffer in silence

Because silence is how children die