About the COPE Project

Coping with bullying: Parental Experiences is a project being conducted by Sarah Wild (Sarah.wild@york.ac.uk) and Karina Milligan (karina.milligan@york.ac.uk) at the University of York as part of their PhD studies.

The aim of the COPE project is to examine the impact and experiences of parents/ carers when their child is being bullied in school. We know that when a child is being bullied, this can be a source of real stress for their parents/ carers, yet evidence on this relationship is lacking. We also don’t know much about what can help parents/ carers and what can make the situation worse when their child is being bullied.

Through the COPE project we seek to better understand how parents/carers perceive and cope when their child is bullied in school alongside their experiences of working with schools to resolve the bullying behaviour.

By bringing parents’ voices to the forefront, the COPE Project helps shape better policies, better communication, and better outcomes for parents and children.

Get Involved

In January 2026 we launched our new survey and we are currently conducting a survey to better understand the effect of bullying on parents and the support they receive.

To take part in this study please click on this link. At the end of the survey you will see a link which allows you to sign up to our mailing list for any future research and updates about the COPE project.

Sources of Support

If you are the parent/ carer of a bullied child seeking guidance and support, you may find the following sources helpful:

Kidscape Parental Advice Line
https://www.kidscape.org.uk/parent-advice-line/

The Anti-Bullying Alliance
https://anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/tools-information/advice-and-support/advice-parents-and-carers

RespectMe
https://www.respectme.org.uk/information-parents/

UNICEF
https://www.unicef.org/parenting/child-care/how-talk-school-about-bullying