It is important to note that a bully is a victim as well as a perpetrator and will also require appropriate support, referral and interventions.

1. After you emerge from court, it is important to give yourself a short time to readjust and later to refl ect on your experience in the witness box. Avoid reworking the details and certainly do not spend ages on regrets. Take the opportunity to talk with someone in your team if the experience has actually caused you distress. Otherwise, refl ect on what you have learned – for yourself and to share with colleagues:

● In what ways was your experience more or less what you expected and in what ways different?

● In what ways did your preparation, which may have included a training workshop or support from the local authority lawyer, help you to be ready?

● What would you add in terms of advice to other practitioners?

● What might you do differently next time? But realise that each experience as a witness will vary in the details