What should I do if I feel unsafe, or worried that one of my friends is unsafe?

Tell an adult you trust. This might be a parent, family member, teacher, welfare officer, coach, doctor, or therapist. It can also be someone you trust from one of our services or programs you attend, like a nurse, swim teacher, youth worker, librarian, family support case worker, early childhood educator/teacher, school crossing supervisor, or even a customer service officer.

The adults at our services can help you and will take your concerns seriously.

Read our Child Safe Code of Conduct for Children and Young People [ PDF, 413.39 KB] to learn more about your rights and what our staff will do when you tell them you feel unsafe.

You can also go to your local police station to make a report or call 000.

Getting help and support

If you need to talk to someone, here are some other places you can get online and phone support:

• Kids Help Line: 1800 55 1800
• Headspace: 1800 650 890
• Beyond Blue: 1300 22 4636

If the situation is life threatening or the child/young person is in immediate danger, call Triple Zero (000) immediately.

Child protection

If you believe a child or young person is in need of protection, you can contact:

Child Protection North Division Intake

• 1300 664 977
• Monday to Friday 8.45am to 5pm

After Hours Child Protection Emergency Service

• 13 12 78
• For urgent matters outside of normal business hours
• Monday to Friday 5pm to 9am, and 24 hours on weekends and public holidays.

Sexual abuse

If you have reason to think that a child under 16 has been sexually harmed by an adult, it's very important to report this to the police immediately. Not reporting such information can be considered a criminal offence. Taking action is key to protecting the safety and wellbeing of our children.

If you want to report that a child is in immediate risk of sexual abuse, call Triple Zero (000).

Alternatively, you can contact your local police station.

If you or someone you know has experienced child sexual abuse in an institution, you can contact Victoria Police's Sano Taskforce at sanotaskforce@police.vic.gov.au.

Make a complaint

If you wish to make a complaint about the behaviour of a council worker towards a child or young person, contact Yarra City Council on 9205 5555 and ask to speak with the Senior Advisor Workforce Equity and Inclusion (Child Safety) or email childsafe@yarracity.vic.gov.au

Alternatively, you can contact the police or the Commission for Children and Young People at contact@ccyp.vic.gov.au or call 8601 5884 (Monday to Friday).

Information sharing with other organisations

Several Yarra City Council services are a prescribed Information Sharing Entity (ISE) under Part 5A of the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 and Part 6A of the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005.

Under the Family Violence Information Scheme (FVISS) and the Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS), those services may lawfully collect, use and share current and previously collected personal and health information with other authorised organisations to assess and manage family violence risk and promote children's wellbeing and safety. This can be done with or without the person’s consent depending on the circumstances in which the information is being requested or shared.

These laws and supporting regulations:

• override privacy law
• prioritise the safety of adult and child victim-survivors over a perpetrator’s privacy, and
• make sure that key professionals have the information they need to keep children and young people safe.