If you need help

If you need help

If you feel worried or confused, it is important you tell a safe person who will listen, believe you, and help you. This might be your:

  • parent,A group of adults of different ages and roles with 'Who is your safe person'? Written above them.
  • carer,
  • grandparent,
  • teacher,
  • family friend,
  • older brother or sister,
  • police officer,
  • coach, or
  • doctor.

It is up to you who you trust and who you tell.

Who is your safe person?

You can think about all the people in your life who are safe for you to talk to if you need help. It might help to write down their names and telephone numbers.

You can use this activity sheet to help you think about who your safe person is.

Who else can you talk to?

If you are worried about talking to someone you know, there are people whose job it is to talk to you about your worries. You can call from your mobile, or from a friend’s phone.

  • The police
    • Call 000 if you are scared and need help now. This is a free call from any phone in Australia.
    • If it is not an emergency, you can call the police on 131 444 or you can go into your local police station.
  • Kids Helpline
    • Call Kids Helpline on 1800 55 1800 if you want to talk to someone because you are worried about something that is happening to you or someone else.
    • It is free to call, or you can talk to someone online.

Things you can say to a safe grown-up

Things you can say to a safe grown-up include:

  • I feel scared because something has happened/is happening to me, and I don’t like it, and I don’t know what to do about it.
  • I feel worried because someone has hurt me or is saying/doing things that make me feel confused or uncomfortable.
  • I feel worried about someone I know, and I need your help to work out what to do.

Contact JodieA bitmoji of Jodie with the words 'How can I help?' above her

Jodie is your Children and Young People Commissioner. Her job is to make sure that Canberra and the ACT is the better for all kids, teens, and young people.

She helps make organisations safer for you.

If you want to tell Jodie something that will help keep you and other kids, teens, and young people safe, you can contact Jodie by clicking here.

Make a complaint

If you are worried about how you have been treated, or you feel scared, or have been hurt, you have the right to tell someone who will believe you and treat you with respect.

You can make a complaint about a person or an organisation. This can include:

  • the way an adult is treating you or
  • how adults have dealt with the way your peers are behaving or treating you.

If you want to know more about making a complaint or want some help to make a complaint, you can contact Jodie’s office.