Safety

Your safety is top priority for us and we know sometimes the world can be a scary place, both in the real world and online. We've put together some information to make your journey less worrying and so that you can do things to be safe and feel confident wherever you are.

Bullying

Bullying is not nice. It’s not a cool thing to do to anyone. If you are being bullied it can be hard to stand up to the bully on your own. Sometimes telling an adult or someone you can trust can help break the cycle and stop the bullying.

What bullying looks like

Being teased or called names
Threats and intimidation
Being physically harmed
Having rumours spread about you
Being ignored or left out

What bullying looks like online (this is called cyberbullying)

Abusive texts, emails or social media posts or comments (including memes and videos)
Constant harassing messages
Sharing inappropriate images
Unkind messages or images
Excluding others online

For more information about what to do about cyberbullying, we have a page about it here.

What to do if you’re being bullied

Talk to someone you trust who can help break the cycle
If you’re getting threatening messages and feel in danger, call 000 and tell the police
Tell someone you know and trust that you are being bullied or cyberbullied to get some support and do something about it
If you don’t feel like you can talk to a teacher or parent, come talk to one of the counsellors at Valley Youth. You can ask for support on our Counselling and Youth Support page.

ReachOut have some great tips and info like the video below:

Cybersafety

Sometime the online world can be a dangerous place. But there are some things you can do to protect yourself and reduce the risk. We take cybersafety seriously and believe everyone should feel safe and valued online. If anything bad happens, it’s about knowing what you can do and where you can get advice.

If something happens online or on a social media platform and you need it dealt with in a hurry, contact the Children’s eSafety Commissioner, who can help you to figure it out and has the ability to remove items from numerous sites.

CYBERSAFETY TIPS

HOLD OFF

Think about what you say and do when online and keep your personal stuff private.

BLOCK

Don’t open any unknown links and attachments and block nasty messages from people you know and don’t know.

NOTIFY

If something upsets you online or if someone asks to meet you offline, raise it with someone you trust!

COLLECT INFORMATION

Take screenshots and save any messages you might receive. This way if you need to take it further and report it, you have evidence.

Safe Relationships

It’s really important that everyone feels safe in their family, friendships and in romantic or sexual relationships. A good relationship is one where you feel free to be yourself and trust each other. A good rule of thumb is the expression "treat others how you want to be treated". This is true with family, friends, workmates and partners. Good communication is key to a positive relationship.

You can tell things are going well if you enjoy spending time with the other person and you are comfortable to be yourself. It is also normal to have some ups and downs, but remember the importance of the relationship if things aren't easy.

In our friendships it can be easy to walk away if we feel like we are not being treated right. If we get involved in romantic or sexual relationships, it can be harder to walk away if things aren’t right, but it is just as important. Watch out for warning signs like:

if things in the relationship aren’t fair or equal
if you don’t feel trusted
someone is jealous of you spending time with other people.

If you need support or advice to make a call or get out of a relationship, you can make a time with us or get started by checking out the links below: