Children and young people have the right to feel safe; their safety and wellbeing is the responsibility of everyone. We all have an obligation to keep children and young people safe from harm and abuse.

At Merri-bek we support and encourage the empowerment and participation of children and young people. We aim to create a child safety culture and are continually working to ensure we have child safe and friendly environments where children and young people are heard, respected, and encouraged to reach their full potential.

If you believe a child or young person is in immediate danger call 000 (triple zero) and ask for the police.

To speak to someone who can help with child safety issues at Merri-bek City Council, or to report a child safe issue or incident, please call 9240 1111 and ask to speak with a Child Safe Officer.

Child Safety Commitment Statement

Merri-bek City Council is committed to being a Child Safe organisation and has zero tolerance for child abuse. We believe children and young people have the right to be and feel safe and that their safety and wellbeing is the responsibility of everyone. All child safe incidents will be treated seriously and responded to promptly.

At Merri-bek we support and encourage the empowerment and participation of all children and young people. As an inclusive organisation we recognise and respect diversity. We are committed to providing culturally safe environments where all children and young people are heard, respected and encouraged to reach their full potential.

We recognise the distinct history and experience of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children and young people and their families and encourage the expression, enjoyment and sharing of their cultures.

Plain English version of Council's Child Safe Commitment Statement (PDF 11.3 MB)

Translated Child Safe Commitment Statement (PDF 4.6MB) - includes  العربية (Arabic), 中文 (Simplified Chinese), Ελληνικά (Greek), Italiano (Italian), नेपाली (Nepali), Türkçe (Turkish),and اردو (Urdu). 

Merri-bek’s Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy

Council's Child Safety and Wellbeing Policy (PDF 960KB) outlines our commitment to child safety and wellbeing and identifies what will we do to empower children and young people and keep them safe and protected from harm and abuse.