What is a welfare check?

Police will do a welfare check by visiting someone to make sure they’re safe, but they only do this in serious emergencies. This could be when: someone is at immediate risk of serious harm or death a crime may have occurred a child is in danger of serious harm there is concern that someone may have died. If any of this is happening, call Triple Zero (000). If you’re worried about someone who isn’t with you, you can contact police and explain why you’re concerned. They might ask: what has made you worried if you’ve tried contacting them if anyone has checked on them. This helps them work out how urgent it is. If police do a welfare check, they’ll go to the person’s location. They’ll check if they’re safe and organise any support they might need. In some states, if the police call an ambulance, they will cover the cost.

Should I call triple zero (000) or 131 444?

Call Triple Zero (000) only for serious emergencies. Use it when someone needs immediate help from the police or ambulance. Calling when it’s not an emergency (like as a prank or for something small) is against the law. It can stop people in real danger from getting help quickly. Call 131 444 if you need police help but it’s not an emergency. This number is for situations where no one is in immediate danger, but you still need help from the police. This could be when someone steals your bike, or if you notice something suspicious but are not in immediate danger.

Snapchat Safety Resources and Support. To report press and hold on that Snapchatter's name, click ‘Manage Friendship’, then ‘Report’ > ‘They’re posting inappropriate content’ > then under Suicide & Self-Harm, click ‘I’m worried that this Snapchatter might hurt themselves’, make your comment and click Submit.

Instagram's when you’re worried about someone's suicide or self-injury content. To report a post click on the three dots on the top right, tap the report icon, and select ‘Suicide or self-injury’ and follow the prompts.

Twitch Cares: Mental Health Support & Information. Users can now share their personal stories about self-harm, emotional problems, or even suicide, but they are not allowed to discuss them in detail with their viewers. Check out HealthyGamer’s GG Twitch channel. Be careful if you choose to report a player, as it may block your chance to keep in contact with them.

TikTok Care: Suicide and Self-harm. Tap the arrow at the bottom right-hand corner of the video. Tap the report icon, select 'Self injury' and follow the prompts.

Reddit: Get support for yourself or others - Self-harm Resources You can let Reddit know you are worried about someone: report the specific post or comment that worried you select ‘Someone is considering suicide or serious self-harm’.

Suicide and Self-Harm Policy Explainer If you want to report a message on Discord, pick the message you want to report. On mobile, press and hold the message. On desktop, right‑click it. Then select ‘Report Message’.

Facebook suicide/self-harm staying safe. To report a person you’re worried about click here and Facebook will contact this person with information that may be helpful to them. To report a photo directly click on the three dots on the top right, click ‘Report Photo’, and then choose ‘ Suicide or self-injury’.

Anyone can report content that may encourage or promote suicide or self-harm through X's in-app reporting or through this form. If you need it, here is X's Suicide and Self-harm policy.

Emergency - RightByYou

If you fear your friend is in danger of taking their life, call Triple Zero (000) for urgent support.

Tell emergency services what’s going on, stay on the line, speak calmly and answer their questions. They’ll guide you through what to do next.
After calling, try to privately message or call your friend to stay connected and check in with them.
If you can, ask if there’s a trusted adult nearby who can support them.

And don’t worry – emergency services calls are private. You won’t get in trouble for trying to help a friend.

If possible, get a trusted adult to support you through the process too.

What does immediate danger look like?

It can be really worrying when someone you care about might be thinking about suicide.

You’re not expected to figure everything out on your own. The fact that you’ve noticed something and want to help already shows how much you care.

If your friend shows any of these signs, they may be in an emergency and need immediate support:

they talk about how or when they might end their life
they share or post images or content related to harming themselves
they start saying goodbye or giving away personal items
they appear suddenly calm or happy after a period of distress.

There isn’t always one clear sign, and it’s okay to feel unsure. If something you see or hear feels alarming, it’s important to take it seriously.

If you’re worried, you don’t have to handle it alone. Whether you reach out online or in person, make sure you let a trusted adult know so you have support too.

Where you can get help

If you need guidance or someone to talk you through what to do next, these helplines are here for you:

Call Suicide Call Back Service 1300 659 467

You’re doing the right thing by wanting to help your friend. Getting support for yourself is part of keeping them safe too.

Man sitting, holding jacket and looking and mobile phone.

Who are some trusted adults I can ask to help me?

You know that someone is a trusted adult when you share your feelings, and they reassure you that you can get through it together. For some people this can be their parents, and if they don’t have that relationship with anyone in their family, you can have teachers, family friends, their babysitter, lifeguards, counsellors, teachers, sport coaches. The people you feel know enough about you and have the experience and knowledge to help you deal with these things.

Things to know about calling emergency or police services

Reporting online content

If you see a post that makes you worried about a friend, the first thing you should do is contact them and let them know there is support.

After this, you can report any online content that you are concerned about.

By reporting content, you can get it removed from the public platform. The platform may also send you some helpful information for yourself and the person you’re worried about.

Find out how to get support for the social media platforms below.

#Chatsafe – What to do when you see harmful content

When you see harmful or triggering content online it’s important to know how to protect yourself

More resources

Chatsafe – Responding to someone who may be suicidal [VIDEO]

Watch now

ReachOut – How to help and support a suicidal friend

eSafety – Responding to image based blackmail

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When should I call triple zero (000) and what will happen after that? transcript

When should I call triple zero (000) and what will happen after that? The first thing to remember is that triple zero is reserved for life-threatening emergencies.

So if somebody’s at risk of they’re hurting themselves of taking their life, then, absolutely, you should call triple zero (000).

It’ll be answered by a professional call taker who will clarify what the situation is with a series of questions and make a determination as to which is the responsible agency or a person to send out.

If you are ringing up and the situation is not yet a life-threatening emergency, you can ring through specifically to police.

You can request a welfare check. A welfare check is simply that, if you’re holding concerns as to somebody’s welfare and you want police to conduct a check on them to make sure that they’re okay.

If police attend, we will make our own assessment as to whether or not an ambulance is required or any other services are required. If we call those services, we bare the cost in WA. And look, it’s very important that young people feel/know that police are your friends.

We’re not here to judge you. We are here for people when you’re in a crisis and we are here to help.

Who are some trusted adults I can ask to help me? transcript

Who are some trusted adults you can ask to help you?

You’d know that someone is a trusted adult when they, you know, you share your feelings and they really, really listen. And they reassure you that you can get through it together. Stand by you. Someone you can go to take action, but also to make sure they’re listening to you and understand the situation.

For some people it can be their parents and if people don’t have that relationship with their parents or any of their family, you can have teachers. Someone’s parent. My boss, who’s like my mentor in a way. Family friends or their babysitters. Or even lifeguards at the beach or life savers.

Counsellors. There’s lots of free counselling services available.

Trusted teachers, mainly my sports teachers and my coaches at sport. For me, personally, they were the people that I felt knew enough about me and had the experience and the knowledge to help me deal with these things.

So looking at people who show up and hold comfortable space for you and that feel safe. Yeah. That’s what I’d look for.