Safety House
Common Questions and Answers
Who May Be a Safety Householder?
Why is the Safety House Program Needed?
What Does a Safety Householder do?
When Do You Need a Safety House?
How Do You Recognise a Safety House?
How do you use a Safety House?
Does
your home have to be a Safety House for you to join the committee?
Once
a Safety House is plated, is any follow-up checking carried out?
How is the program funded?
What is the Legal Status of Safety Householders?
Any responsible
adult who cares about the safety of ALL community members
(especially our children) and has been interviewed by a local
committee, and passed a thorough
Police checking process. The premises must also
meet certain guidelines.
Because it provides
all children, teenagers, adults and the elderly with an organised
method of protection whilst travelling in the community.
The program requires total community involvement from:
Safety Householders,
when approached by a person should -
-
Immediately
contact local Police.
-
Give
their exact address.
-
Clearly
state that it is a Safety House call and outline the problem.
-
Follow
Police instructions.
-
Comfort
the person and stay calm. If directed, ring the parent
or guardian
-
Ring
the local Safety House Committee as soon as possible to
report the Incident.
Please note:
The safety of our Householders is very important to us:
If
you do not feel safe or are uncomfortable in letting a
person into your home, you have the right to ask them
to wait outside and gather the information from a locked
screen door or window.
Whenever
they feel that their safety is threatened in anyway.
As our motto states:
"FEELING UNSURE???
KNOCK ON A SAFETY HOUSE DOOR!!!"
Some examples are:
- Whenever you are lost
- Whenever you are injured
- Whenever you are being bullied, harassed
or threatened in anyway.
- Whenever you feel that you are being followed
by someone, whether that person is know to you or not.
- Whenever you are being chased or attacked
by an animal.
You can help by instructing your child about the Safety
House program, to respect the Safety Householders and not to abuse the program.
Click here to see an
example of when a when you would need to use a Safety House.
A square YELLOW plastic sign with a SAFETY
HOUSE LOGO inside
a black triangle, is attached on or near the LETTERBOX.
Business premises may have a yellow decal featuring the Safety House Logo in their front
window.
-
Go
to the front door of the Safety House, or Business Premises,
never go to the back as you may get trapped out of sight
of passers-by or there may be a dog around the back.
-
Knock
very loudly and tell the householder what the problem
is.
-
If
no-one is home at the first Safety House, go to the next.
-
NEVER
use a Safety House that has a broken sign.
NO! You may apply to be a
Safety House, a Committee Member or BOTH.
YES!
Local Committee members monitor every Safety House in their
area each month. The physical aspects of the premises are
checked and the details of the occupants. All new occupants
must be interviewed and pass the police checking process for
the premises to remain a Safety House.
Each
committee must fundraise to cover the costs associated with running the program in their
area. Some of the expenses incurred by committees are: Safety House plates and decals,
educational videos and kits and promotional literature and posters. Each committee is
financially independent and must pay an annual affiliation fee to the State Association.
This affiliation fee is used to cover the cost of public liability insurance cover for the
Safety Householders and Committee Members.
State Council approaches the State Government, corporations and businesses for sponsorship
to cover the costs associated with developing and producing new resources, advertising of
the program throughout the state, and general running costs.
Safety
Householders have no legal status except as that of a private
citizen. They
are volunteers who act as responsible adults in cases of emergency
involving children, teenagers, adults and the elderly with
in their community.
People, Cars, Caravans and the like are
NEVER Safety Houses
© Copyright Safety
House Association of Queensland Inc.
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