PORT MELBOURNE TOY LIBRARY

* Member Information and FAQs** 

Current Opening Times

Wednesday 10:30am to 12.30pm

Saturday 10:30am to 12:30pm

 

Contact us

Social: Like and follow us on Facebook - PMToyLibrary and Instagram - portmelbourne_toylibrary

Email: pmtoylibrary@gmail.com

Website: pmtoylibrary.mibase.com.au

 

Membership Fees (as of June 2021)

Memberships

Short Term Membership (3 months) - 4 toys: $45

Annual Membership - 4 toys: $130

Concession (Healthcare Card) Annual Membership - 4 toys:  $0

Add ons / Discounts

Annual Membership Add On: Additional 2 Toys: $15

Annual Membership Add On: Additional 4 Toys: $30

Volunteer Discount on Annual Membership: -$20 (2 x 1 hour volunteer sessions)

 

Membership renewal

Members will be notified to the expiry date of their need to renew. If you have not renewed your membership by the required date, you will be unable to borrow items until payment has been made

If you do not wish to renew your membership it is appreciated if you let the Toy Library know so that records can be updated

 

How many toys can I borrow?

Per membership you may borrow up to 4 items
Membership add ons can be purchased, to increase toy limit by additional 4 or 6 toys

 

How long can I borrow the toys for?

2 weeks
Toys can be renewed twice before their due date for up, keeping them for up to six weeks
If items are not returned by due date you have until the next opening time to return before a fine applies

 

Borrowing toys

Members are to check their toys at home before children play with them. This includes counting pieces and checking nothing is damaged
If something is missing, please email the Port Melbourne Toy Library as soon as possible to advise

 

Returning Items

All items must be cleaned before returning including costumes
Any problems with the toy should be reported to the Coordinator

 

Overdue Toys

Items must be returned on the due date or on the next day of opening after the due date, otherwise you will incur a fine of $1 per week per item

 

Cleaning Toys

As part of Toy Libraries Australia’s COVID-safe plan approved by public health officials, all members are required to thoroughly clean their toys prior to returning them to the toy library

Instructions on how to clean toys https://www.toylibraries.org.au/cleaning-toys

Lost Parts and Dirty Toys

Lost parts incur a fine of $5 per part

Members are asked to re-borrow a dirty toy for a further two weeks and return it clean.

 

Broken or Lost Toys

The return of any toy that has been damaged will be referred to the Committee. We realise that sometimes toys break as a result of normal wear and tear and there will be no charge to the borrower. However, if the toy is damaged through misuse, the borrower may be asked to fix the toy or incur some cost.

The Committee will deal with lost toys on a case-by-case basis.

 

Safety of Toys

Some toys contain small pieces. Please choose carefully if you have a very young child. We recommend the use of helmets with tricycles and other ride-on toys. A helmet waiver must be signed before borrowing any ride on toys.

 

Roster Duty

Each Member is required to take part in roster duty two times per year. if you do , you will get $20.00 off your next year of membership. This task involves assisting the coordinator with cleaning and tidying, welcoming new members, assisting members to find toys, and counting returned toy pieces etc..

There are generally one member rostered for Saturday duty and one for Wednesday duty.

 

Fundraising and Stock Take

Stocktake is an annual event in summer when toys are checked and cleaned. Assistance with stocktake is greatly appreciated to ensure that all toys are correct and up to date

A variety of fundraising events may be held throughout the year, it is expected members will get involved in at least some of these events.

 

Toy availability

Toy loaning is based on what is available at the Toy Library. Reserving general toys is not possible.

Party Packs can be hired and these can be reserved in advance however the additional toys can not and is based on what is available in stock.

 

Online Member Portal Login Troubleshooting

If the above login doesn't work, Press the RESET PASSWORD to re-issue your username and password.  At the prompt, enter your email address and press "Email my Password".  You will receive an email with a default password.  If an email doesn't arrive, please check your junk/spam folder.  Enter your new details into the Login page and press Login.

Please get in touch with us via email if you continue to have problems 

 

Gift Voucher

This gift voucher is not redeemable for cash.
This gift voucher cannot be refunded.
This gift voucher is non transferable to a different Toy Library.
The total value of this gift voucher can be redeem on a 3 months membership or 1 year membership.
The gift voucher can be withdraw to up to 3 years from issue date.
 
More informations and details, head to the Consumer Affairs Website 
 

 


PORT MELBOURNE TOY LIBRARY - WAIVER, RELEASE AND INDEMNITY FOR BICYCLE AND SCOOTERS
The Port Melbourne Toy Library ("Provider") is pleased to make bicycles and scooters available to subscribers ("the Service").


As a subscriber to the Service you acknowledge that there are dangers and risks inherent with bicycle and scooter riding (the “Activity”) to which any child under your supervision ("Your Child") may be exposed.

 

The Provider does not provide protective clothing or bicycle helmets and it is your responsibility to ensure that Your Child wears a helmet at all times and is otherwise appropriately attired when participating in the Activity. You agree that Your Child will participate in the Activity at your own risk. You also agree to voluntarily assume responsibility for supervising the Activity and any injury, death or property damage you or Your Child may suffer or cause as a result of participating in the Activity.


To the maximum extent possible at law, you (both in your personal capacity and on behalf of Your Child) agree to release, hold harmless and indemnify the Provider and its respective officers, employees, servants, agents and contractors (the “Indemnified Persons”) against all actions, claims, suits, costs, expenses, demands and damages suffered or incurred by the Indemnified Persons or any one or more of them by reason of, or in respect of, or in any manner whatsoever arising out of, or caused by, your use of the Service or Your Child's participation in the Activity.

You agree that you are subscribing to the Service on the express condition that the Provider:
(a) will, under no circumstances be liable or responsible in any manner whatsoever for any death, loss, accident, damage or injury to you, Your Child or any of your servants, agents, contractors, visitors or invitees or any other person whatsoever (“Related Party”) which may happen as a result of your use of the Service or Your Child participating in the Activity; and
(b) will not incur or be under any liability whatsoever to you, Your Child, or to any Related Party for any loss, damage or injury to or in respect of any of your property or of any Related Party’s property.

The Provider is not liable to you, Your Child or any Related Party in respect of any indirect or consequential loss. For the avoidance of doubt, ‘consequential loss’ means loss or damage arising from a breach of contract, tort (including negligence), under statute or any other basis in law or equity of an indirect or consequential nature including, but without limitation, loss of profits, loss of revenue, loss or denial of opportunity, loss of goodwill, loss of business reputation, future reputation or publicity, damage to credit rating and indirect, remote, abnormal or unforeseeable loss, or any similar loss whether or not in the reasonable contemplation of the parties.


Port Melbourne Toy Library Code of conduct

 

All staff, volunteers and committee members of Port Melbourne Toy Library are required to observe child safe principles and expectations for appropriate behaviour towards and in the company of children, as noted below.

All personnel of Port Melbourne Toy Library are responsible for supporting the safety, participation, wellbeing and empowerment of children by:

  • adhering to Port Melbourne Toy Library child safe policy at all times / upholding Port Melbourne Toy Library statement of commitment to child safety at all time
  • taking all reasonable steps to protect children from abuse
  • treating everyone with respect
  • listening and responding to the views and concerns of children, particularly if they are telling you that they or another child has been abused and/or are worried about their safety or the safety of another
  • promoting the cultural safety, participation and empowerment of children with culturally and/or linguistically diverse backgrounds (for example, by having a zero tolerance of discrimination)
  • promoting the safety, participation and empowerment of children with a disability (for example, during personal care activities)
  • ensuring as far as practicable that adults are not left alone with a child
  • reporting any allegations of child abuse to Port Melbourne Toy Library Child Safety Officer Kasey Spiteri/ leadership, and ensure any allegation to reported to the police or child protection
  • reporting any child safety concerns to Port Melbourne Toy Library Child Safety Officer Kasey Spiteri/ leadership
  • if an allegation of child abuse is made, ensure as quickly as possible that the child(ren) are safe

 

Staff and volunteers must not:

  • develop any ‘special’ relationships with children that could be seen as favouritism (for example, the offering of gifts or special treatment for specific children)
  • exhibit behaviours with children which may be construed as unnecessarily physical (for example inappropriate sitting on laps. Sitting on laps could be appropriate sometime, for example while reading a storybook to a small child in an open plan area)
  • put children at risk of abuse (for example, by locking doors)
  • engage in open discussions of a mature or adult nature in the presence of children (for example, personal social activities)
  • use inappropriate language in the presence of children
  • express personal views on cultures, race or sexuality in the presence of children
  • discriminate against any child, including because of culture, race, ethnicity or disability
  • have any online contact with a child or their family (unless necessary, for example providing families with e- newsletters)
  • ignore or disregard any suspected or disclosed child abuse.

 

By observing these standards you acknowledge your responsibility to immediately report any breach of this code to Port Melbourne Toy Library Child Safety Officer Kasey Spiteri / leadership. If you believe a child is at immediate risk of abuse phone 000.

 

 

Port Melbourne Toy Library Child Safe Policy and statement of commitment

Our commitment to child safety

Our organisation is committed to child safety.

We want children to be safe, happy and empowered. We support and respect all children, as well as our staff and volunteers.

We are committed to the safety of all children.

We have zero tolerance of child abuse, and all allegations and safety concerns will be treated very seriously and consistently with our robust policies and procedures.

We have legal and moral obligations to contact authorities when we are worried about a child’s safety, which we follow rigorously.

Our organisation has robust recruitment practices for all staff and volunteers.

We have policies, procedures and education in place that support our staff and volunteers to achieve these commitments.

If you believe a child is at immediate risk of abuse phone 000.

Our staff and volunteers

This policy guides our staff and volunteers on how to behave with children in our organisation.

Children should never be left unsupervised in the care of toy library staff or volunteers. Parents/guardians should always supervise their children at the toy library. Wherever feasible toy libraries should implement the ‘two-person rule’ – ensuring there are two people present when the toy library is open.

All of our staff and volunteers must agree to abide by our code of conduct, which specifies the standards of conduct required when working with children.

Our organisational culture aims for all staff and volunteers to feel confident and comfortable in discussing any allegations of child abuse or child safety concerns. Education is important to ensure that everyone in our organisation understands that child safety is everyone’s responsibility.  All staff receives training on our code of conduct.

Any inappropriate behaviour will be reported through appropriate channels, including the relevant government department or police, depending on the severity and urgency of the matter.

Training and supervision

Training and education is important to ensure that everyone in our organisation understands that child safety is everyone’s responsibility.

Our organisational culture aims for all staff and volunteers (in addition to parents/carers and children) to feel confident and comfortable in discussing any allegations of child abuse or child safety concerns. We train our staff to identify, assess, and minimise risks of child abuse and to detect potential signs of child abuse.

New employees and volunteers will be supervised regularly to ensure they understand our organisation’s commitment to child safety and that everyone has a role to play in protecting children from abuse, as well as checking that their behaviour towards children is safe and appropriate (please refer to this organisation’s code of conduct to understand appropriate behaviour further). Any inappropriate behaviour will be reported through appropriate channels, including the, relevant government department or police depending on the severity and urgency of the matter.

Recruitment

We take all reasonable steps to employ appropriately skilled people to work with our members. We develop selection criteria that clearly demonstrate our commitment to child safety and an awareness of our social and legislative responsibilities.

We carry out reference checks and working with children checks for any paid staff members to ensure that we are recruiting the right people. Please see the Working with Children Check website for further information.

Fair procedures for personnel

The safety and wellbeing of members is our primary concern. We are also fair and just to personnel. The decisions we make when recruiting, assessing incidents, and undertaking disciplinary action will always be thorough, transparent, and based on evidence.

We record all allegations of abuse and safety concerns using our incident reporting form, including investigation updates. All records are securely stored.

If an allegation of abuse or a safety concern is raised, we provide updates to children and families on progress and any actions we as an organisation take.

Privacy

All personal information considered or recorded will respect the privacy of the individuals involved, whether they are staff, volunteers, parents or children, unless there is a risk to someone’s safety. We have safeguards and practices in place to ensure any personal information is protected. Everyone is entitled to know how this information is recorded, what will be done with it, and who will have access to it.

Legislative responsibilities

Our organisation takes our legal responsibilities seriously, including:

  • Failure to disclose: Reporting child sexual abuse is a community-wide responsibility. All adults Victoria who have a reasonable belief that an adult has committed a sexual offence against a child under 16 have an obligation to report that information to the police.
  • Failure to protect: People of authority in our organisation will commit an offence if they know of a substantial risk of child sexual abuse and have the power or responsibility to reduce or remove the risk, but negligently fail to do so.
    • Any personnel who are mandatory reporters must comply with their duties.

Risk management

In Victoria, organisations are required to protect children when a risk is identified (see information about failure to protect above). In addition to general occupational health and safety risks, we proactively manage risks of abuse to our children.

We have risk management strategies in place to identify, assess, and take steps to minimise child abuse risks, which include risks posed by physical environments (for example, any doors that can lock), and online environments (for example, no staff or volunteer is to have contact with a child in the organisation on social media).

Regular review

This policy will be reviewed every two years and following significant incidents if they occur. We will ensure that families and children have the opportunity to contribute. Where possible we do our best to work with local Aboriginal communities, culturally and/or linguistically diverse communities and people with a disability.

Allegations, concerns and complaints

Our organisation takes all allegations seriously and has practices in place to investigate thoroughly and quickly.

We work to ensure all families, staff and volunteers know what to do and who to tell if they observe abuse or are a victim, and if they notice inappropriate behaviour.

We all have a responsibility to report an allegation of abuse if we have a reasonable belief that an incident took place (see information about failure to disclose above).

If an adult has a reasonable belief that an incident has occurred then they must report the incident. Factors contributing to reasonable belief may be:

  • A child states they or someone they know has been abused (noting that sometimes the child may in fact be referring to themselves)
  • Behaviour consistent with that of an abuse victim is observed
  • Someone else has raised a suspicion of abuse but is unwilling to report it
  • Observing suspicious behaviour.