Finding into death of Chanelle Amy Rae

Contributing factors

• argument with school friend online immediately preceding death
• exposure to media coverage of deaths of peers
• awareness of suicide deaths of other young people in social network
• youth suicide cluster in Geelong community
• lack of private access to counselling services for students unwilling to speak with school staff

Coroner's recommendations

1. Department of Health together with Victoria Police, the Municipal Association of Victoria, the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners and the Chief Psychiatrist undertake a review of suicide prevention reports and develop a policy framework that aligns with the National Suicide Prevention Strategy
2. Development of ongoing gathering of real time intelligence on the frequency and rate of suicide in local communities
3. Exchange of intelligence and advice between local community organisations and state and national organisations responsible for suicide prevention
4. Development of a nuanced understanding of the presence and combination of risk factors that might influence suicidal activity amongst groups in the community
5. Implementation of a coordinated local response and recovery strategy that can be activated when concerns are raised about elevated levels of suicidal behaviour
6. Review and application of recommendations from the 1997 Suicide Prevention Task Force Report and the University of Melbourne's 2012 report on developing community plans for responding to suicide clusters