On the 4th June 2019 our lives as we knew them changed for ever. Our 17 year old son Cohen ended his life. Cohen was our youngest of three, he was our baby who we loved endlessly and we miss him terribly. He has an older brother and sister who love him dearly, aunties, uncles and cousins who adore him, a girlfriend and friends who love him and his passing has left a great hole in everyone’s heart.

He has been tremendously let down by a system that should of not only been educating him but supporting him and looking after his well being.

In the week leading up to Cohen's death he sat his ATAR mid year exams, in everyone one of those exams he re-wrote questions, re-wrote questions back to front and as if in a mirror, he wrote things like it doesn't matter I am failing anyway, he wrote dark and extremely concerning things and in one exam he drew pictures. 

We only found out through two Freedom of Information applications that Cohen's teachers all had serious concerns for his mental health.  Two teachers were told to contact us but no one made any attempt to let us know.  The school had been informed by us about Cohen's Mental Health Illnesses three times to three different people before we even got a response.  They knew he was mentally unwell and did nothing to help him. The failings of the school before, during and after Cohen's death are disgraceful and we have just been informed by the Coroner that they have denied our request for an Inquest to be held into Cohen's death. 

The public NEED an Inquest to work out the failures, what needs to be fixed and to make sure another family never has to endure the pain we are experiencing.

We desperately need your help, please sign and share this petition to help us overturn the Coroner's decision and to help make schools accountable and transparent.  Sadly this is not an isolated incident at this school, nor throughout the entire education system in Western Australia, we have been inundated with messages from other parents where their children have been failed by their schools. 

We just want answers and surely we are entitled to them.

Mental Health Illness is a huge issue in our entire community and schools can not continue to bury their heads in the sand and not support our kids.  Our kids are dying everyday by suicide and if we don't learn from mistakes made to be able to support them and prevent suicides then our government is not doing the best by our youth.

Our Go Fund Me page can be found here;

https://www.gofundme.com/manage/Thumbsup4Cohen---In-Loving-Memory-of-Cohen-Fink

Further information can be found on;

Facebook -

Thumbsup4Cohen - Suicide Prevention is Everyone's Business

https://www.facebook.com/thumbsup4Cohen/

 

Instagram -

Thumbsup4Cohen

https://www.instagram.com/thumbsup4cohen/?hl=en

 

Twitter - 

https://twitter.com/thumbsup4Cohen

For parents who need help navigating the education system in WA -

https://www.facebook.com/aceinwestaustralia