Domestic abuse
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Domestic Homicide Reviews
Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) came into force in 2011 as a statutory requirement of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act (2004).
A domestic homicide review is a review of the circumstances in which the death of a person aged 16 or over has, or appears to have, resulted from violence, abuse or neglect by:
- a person to whom they were related or with whom they were, or had been, in an intimate personal relationship
or - a member of the same household as themselves, held with a view to identifying the lessons to be learnt from the death.
DHRs are not inquiries into how the person died but to identify the lessons to be learnt to ensure agencies are responding appropriately to those experiencing domestic violence by offering and putting in place
- appropriate support mechanisms
- procedures
- resources
and - interventions.
Overall responsibility for establishing a review rests with the local Community Safety Partnership (CSP). Where the CSP considers that the criteria for a DHR has been met, they will appoint an Independent Chair and establish a DHR Review Panel.
An Overview Report will draw conclusions from the information obtained, make recommendations for future action and will be published in order for these lessons to be learned as widely and thoroughly as possible. All agencies involved have a responsibility to identify and disseminate common themes and trends across review reports, and act on any lessons identified to improve practice and safeguard victims.
Current DHRs
Once a DHR has been approved by the Home Office, the Chair will finalise the report, redact it as needed and work with the victim’s family before we can publish it. This can take some time as it’s really important we act sensitively.
| Reference | Area | Current status | Position statement |
|---|---|---|---|
| DHR 003 | East Northamptonshire | Published: Executive summary report | Completed in 2017 by the former East Northants Community Safety Partnership |
| DHR 05 | Kettering | DHR completed | Ready for publication |
| DHR 06 | Kettering | DHR completed | Ready for publication |
| DHR 07 | Kettering | DHR completed | Ready for publication |
| 01/2020 | Corby | Published: Executive summary report | Initially started by the former Corby CSP and completed in 2024 by North Northants CSP |
| DHR01 | Wellingborough | Published: Executive summary report | Initially started by the former Wellingborough CSP and completed in 2024 by North Northants CSP |
| NNC001 | Kettering | DHR in progress | Report being presented at the NNCSP Board before being submitted to the Home Office |
| NNC002 | Kettering | DHR in progress | At draft report writing stage and will be presented at the next NNCSP Board following the July meeting |
| NNC003 | Kettering | DHR in progress | DHR resumed after Police investigation concluded. Panel meetings in progress and currently at IMR and draft report writing stage |
| NNC004 | Kettering | DHR Report with Home Office | Submitted to Home Office for Quality Assurance approval |
| NNC005 | East Northamptonshire | DHR in progress | Panel meetings in progress, currently at IMR stage |
| NNC006 | Corby | DHR discharged | Home Office Quality Assurance Panel approved to no longer conduct a DHR for this case |
Last updated 24 July 2024