Domestic abuse

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.

Last updated 27 September 2023