About this page. This page summarises a Domestic Homicide Review published in the Home Office DHR Library. The full report is available at the source link below. Victim and perpetrator names are not included in extracted summaries on this page.

Source · Domestic Homicide Review

Kent review

CSP: Kent Published: December 2022 Year of death: 2018 Extracted: 14 recs

Statutory domestic homicide review under section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. Source: Home Office DHR Library.

View full report (PDF) ↗ Source: Home Office DHR Library

Summary

The review identifies concerns regarding delayed multi-agency risk assessment, missed opportunities for perpetrator arrest, and a lack of understanding among professionals about coercive control and its impact on the victim's decisions. It also highlights issues with inter-agency information sharing and the provision of accurate information to the victim.

Extracted recommendations

14 recommendations pulled from the report

#	Recommendation	Addressed to
1	Kent Police must ensure that all VIT officers and staff know where MARAC referrals must be sent.	Kent Police
10	KCC ASCH must ensure that staff dealing with the safeguarding of high-risk domestic abuse victims understand and act on the fact that apparent reconciliation between a victim and alleged perpetrator may be because of coercion and control, and indicative of the victim being at increased risk.	KCC ASCH
11	Kent and Medway Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Group must agree a process that ensures all MARAC meetings are accurately minuted and that the allocation and implementation of actions are recorded. The agreed process should be included in the Kent and Medway MARAC Operating Protocol and Guidelines.	KM DASVG
12	Kent County Council to consider using their commissioning relationship with the domestic abuse service providers to require that all front facing staff (IDVAs, outreach workers etc) complete face to face suicide prevention training.	Kent County Council
13	All agencies involved in this review should add suicide prevention training to their directory of training available to staff and encourage take up.	Agencies subject of this review
14	The Home Office must produce leaflets for family members and friends that are suitable for reviews using the DHR methodology in cases where a person has taken their own life.	The Home Office
2	Kent Police must ensure that its Witness Care staff know that when the Crown Prosecution Service appeal a decision made by magistrates to grant bail, the defendant will be remanded in custody pending the outcome of the appeal.	Kent Police
3	Kent Police’s Witness are policy and procedures must state clearly that if Witness Care staff have any doubt about the outcome of a court case, they must contact the court for clarification at the earliest opportunity and advise victims and/or witnesses of the uncertainty until it is resolved.	Kent Police
4	Centra should consider adopting the Kent Police policy that results in a domestic abuse victim who has been assessed at being at High risk, remaining High risk for at least 12 months, regardless of whether one or more subsequent risk assessments results in a lower grade.	Centra
5	Centra must instruct their IDVAs to record the rationale for their decision whether to meet a victim face to face.	Centra
6	Kent County Council must, as part of the performance monitoring of its contract with Centra, consider how the concerns identified in this report are being addressed by Centra to ensure that the service provided to high risk victims of domestic abuse is improved.	Kent County Council
7	AAC should ensure that Revenue & Benefits Team staff seek all the relevant safeguarding information known within AAC about a client they are interviewing.	Area A Council
8	AAC should consider and decide whether, in the light of this case, Revenue & Benefits Team staff should attend the face to face domestic abuse training module.	Area A Council
9	KCC ASCH must ensure that when completion of a KASAF 2 is delayed due to exceptional circumstances, the fact that it is outstanding cannot be overlooked.	KCC ASCH
Recommendations extracted from the published report. Source: Home Office DHR Library. View full report ↗