Sunderland review

Northumbria Police to ensure consistent and timely sharing of DVPO information to key partner agencies so as to maximise partnership opportunities to enhance victim engagement and safety.

Safer Sunderland Partnership to engage with local solicitors to identify, better understand and, where necessary, improve the advice, guidance and support they provide to victims of domestic abuse.

Safer Sunderland Partnership to encourage local public and private sector organisations to review and implement a refreshed Domestic Abuse Workplace Policy

Safer Sunderland Partnership to commission training sessions to ensure staff with management responsibilities are equipped with the necessary advice and skills to confidently support employees when faced with a disclosure of domestic abuse

Safer Sunderland Partnership to re-introduce a targeted Sanctuary Scheme that consists of home security measures and outreach support.

Agencies should look to implement mechanisms to routinely capture and share information on why victims decline access to support services

Safer Sunderland Partnership to raise awareness of the impact of destructive and victim blaming language when responding to domestic abuse.

Safer Sunderland Partnership to raise awareness of the signs of domestic abuse; encourage bystanders to report domestic abuse; and promote where to seek advice and support.

Safer Sunderland Partnership to explore options for earlier intervention with perpetrators of domestic abuse

Safer Sunderland Partnership to widely disseminate key learning and themes emanating from this Review to promote awareness that the prevention of domestic abuse is 'everybody’s business'.

Safer Sunderland Partnership to write to the Ministry of Justice, the Law Society and the Bar Council requesting they flag to solicitors across England and Wales that separation from an abusive partner can also lead to an increased risk to victims

Safer Sunderland Partnership to write to the Home Office and the College of Policing to request improvements are made to the Domestic Abuse, Stalking and Honour-based abuse (DASH) risk indicator checklist (RIC)

Static Risk Factors: To consider how static risk factors are identified by officers where present in a relationship and that this specific identified risk factor remains as a constant in all future RIC and risk assessment work.

Coercive Control: To continue to improve awareness and understanding of Coercive Control which has a serious impact on the victim as well as being a likely underlying factor of domestic abuse incidents and investigations.

Bail: To ensure all officers investigating domestic abuse related rape investigations where the suspect is arrested, consider an application for bail with conditions rather than release under investigation (RUI) and decision making is fully documented. If this is not granted, further consideration of a DVPN/O should be given if criteria is met.

To recommend that GPs ensure that patients with complex medical health issues are offered face-to-face appointments.

To ensure the learning from this review is highlighted to those leading digital transformation across primary care.

To promote and monitor implementation of best practice in prescribing management in relation to anti-depressants.

To ensure there is a robust process within CCG for management of DVPOs.

To ensure the GP practice has a robust process for coding patients when they are informed of a DVPO.

To ensure that enough information is provided to health staff on MARAC templates so that the context of domestic abuse is understood.

To incorporate the learning from this review into the Domestic Abuse Health Advocates Pilot in Primary Care.

To ensure that the high-level information from the review is shared with all Sunderland GPs and Practice staff.

To raise awareness of domestic abuse within the company and to promote and ensure that support is provided to victims of domestic abuse

To remind all managers of their responsibilities when a member of staff is reporting an absence and ensure full details are passed to the line manager.

Ensure managers are skilled and equipped to provide guidance and advice to victims of domestic abuse.

Ensure domestic abuse is included as part of the company’s safeguarding refresher training for its employees (with specific reference to the company’s own Domestic Abuse Workplace Policy).

To actively promote and implement a Domestic Abuse Champions Scheme

To refresh procedures to ensure Risk Indicator Checklists are completed by Case Coordinators with victims of domestic abuse for all future referrals.

To ensure perpetrators history is reviewed by the Case Coordinator as part of future domestic abuse referrals.

To update the Victim Needs Assessment to include a reason/rationale for a victim declining support/referral.

To explore with Northumbria Police the possibility of future domestic abuse referrals including perpetrator risk indicator measures (to help pre-populate Risk Indicator Checklist and offer greater understanding of a perpetrator’s propensity to violence);