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
Sunderland review
CSP: Sunderland
Published: December 2022
Year of death: 2018
Extracted: 32 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 identified missed opportunities for agencies to apply professional curiosity and intervene early, an over-reliance on victim engagement rather than perpetrator accountability, and inconsistencies in information sharing and recording practices. It also highlighted gaps in workplace domestic abuse policies and the need for better understanding of victim non-engagement.
Extracted recommendations
| # | Recommendation | Addressed to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 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. | Northumbria Police |
| 10 | 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 |
| 11 | 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 |
| 12 | 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) | Safer Sunderland Partnership |
| 2 | 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 |
| 3 | Safer Sunderland Partnership to encourage local public and private sector organisations to review and implement a refreshed Domestic Abuse Workplace Policy | Safer Sunderland Partnership |
| 4 | 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 |
| 5 | Safer Sunderland Partnership to re-introduce a targeted Sanctuary Scheme that consists of home security measures and outreach support. | Safer Sunderland Partnership |
| 6 | Agencies should look to implement mechanisms to routinely capture and share information on why victims decline access to support services | Safer Sunderland Partnership |
| 7 | Safer Sunderland Partnership to raise awareness of the impact of destructive and victim blaming language when responding to domestic abuse. | Safer Sunderland Partnership |
| 8 | 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 |
| 9 | Safer Sunderland Partnership to explore options for earlier intervention with perpetrators of domestic abuse | Safer Sunderland Partnership |
| NP-1 | 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. | Northumbria Police |
| NP-2 | 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. | Northumbria Police |
| NP-3 | 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. | Northumbria Police |
| SCCG-1 | To recommend that GPs ensure that patients with complex medical health issues are offered face-to-face appointments. | Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group |
| SCCG-2 | To ensure the learning from this review is highlighted to those leading digital transformation across primary care. | Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group |
| SCCG-3 | To promote and monitor implementation of best practice in prescribing management in relation to anti-depressants. | Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group |
| SCCG-4 | To ensure there is a robust process within CCG for management of DVPOs. | Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group |
| SCCG-5 | To ensure the GP practice has a robust process for coding patients when they are informed of a DVPO. | Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group |
| SCCG-6 | To ensure that enough information is provided to health staff on MARAC templates so that the context of domestic abuse is understood. | Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group |
| SCCG-7 | To incorporate the learning from this review into the Domestic Abuse Health Advocates Pilot in Primary Care. | Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group |
| SCCG-8 | To ensure that the high-level information from the review is shared with all Sunderland GPs and Practice staff. | Sunderland Clinical Commissioning Group |
| SCSL-1 | To raise awareness of domestic abuse within the company and to promote and ensure that support is provided to victims of domestic abuse | Sunderland Care and Support Ltd |
| SCSL-2 | 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. | Sunderland Care and Support Ltd |
| SCSL-3 | Ensure managers are skilled and equipped to provide guidance and advice to victims of domestic abuse. | Sunderland Care and Support Ltd |
| SCSL-4 | 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). | Sunderland Care and Support Ltd |
| SCSL-5 | To actively promote and implement a Domestic Abuse Champions Scheme | Sunderland Care and Support Ltd |
| VFN-1 | To refresh procedures to ensure Risk Indicator Checklists are completed by Case Coordinators with victims of domestic abuse for all future referrals. | VictimsFirst Northumbria |
| VFN-2 | To ensure perpetrators history is reviewed by the Case Coordinator as part of future domestic abuse referrals. | VictimsFirst Northumbria |
| VFN-3 | To update the Victim Needs Assessment to include a reason/rationale for a victim declining support/referral. | VictimsFirst Northumbria |
| WWiN-1 | 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); | Wearside Women in Need | Northumbria Police |
| Recommendations extracted from the published report. Source: Home Office DHR Library. View full report ↗ | ||