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
Cardiff review
CSP: CardiffPublished: December 2022Year of death: 2015Extracted: 8 recs
Statutory domestic homicide review under section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. Source: Home Office DHR Library.
The review identifies significant failings in multi-agency safeguarding responses to alleged sexual abuse, including inadequate initial assessment by Children's Social Care, missed referrals by Housing and Health, and a lack of robust support for the children's mental health and school engagement. These systemic issues contributed to unaddressed risks and vulnerabilities.
Home Office classifications
17 tags
Source-supplied classifications used by the Home Office to catalogue this review.
Children - living with perpetrator (including adult children)
Children - present at homicide (including adult children)
Perpetrator - case heard in court
Perpetrator - supervised by mental health services
Aggravating factors - sexual abuse
DHR process - family contributed to dhr
DHR process - family supported by expert specialist advocate
DHR process - social services recommendations
DHR process - health services recommendations
DHR process - housing services recommendations
DHR process - school recommendations
DHR process - identification of risk recommendation themes
DHR process - training recommendation themes
DHR process - multi agency working recommendation themes
DHR process - record keeping recommendation themes
DHR process - awareness raising recommendation themes
DHR process - other recommendation themes
Extracted recommendations
8 recommendations pulled from the report · 4 matched to organisations in the index
It is recommended that Cardiff Council ensure that all front line practitioners receive training, supervision and support to be able to effectively identify, report and respond appropriately where significant harm or abuse is alleged, including any allegation or suspicion of sexual abuse. Also, that all front line practitioners apply the appropriate thresholds to the management and allocation of cases where there is risk of significant harm as defined by The Children Act 1989 and the All Wales Child Protection Procedures.
Cardiff Council ensures that all education staff, including school-based staff, are aware of and compliant with the All Wales Child Protection Procedures 2008.
Addressed to
Child and Adolescence Mental Health Services
Child and Adolescence Mental Health Services examine its working practices and resilience to ensure that children receive appropriate support and care even in the event of sickness of senior member’s staff.
Cardiff Council (Housing) review policies, practice and training in the duty of staff to make referrals to other agencies when there is information regarding safeguarding issues, whether concerning children or adults, to ensure that all staff are fully conversant with the referral procedures of both child and adult protection legislation.
Addressed to
Cardiff Council (Children’s Social Care)
Practice reviews raised within this review, specifically around the undertaking of Sec 47 investigations and robust initial assessments, will be discussed in a learning event with Children’s Services frontline staff of all levels. This will cover lessons to be learnt and act as a means of improving future practice.
Addressed to
Cardiff Council (Children’s Social Care)
Periodic internal audits by a Quality Assurance Officer of a random selection of Child Protection and Child in Need cases is recommended to ensure correct procedures are being followed and decision making is robust in future.
Addressed to
Cardiff and Vale University Health Board
Cardiff and Vale UHB conduct a review of referral guidelines to Children’s Services for A&E Dept. at UHW regarding young people up to 18 years of age who present with overdose and or disclosures of sexual abuse and ensure the safeguarding consideration record is completed in every case.