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
Pembrokeshire review
CSP: Pembrokeshire
Published: April 2023
Year of death: 2021
Extracted: 27 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 report identifies systemic failures in identifying and responding to domestic abuse in older people, particularly those in rural isolation. It highlights the impact of coercive control, digital exclusion, and inconsistent agency responses, exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Extracted recommendations
| # | Recommendation | Addressed to |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lead VAWDASV and Safeguarding Practitioner to work with primary care to strengthen links with local specialist domestic abuse services | Hywel Dda University Health Board |
| 10 | Implementation of a force wide policy relating to the sharing of information for the purpose of DHRs to ensure a consistency of approach across the four Local Authority areas | Dyfed Powys Police |
| 11 | Learning from this IMR be shared within the organisation to support the understanding of o Expected practice as it relates to the health and social care considerations of all patients and service users and o The principles of Social Services and Wellbeing (Wales) Act 2014 and Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence (Wales) Act 2015 within the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust | Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust |
| 12 | The Safeguarding Team to audit the embedding of the WAST Ask and Act Policy in practice and report to the relevant Strategic Safeguarding Group | Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust |
| 13 | Commission a service/services that can provide a bespoke, tailored service to respond to the needs of older people who are experiencing domestic abuse | Pembrokeshire County Council |
| 14 | Ensure that the needs of older people experiencing domestic abuse, in particular those living in rural areas are fully taken into account in the review of the regional Violence against Women, Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence strategy | Regional VAWDASV Board |
| 15 | Co-design an information campaign with older people that is aimed at increasing older people and the general publics’ awareness and recognition of abuse and where/how to access information and support locally. This information should be made available in community settings accessed by older people e.g. GP surgeries, pharmacies, libraries, community centres and supermarkets | Regional VAWDASV Board |
| 16 | Ensure that a bespoke training programme relating to older people and domestic abuse is available to practitioners as part of the Regional Safeguarding Board’s workforce development programme | Regional VAWDASV Board |
| 17 | To share learning from the implementation of IRIS in Carmarthenshire to shape the roll out across Mid and West Wales | Regional VAWDASV Board |
| 18 | Pilot and evaluate a Health Based IDVA approach within Hywel Dda University Health Board | Regional VAWDASV Board |
| 19 | To develop a briefing that can be shared with members of DHR Panels outlining role, responsibilities and expectations | Regional VAWDASV Board |
| 2 | Acute Services, supported by the Lead VAWDASV and Safeguarding Practitioner to review the documentation used in Emergency Departments to record routine enquiry | Hywel Dda University Health Board |
| 20 | As part of first meeting with Review Panels ensure that reference is made to panel members attending for the duration of the meetings as part of her expectations of the Panel | DHR Chair |
| 21 | Quality Assurance tools used across Primary Care to be revised and updated to ensure they are consistent with the Intercollegiate documents for child and adult safeguarding and the VAWDASV National Training Framework | Welsh Government |
| 22 | Welsh Government to mandate the adoption of IRIS within GP settings across Wales and provide sufficient resource to support implementation | Welsh Government |
| 23 | Welsh Government to clarify expectations relating to the implementation of the National Training Framework and Ask and Act in Primary care services specifically those services which are independently contracted e.g. GP and Dental Practices | Welsh Government |
| 24 | Public bodies should take action to ensure public health messaging is communicated more effectively to Older People | Public Bodies |
| 25 | Bespoke, evidence-based training modules relating to older people’s experiences of VAWDASV should be included in the VAWDASV National Training Framework to improve identification and practitioner/service responses across all relevant authorities and specialist VAWDASV providers. | Welsh Government | Relevant Authorities | Specialist VAWDASV Providers |
| 26 | Organisations falling outside the remit of the National Training Framework should be encouraged by Welsh Government to include bespoke, evidence-based training on the experiences and needs of older people experiencing VAWDASV within their workforce development plans. | Welsh Government | Organisations outside National Training Framework |
| 27 | Welsh Government should establish a national taskforce to develop a strategic and system wide approach to improving responses to older people in order to ensure that the experiences and needs of older people are taken fully into account in national strategy and policy, good practice is disseminated and that any guidance issued covers the specific needs of older people. | Welsh Government |
| 3 | The Corporate Safeguarding Team to recommend to the Strategic Safeguarding Working Group that Ask and Act becomes routine rather than targeted enquiry within Emergency Departments across Hywel Dda University Health Board | Hywel Dda University Health Board |
| 4 | Clinical leads for Acute, Community, Primary Care and Mental Health services, supported by the Lead VAWDASV and Safeguarding Practitioner to communicate expectations in relation to the importance and means of recording whether patients attend alone or are accompanied during presentations/consultations | Hywel Dda University Health Board |
| 5 | The Corporate Safeguarding Team to audit the embedding of the Hywel Dda University Health Board’s Ask and Act Policy in practice and report to the Strategic Safeguarding Working Group | Hywel Dda University Health Board |
| 6 | Primary Care to improve compliance with Group 2 Ask and Act training and establish a mechanism for monitoring and reporting compliance | Hywel Dda University Health Board |
| 7 | Primary Care to provide assurance that GP Practices have embedded the Mid and West Wales Regional Pathfinder for GPs based on the Safelives GP Pathfinder guidance | Hywel Dda University Health Board |
| 8 | Primary Care to ensure that GPs, Dental Practices and other primary care providers have access to Live Fear Free Helpline resources to display in settings | Hywel Dda University Health Board |
| 9 | All Family Liaison Officers to receive training in relation to Domestic Homicide Reviews to improve their understanding of the review process and to enable them to inform families at the appropriate time that a review will be undertaken | Dyfed Powys Police |
| Recommendations extracted from the published report. Source: Home Office DHR Library. View full report ↗ | ||