Durham review

A coordinated national response is needed to increase public awareness around the dangers related to the use of certain internet sites and how these may be used to target and prey on individuals with vulnerabilities.

Police and Crime Commissioner, Sexual Violence Implementation Group, and Safe Durham Partnership to implement a local action plan to increase public awareness around the dangers related to the use of certain internet sites (as outlined in the previous recommendation).

All agencies to ensure that the key lessons learned from this review are disseminated to staff and included in existing and future training. These key areas include:
• Ability to recognise domestic abuse indicators.
• Importance of further exploration regarding an individual’s home/social circumstances.
• Need to undertake enquiry when information is shared indicating abuse from the victim or third parties, even if no direct disclosure is made.
• Importance of ensuring action is being taken to address concerns and not assume it is being dealt with elsewhere.
• Understanding of the dangerous interplay between substance use, mental health and domestic abuse and the need to ensure that focus on other difficulties does not prevent domestic abuse from being recognised or victims engaged with.
• Awareness and understanding of domestic abuse referral pathways.

Development of the Multi-Agency Safeguarding Hub (MASH) to be progressed as a matter of urgency, and to include procedures in place to ensure adequate feedback mechanisms to agencies regarding their referrals.

The Constabulary must reinforce to front line staff.
o Mandatory minimum standards for submission of a Vulnerable Adult Form where there is a concern (if not related to a domestic abuse incident as vulnerable adult issues will be addressed on the domestic violence form).
o Mandatory minimum standards for submission of a Vulnerable Adult Form where the incident involves incidents involving self harm and attempted suicide (or threats of).

With immediate effect all incidents tagged domestic abuse, or closed as domestic abuse, by communications staff will be reviewed by the domestic abuse specialist sergeants for compliance. Safeguarding Detective Sergeants will read all domestic related incidents reported to the Police during the prior 24 hour period. The incidents are defined by the National Standard or Incident Recording (NSIR) closing code and domestic abuse qualifier. The Safeguarding Detective Sergeants will ensure all domestic incidents have been dealt with appropriately, such as positive action taken in relation to domestic incidents, crime correctly recorded within time scales and investigated, Domestic Violence forms and risk assessments submitted. If these actions have not been completed the matter will be brought to the attention of the Senior Management Team at the Daily Management Meeting and the incident reallocated to the attending officer or uniform response for completion of actions. These checks will continue until such times as the force is satisfied that the Front Line understands and complies with force policy with regard to submission of Domestic Violence forms and carrying out proactive arrests of perpetrators.

To circulate written guidance to operational officers regarding the minimum standards as to when a Vulnerable Adult form should be submitted and educate staff around issues of mental health, self harm and alcohol.

Relevant safeguarding National Centre for Applied Learning Technologies (NCALT) packages to be reviewed by the Safeguarding SMT to ensure all relevant training packages are mandatory for all officers, not only safeguarding officers.

Best Practice would be to ensure that Adult Safeguarding and Children’s Safeguarding training strategies and training programmes include appropriate levels of Domestic Violence training for staff in Primary Care.

Ensure that when reviewing policies and procedures that they are sensitive to the special risks to and needs of older women who are victims of domestic abuse. This is an on-going action from previous DHRs.

To increase awareness, knowledge and understanding within the Trust workforce in relation to the domestic abuse agenda.