Kent review

Staff should be aware of their roles and responsibilities in the implementation of domestic abuse policies and procedures, and of the resources available to assist them.

Consideration should be given to recording the rape complaint made against the perpetrator in 2000 in accordance with the Home Office counting rules for crime and incidents and to investigating the circumstances of it. If the decision is to do neither or one of these actions, the rationale should be clearly recorded.

When GP surgeries change their IT systems they must ensure that the medical records of current and previous patients are transferred from the old system to the new or that the records on the old system are archived in a way that makes them readily available.

Agencies must have victim focussed policies and procedures in place to deal with disclosures made by patients/clients that they are victims of historical child abuse, both in terms of their own agency response and how they share the information. Staff must be aware of the policies and procedures, and where necessary trained in their implementation.

Agencies must have victim focussed policies and procedures in place to deal with disclosures made by patients/clients that they are perpetrators of domestic abuse, both in terms of their own agency response and how they share the information. Staff must be aware of the policies and procedures, and where necessary trained in their implementation.

When it is known or suspected that a patient presenting with mental health issues has received previous treatment from another agency for mental health issues, the patient’s medical notes relevant to that treatment should be obtained.

Staff in supervisory positions should be trained in and understand the responsibility they have for checking the work of their staff to ensure that it has been completed in accordance with policies and procedures.

When information is received that premises in which children are living are being used for drug dealing, this information should be shared with the police.

Where the responsibility for a case is transferred from one Social Worker to another, the author of the Transfer Summary must ensure that the details contained within it are accurate and complete, particularly those that directly impact on the safety of children and/or staff.