Liverpool review

That the Community Safety Partnership review current information strategies to ensure that information about the type of behaviours that constitute domestic abuse is explicitly described and includes ensuring that friends and family of victims (and of perpetrators) are encouraged to report concerns.

The Community Safety Partnership should ensure that a copy of the overview report is provided to the chair of the Liverpool Safeguarding Children Board and Liverpool Safeguarding Adults Board drawing particular attention to the issues in relation to risk assessment arising from lifestyle during pregnancy.

The Community Safety Partnership should consider whether sufficient data and information is collated in regard to the extent of alcohol related domestic abuse.

The Community Safety Partnership should consider whether practitioners working in substance misuse services have sufficient information and professional support to identify and respond to evidence of domestic abuse.

The Community Safety Partnership should consider whether any further action is required to improve the capacity of future statutory reviews.

Continue to implement Trust Domestic Abuse Training Plan;

Emergency Department to review process for communicating with GPs particularly around patients who leave the department before their treatment has been concluded.

The Trust to work towards extending the funding of the Mental Health Liaison Service ideally on a recurring basis;

The Trust to work towards extending the funding of the Alcohol Liaison Service ideally on a recurring basis;

The links between alcohol, mental health, domestic abuse (the toxic trio) and safeguarding to be further emphasised within the Emergency Department;

Start identifying cases of domestic abuse where the victim doesn’t make a complaint specifically about domestic abuse but is known through other complaints and where appropriate signpost to relevant support agencies or refer to MARAC without consent on professional judgement should the incident meet MARAC’s threshold.

Produce a training matrix to ensure annual awareness sessions are being completed and incorporate domestic abuse procedures into induction for new employees.

Approach local Mental Health Services and commissioning bodies to identify a process of joint working to support both South Liverpool Homes officers and Mental Health Services with clients in the Speke and Garston housing estates.

Establish more effective working relationships with Liverpool Probation Service to support South Liverpool Homes approach to perpetrators of domestic abuse.

The Merseyside Police Domestic Abuse Policy is reinforced to officers across the force, and that supervisors responsible for quality assuring domestic abuse crime investigations (Investigation Managers and D/Sgts within FCIUs) are asked particularly to check that these elements of Domestic Abuse Policy are adhered to when authorising the closure of domestic abuse files.

‘Where there is sufficient evidence, the alleged offender should normally be arrested. This is particularly the case where there is clear evidence of injury and/or physical damage. Similar action should be taken where anyone (adult or child) within the household is displaying signs of alarm, fear or distress, or if there is evidence of repeat victimisation. (Merseyside Police Domestic Abuse policy and procedure section 4.10.1).

Merseyside Police policy stipulates ‘It is the decision of the police officer whether or not to arrest: therefore the victim should not be asked whether they require an arrest to be made. Efforts should be focused on gathering alternative evidence in order to charge and build a prosecution case, rather than rely entirely on the victim’s willingness

Merseyside Police supervisors responsible for quality assuring domestic abuse crime investigations (Investigation Managers and D/Sgts within FCIUs) are to particularly check that these elements of domestic abuse policy are adhered to when authorising the closure of domestic abuse files.