Home / Sources / Domestic Homicide Reviews / Sandwell · Jun 2023
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

Sandwell review

CSP: Sandwell Published: June 2023 Year of death: 2011 Extracted: 8 recs

Statutory domestic homicide review under section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. Source: Home Office DHR Library.

Original review (PDF) ↗ Source: Home Office DHR Library

Summary AI-generated

Verify against the full report at the source link
The review identifies systemic failures in multi-agency information sharing, risk assessment, and the provision of domestic abuse services, leading to missed opportunities to safeguard the victim.

Home Office classifications

35 tags

Source-supplied classifications used by the Home Office to catalogue this review.

  • Victim - had been a victim of an abuser before
  • Victim - referred to marac at any time
  • Victim - case heard at marac before homicide
  • Children - under 18 shared parental responsibility (victim and perpetrator)
  • Children - under 18 shared parental responsibility (between victims)
  • Children - under 18 shared parental responsibility (between perpetrators)
  • Children - living with victim (including adult children)
  • Children - subject to child protection or domestic abuse prior to homicide
  • Child - primary address same as victim
  • Perpetrator - case heard in court
  • Perpetrator - mental ill health
  • Perpetrator - depression
  • Perpetrator - psychosis
  • Perpetrator - self harm
  • Perpetrator - suicidal thoughts
  • Perpetrator - suicide attempts
  • Perpetrator - known to agencies as a domestic abuse perpetrator
  • Perpetrator - known to police as a domestic abuse perpetrator
  • Perpetrator - known to social services as a domestic abuse perpetrator
  • Perpetrator - known to health services as a domestic abuse perpetrator
  • Perpetrator - known to idva or other domestic abuse support service as a domestic abuse perpetrator
  • Perpetrator - known to probation services as a domestic abuse perpetrator
  • Perpetrator - attended perpetrator programme
  • Perpetrator - supervised by mental health services
  • Perpetrator - supervised by probation services
  • Aggravating factors - separation
  • Aggravating factors - psychological or emotional abuse
  • Aggravating factors - physical abuse
  • DHR process - police recommendations
  • DHR process - probation services recommendations
  • DHR process - community safety partnership recommendations
  • DHR process - training recommendation themes
  • DHR process - policy recommendation themes
  • DHR process - awareness raising recommendation themes
  • DHR process - other recommendation themes

Extracted recommendations

8 recommendations pulled from the report · 1 matched to organisations in the index

Recommendation 1

Addressed to Safer Sandwell Partnership (SSP)

That the Safer Sandwell Partnership (SSP) support initiatives by CAADA to have the multi-agency risk assessment conference process placed on a statutory basis to ensure sustainable local funding and high quality intervention which supports high risk victims of domestic abuse.

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗

Recommendation 2

Addressed to Safer Sandwell Partnership

That Safer Sandwell Partnership re-affirms its commitment to domestic abuse services locally and supports the Domestic Abuse Strategic Partnership in delivery such services by adequately resourcing the necessary activity.

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗

Recommendation 3

Addressed to Safer Sandwell Partnership

That the Safer Sandwell Partnership review current plans to provide domestic abuse services locally to ensure that they have a clear strategic direction, are adequately resourced, are robustly managed and that operational staff are appropriate trained and supported to provide a high quality protective service.

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗

Recommendation 4

Addressed to Safer Sandwell Partnership

That Safer Sandwell Partnership take measures to satisfy itself that the MARAC process is working effectively in Sandwell and, in particular, that robust Action Plans are routinely produced to safeguard high risk victims of domestic abuse.

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗

Recommendation 5

Addressed to Safer Sandwell Partnership

That the Safer Sandwell Partnership undertake an audit of partner agencies written policies and procedures in respect of domestic abuse to ensure that they reflect current research and best practice, and that staff of partner agencies are familiar with those procedures whereby they know how to act when they become aware of potential victims.

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗

Recommendation 6

Addressed to West Midlands Police

That West Midlands Police review their training programme for custody staff to ensure that bail decisions in cases of domestic abuse take full account of all safeguarding issues.

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗

Recommendation 7

Addressed to Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust

That Staffordshire and West Midlands Probation Trust review their guidance regarding criteria/thresholds for withdrawing offenders from IDAP (and returning the matter to Court) where those offenders appear to be making limited progress in addressing their abusive behaviour, and to provide additional guidance in respect of circumstances where it is not appropriate to confront an offender about deteriorating behaviour towards victims.

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗

Recommendation 8

Addressed to Safer Sandwell Partnership

That SSP put in place appropriate measures to satisfy itself that all recommendations arising from this Domestic Homicide Review i.e. including those contained in the IMRs of partner agencies are fully implemented and the lessons arising from them are embedded into procedure and practice.

Verified wording from the published review · Original review (PDF) ↗