Daventry and South Northamptonshire review

All agencies should ensure that they have in place clear and unequivocal guidance on the approach to be taken by staff when they identify or suspect that an individual is illegally in the UK.

The Community Safety Partnership Chair should write to the Crown Prosecution Service and seek assurance that wherever the evidence available in a domestic abuse case meets the statutory evidential test the presumption will be that prosecution is in the public interest, regardless of whether the victim is prepared to support that prosecution. Such assurance should be disseminated to all agencies and professionals involved in responding to domestic abuse.

The Northamptonshire Community Safety Coordination Group should receive the report of the commissioned independent review of domestic abuse services, satisfy themselves regarding the effectiveness of MARAC arrangements taking into account national standards, and ensure that any deficits are addressed.

The MASH steering group build arrangements into relevant procedural pathways for the routine sharing of domestic abuse referrals to Children’s Social Care with Health Visitors and/or School Nurse providing services to the children of the family.

The Northamptonshire Community Safety Coordination Group should coordinate the development and implementation of an initiative to embed an appropriate culture and mind-set regarding domestic abuse across all agencies, along with measures to monitor the impact of this.

Agencies should consult those making referrals to them regarding safe methods of establishing contact with victims of domestic abuse consequent to referral of their children; and if necessary proactive personal contact should be made where the victim is away from the perpetrator. Consideration should be given to the risks to victims and their children prior to sending unsolicited letters.

The Local Safeguarding Children Board Northamptonshire should consider the content of this Domestic Homicide Review report in conjunction with the current Children’s Services Improvement Plan and identify what further action is required to ensure that arrangements for safeguarding children in the county are effective. This consideration should take a broad view across all partner agencies working with children and their families.

Northamptonshire Health and Wellbeing Board, in conjunction with all relevant commissioning bodies, and the Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner should consider the adequacy and effectiveness of services for relationship counselling and for perpetrators of domestic abuse in reducing the incidence of domestic abuse and ensure that any deficits are addressed.

All agencies providing specialist services to victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse, and their families, should examine the effectiveness with which they respond to cultural diversity across their service delivery areas and report on this to the Northamptonshire Inter-Personal Violence Board.