Liverpool review

Merseyside Police should produce a documented ‘working procedures’, ‘work allocation’ and ‘personal responsibility’ procedure in relation to each role and working practice within the Protecting Vulnerable Persons Unit (PVPU). This should be published and appended to its ‘Domestic Abuse (Policy and Procedure)’ as a clear reference point, to avoid ambiguity. The procedures should be followed in every Protecting Vulnerable Persons Unit every within the force. (This is a recurring theme from a previous DHR).

When completing entries on PROtect logs/Niche, sufficient research should be carried out to identify the most up to date and correct information before it is documented. Doing so will prevent any misleading information being shared with other agencies. This should include current telephone and address details.

When seeking CPS advice in cases of ‘domestic abuse’, all available material pertinent to the investigation should be submitted. When reference is made to the ‘mental health’ of either victim or perpetrator, then the provenance/origins of the illness, as held on police systems, must be included.

When dealing with repeated low key ‘domestic incidents’ that involve alcohol abuse as a contributory factor, specific interventions and referrals to alcohol support groups must be considered, including referral to adult services.

When arrests and subsequent charges are made in relation to ‘domestic incidents’ and alcohol abuse is a contributory and continued factor, then officers dealing with the case must ensure the court is informed and consideration is given to applying for an Alcohol Treatment Referral Order as part of a community service order. This must be considered even if the subject has a history of non-compliance with such orders.

For the MARAC to produce meaningful actions, the panel must be provided with the most up to date information relating to the victim and the perpetrator and where that information identifies complex needs ensure they are catered for in the actions.

To encourage staff to approach domestic abuse with professional curiosity in each case and to ensure it is recorded on the case record. Risk registers should be flagged and reviewed at least every 16-weeks.

Offender Managers should undertake regular Protecting Vulnerable Person Unit checks with the police to verify information and confirm protective measures are in place for the victim and ensure it is documented on the case record.

Offender Managers should undertake safeguarding checks/referrals at the commencement of supervision and this information should be included in the risk-assessment and risk-management plan. This should be reviewed if a further domestic abuse or other significant incident takes place and consideration for a referral to MARAC should be made if the threshold is met.

In the event of a relationship with a new partner or known perpetrator of domestic abuse, consideration should be made, in consultation with the police, of a disclosure under the domestic violence disclosure scheme (Clare’s Law).

Offender Managers should discuss what services are available and undertake referrals with victims of domestic abuse and ensure this is documented on the case record.

When there is a change of Offender Manager, a three-way handover meeting should take place between the offender and the outgoing and incoming Offender Manager and details of the meeting should be documented on the case record.

PSS Women’s Turnaround staff should complete training on awareness of domestic abuse, MERIT risk-assessment and the MARAC process.

All staff employed on the PSS Ruby Project should complete the ‘Safer Lives’ IDVA training

To ensure that CPS managers continue to use the quality assurance process (IQA) to maintain a high standard of advice and analysis in casework, particularly that relate to vulnerable people.

To ensure that information sharing between the Trust and GPs is improved and that the exchange of information is properly documented.

Patients attending with other people should have the name and relationship of that person recorded in the records.

Patients attending under the influence of drugs or alcohol should have their capacity to make decisions assessed and recorded.

Practitioners who see patients who are misusing alcohol and drugs should look beyond this for signs of abuse and record their presence or absence.

Practitioners should continue to offer support and signposting to victims of abuse, even if it has previously been declined.

The apparent lack of awareness, knowledge and understanding among GP’s as to what range of domestic abuse services patients can be referred to should be addressed.

Consideration should be given to inviting domestic abuse agencies into surgeries.

To ensure that when checking a patient into the accident and emergency department, full identifying details of next-of-kin are always recorded. Where a patient indicates that they do not have a next-of-kin, this should be clearly documented.

To ensure that where there are cases of assault, the healthcare professional should document the name of the alleged perpetrator.

That Citysafe determine whether the DVDS and DVPNs and DVPOs are being used effectively in its area to support safety planning for victims of domestic abuse, including safety planning in advance of offenders being released from prison for breaching DVPO.

That the Home Office establish nationally whether the use of DVDS and DVPN/DVPO are being used effectively to support victims of domestic abuse.