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

Sefton review

CSP: Sefton Published: August 2023 Extracted: 14 recs

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

View full report (PDF) ↗ Source: Home Office DHR Library

Summary

Agencies failed to recognise serious domestic abuse, including physical violence, due to misinterpretation of confidentiality policies and a limited understanding of family violence beyond intimate partner relationships. This led to missed opportunities for inter-agency information sharing and exploring the impact of alcohol misuse.

Extracted recommendations

14 recommendations pulled from the report

#	Recommendation	Addressed to
1	That Sefton CSP reviews its domestic abuse policies, and works with its partners to review their policies, so as to ensure it is clear when confidentiality can be breached and how suspicions of crime should be reported;	Sefton CSP
1	To review Domestic Violence content for mandatory training.	North West Ambulance Service
1.	Recommendation (internal and external) Within six months, approach SWACA to see whether they can provide a training session to the team in Sefton – to team covering the three areas (i) confirm the team’s understanding of appropriate responses to disclosures of domestic violence, (ii) describe the support that they can offer and in the circumstances in which they can provide support, and (iii) support us to reflect on whether our usual responses to disclosures of domestic violence should be any different if the perpetrator is the victim’s child, sibling, etc.	Lifeline Sefton
1.	To have one central tracking document per student.	Southport College
2	That Sefton CSP reviews its domestic abuse policies, and works with its partners to review their policies so as to ensure that the circumstances in which behaviour amounts to abuse is clear and how it should be reported;	Sefton CSP
2	Publish learning lessons from this review in the ‘Clear Vision’ Bulletin.	North West Ambulance Service
2.	Review staff awareness of their role in responding to disclosures of domestic abuse, and confidence in fulfilling these roles – with individual development plans to address any identified needs	Lifeline Sefton
2.	Advice should be sought from the LCSB as to the appropriateness of key College staff having a Level 3 Safeguarding qualification.	Southport College
3	That Sefton CSP works with partners to review their domestic abuse policies so as to ensure that direct questions are asked of those who abuse alcohol to establish if they present a risk of being a perpetrator or victim of domestic abuse;	Sefton CSP
3	Debrief and reflective learning with staff involved with the victim and the perpetrator.	North West Ambulance Service
3.	External supervision should be available to staff with safeguarding responsibilities.	Southport College
4	In delivering these recommendations Sefton CSP should reinforce to partner agencies the complexities of family violence within a domestic abuse framework. In doing so they should consider using the death of the victim as a case study. It illustrates well that domestic abuse occurs in many different relationships between family members and not just between those who are, or have been, in an intimate relationship.	Sefton CSP
4.	Implement a new model of delivering conduct, welfare and support in College.	Southport College
5	That agencies who are commissioned to provide services should be required to inform their Commissioners when they become engaged in a DHR and of any recommendations arising.	Commissioned Services within Sefton CSP
Recommendations extracted from the published report. Source: Home Office DHR Library. View full report ↗