Bexley review

Community Safety Partnership to share this learning from the Review and request all organisations in Bexley to review policies, procedures, guidance and training to ensure that accurate language is adopted that reflects responsibility for domestic abuse (the nature of this will be specific to each organisation and their requirements).

Community Safety Partnership and other partnership boards in Bexley to communicate to all members the learning from this case and the need for accurate recording of the facts, not of opinions, unless these have been corroborated, and to ensure that in cases of domestic abuse the victim’s voice is present.

All services and agencies to ensure they have an appropriate Domestic Abuse Champion in place, and that all Champions have accessed the relevant Level 3 Borough-wide training on domestic abuse, which includes coercive and controlling behaviours.

Domestic Abuse Partnership Strategic Board and MARAC Steering Group to put in place an escalation process to address any issues in agency referrals, meeting attendance, information sharing and completing of actions in relation to MARAC.

Community Safety Partnership to receive assurances from core MARAC agencies that leads are identified and consistently attend MARAC. MARAC Coordinator to ensure that agency MARAC representatives receive appropriate inductions to their role.

MARAC to ensure that, when an individual is discussed and they are seen to have a high level of needs, an appropriate lead practitioner is identified who coordinates an additional professionals’ meeting.

Community Safety Partnership, and other partnership boards in Bexley, to communicate to all members the expectation that organisations will support and train staff to be proactive in calling professionals’ meetings when required for service users.

Community Safety Partnership and other partnership boards in Bexley to communicate to all members the learning from this case and the need for professionals to appropriately enquire into service users’ histories, social and family circumstances and how these may impact on their ongoing needs; and to consider the impact of any trauma on service users’ behaviours. For agencies to, as appropriate to their role, share this within internal communications and supervision and seek training.

Local Safeguarding Children’s Board (SHIELD) and the Bexley Domestic Abuse Partnership Strategic Board to learn from good practice in Greenwich and elsewhere about what works in responding to children and young people who have experienced domestic abuse from a parent or a parent’s partner. To act locally to work towards addressing this gap.

Home Office to develop and make available a leaflet about Domestic Homicide Reviews for friends and family of those deceased through suicide.

Community Safety Partnership, Bexley Magistrate’s Court and local Crown Prosecution Office representatives to review the response to domestic abuse cases that come to court, with reference to the learning identified in this Review, to ensure that bail conditions are appropriately put in place and restraining orders are consistently considered.