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
Somerset review
CSP: SomersetPublished: September 2025Year of death: 2022Extracted: 7 recs
Statutory domestic homicide review under section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004. Source: Home Office DHR Library.
The review highlights systemic failures in understanding trauma and domestic abuse, leading to missed opportunities for risk assessment, information sharing, and appropriate interventions for the victim. It also notes unconscious bias in agency responses, often blaming the victim while colluding with the perpetrator.
Home Office classifications
38 tags
Source-supplied classifications used by the Home Office to catalogue this review.
Victim - was a carer
Victim - had been a victim of an abuser before
Children - under 18 shared parental responsibility (between perpetrators)
Children - living with victim (including adult children)
Children - living with perpetrator (including adult children)
Children - present at homicide (including adult children)
Children - subject to child protection or domestic abuse prior to homicide
Children - removed into care
Perpetrator - case heard in court
Perpetrator - alcohol misuse
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 mental 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 - known to housing services as a domestic abuse perpetrator
Perpetrator - known to others as a domestic abuse perpetrator
Perpetrator - known to family as a domestic abuse perpetrator
Aggravating factors - separation
Aggravating factors - coercive or controlling behaviour
Aggravating factors - sexual abuse
Aggravating factors - psychological or emotional abuse
Aggravating factors - physical abuse
DHR process - family contributed to dhr
DHR process - family supported by expert specialist advocate
DHR process - family received draft report
DHR process - social services recommendations
DHR process - health services recommendations
DHR process - idva or other domestic abuse support service recommendations
DHR process - community safety partnership recommendations
DHR process - identification of risk recommendation themes
DHR process - training recommendation themes
DHR process - policy recommendation themes
DHR process - multi agency working recommendation themes
DHR process - record keeping recommendation themes
DHR process - other recommendation themes
Extracted recommendations
7 recommendations pulled from the report · 1 matched to organisations in the index
Where there is possible domestic abuse, FSG workers are to obtain consent from the non-abusive parent, discuss at group supervision and seek consultation with the specialist domestic abuse worker with regards to risk and intervention.
Addressed to
Children Social Care | SIDAS | SDAS | Open Mental Health
All family safeguarding practitioners when identifying domestic abuse through assessment should be confident and competent in completing the DASH in advance of forwarding to specialist domestic abuse support.
Addressed to
Domestic Abuse Commissioner Office for England and Wales
MARAC to have the same statutory framework as other conferences where vulnerable people’s safety and wellbeing are discussed to ensure tighter and robust accountability for actions and sharing of information.
All agencies to ensure those completing the DASH understand any cases where there has been Non-Fatal Strangulation is a high-risk factor and is to be referred to MARAC with detail provided within the risk assessment.
SIDAS to have contact with clients weekly and future appointments to be offered to clients after each support session. These are to be evidenced on the case file with explanations provided if this is not achievable.
North Somerset MARAC Protocol, section 5.13 (MARAC to MARAC transfer) to be amended and include: ‘when an action has been identified within the meeting for a MARAC to MARAC transfer the lead professional for this is the MARAC coordinator and this is to be completed within 48 hours of the meeting’.