Leicester review

The Community Safety Partnership to develop a mechanism to coordinate a partnership response after a domestic homicide, in order to provide opportunities for community re-assurance and information, as well as promote awareness of domestic abuse and create opportunities for disclosure.

The Community Safety Partnership to satisfy itself that Child A, B and C (as well as their kinship carer) are offered support in relation to the publication of the DHR.

After the publication of this DHR, the Community Safety Partnership to work with Leicester City Council Children’s Social Care to ensure that this report is attached to Child A, B and C’s social care records. This is so that, if they wish to read the DHR when they are older, it will be available to them. Information also to be provided for a Later Life Letter.

BPAS to review its current guidance and training for staff concerning the real-time management of domestic abuse disclosures.

BPAS to review its current guidance to clarify access arrangements to its clinics/units and the management of premises.

The ICB to review the effectiveness of the current domestic abuse policy guidance and the extent to which this is consistently implemented and has improved practice on the ground.

The ICB to consider developing a business case for support to GPs based on the IRIS model, including training, pathways, and advocacy support.

BPAS to consider if linking client records would be of benefit when reviewing vulnerable clients.

Families with identified safeguarding information to have an alert on their medical records.

GPs to review episodes of non-attendance for families/individuals where there are safeguarding concerns.

Ensure key messages from IMR are shared across the workforce: including 1) the importance of history in understanding past experiences and responses, 2) a focus on the known risk factors around domestic violence and ensuring that plans address these, 3) the importance of genograms and understanding people’s support networks and 4) curiosity, understanding and empathy as to why victims may not be able to engage in the planning.

Ensure all workers within Duty and Advice, Single Assessment and Child in Need Children’s Social Work teams have undertaken domestic violence training (both introductory and working with).

Workers undertaking risk assessments around the risk of domestic abuse to have access to expert support and consultation.

Workers undertaking domestic violence work to have access to reflective supervision and discussion (which could be across the core group).

Further training to be offered to all on effective safety planning (and the detail required) and working with the safety network.

Housing Options to add into procedure manuals a task for homelessness caseworkers to make relevant agencies aware upon closing a case where a) the applicant has disengaged and their whereabouts are unknown, and b) the applicant is known to be a perpetrator of DVA posing an active risk.

Public Health Nurse – School Nurses to be reminded to ensure the physical and emotional health needs are met before a case is made inactive to the school nursing service.

Whole family safeguarding training to include the need to escalate cases using the LSCPB procedures when a case is drifting.

Whole family safeguarding training to include the importance of professional curiosity.

Public Health Nurse – School Nurses and Public Health Nurse – Health Visitors to be reminded to ensure they document that a handover has been undertaken when a new practitioner takes over care of the family.

Safeguarding team to provide information throughout the Trust to promote the use of the DASH RIC.

The quality of safeguarding supervision to be monitored by the safeguarding team.

To audit the maternity ‘did not attend’ policy process to ensure it is consistently applied where appropriate.

Review helpline procedures/pathway documents to ensure that risks and needs are reviewed by the Helpline at each contact with victims. Full UAVA staff team to be reminded to complete a review of DASH RIC at point of disclosure of further incidents

To review pathways between all UAVA services to ensure clear and defined responsibilities towards victims during any transition between services/onward referrals.

Within two working days of receiving a referral [to the Jenkins Centre], victim details will be passed on to a partner support worker who will contact the victim within the following working day to complete a full assessment, including a DASH RIC. If at this stage it is assessed that the client requires immediate support, then they will be referred to the relevant service [within UAVA].

To review Partner Support Service case management policies and procedures to ensure responsibilities are clearly defined by the end of April 2021.

Partner Support Service cases to stay on an assessment list until the outcome of an assessment is known, following which the case will either change to an open case or be closed and referred on to other support.

Where contact is not successful with victims, where it is safe to do so letters will be sent out to explaining what assessment will be undertaken with the perpetrator, next steps and what support they can access in the meantime.

The Jenkins Centre to implement timescales for when perpetrators are contacted for assessments (this should be within five working days of receiving an agency referral).

UHL to work with other health trusts and commissioners to develop a long term, sustainable funding strategy for HIDVA provision.

FreeVA and Children’s Services to work together to improve joint working relationships by reviewing current pathways and training and by implementing weekly pilot Jenkins Centre surgeries. These surgeries to be available to social workers for professional guidance on work with perpetrators, including around engagement with the Jenkins Centre.

The LSCPB to review local guidance so that, where children on child protection plans move schools, the previous school is invited to attend core group meetings and case child protection conferences.

The LSCPB to review local guidance so that the previous school can send a representative to core group meetings and case child protection conferences.

The LSCPB to ensure that there is a domestic abuse training package available to, and taken up by, local schools (planning to develop this to include Social Care & Early Help and with UAVA).

Respect to ensure that accredited Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programmes have a consistent understanding of best practice about the timeliness and case management responsibility of Partner Support Services. Respect to ensure that this is clearly expressed in, and assessed for, as part of the Respect Standard 4th Edition when it is published.

The CSP to work with other local authority departments to understand the demand profile of perpetrator interventions in the city and ensure there is clarity in terms of funding for both one-off translation funding and a broader work force strategy for the Jenkins Centre to meet this need.

Children’s Social Care to undertake spotlight quality assurance activity to review cases open to Children’s Social Care and referrals to UAVA/Jenkins Centre/other services where domestic abuse is an identified issue for families. Recommendations will be shared with UAVA/Jenkins Centre and the LSCPB.

Children’s Social Care to work with UAVA/FreeVA to review current pathway, training and to pilot weekly surgeries that will be available to social workers to access for professional guidance on cases and to improve joint working relationships.

The Community Safety Partnership to facilitate learning and dissemination events with local agencies and professionals to consider the lessons learnt from this case and identify how this learning can be used to improve local practice.