Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews (previously known as Domestic Homicide Reviews) are part of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 and became law from 13th April 2011. They do not replace but will be in addition to the inquest or any other form of inquiry.
A Domestic Abuse Related Death Review means a review of the circumstances in which the death of a person aged 16 or over has, or appears to have, resulted from violence, abuse, or neglect.
The violence, abuse or neglect was caused by a person related to the individual that died, or with whom they had been in an intimate personal relationship with, or by someone who lived in the same household as them.
Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews are undertaken to improve responses to domestic violence and aim to prevent what happened to the person that died, happening to others. They will try to ensure that public bodies like social services, councils, police and other community-based organisations understand what happened that led to the death of the person and identify where responses to the situation could be improved. From this, the public bodies hope to learn all the right lessons including those which impact how they work together. These reviews will not seek to lay blame but to consider what happened and what could have been done differently. They will also recommend actions to improve responses to domestic violence situations in the future.
You can access the Cumberland Community Safety Partnership (CSP) website here: cumberlandcsp.org.uk
Or the Westmorland and Furness Community Safety Partnership website here: westmorlandandfurnesscsp.org.uk
