Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs)

Domestic Homicide reviews (DHRs) were established on a statutory basis under section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004 and came into force on 13 April 2011.

Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) are responsible for undertaking DHRs where the death of a person aged 16 or over has, or appears to have, resulted from violence, abuse or neglect by a relative, household member or someone he or she has been in an intimate relationship with.

A review panel, led by an independent chair and consisting of representatives from statutory and voluntary agencies is commissioned to undertake the DHR. The panel reviews each agency's involvement in the case and makes recommendations to improve responses in the future. The panel will also consider information from the victim's family, friends and work colleagues.

DHRs are not enquiries into how someone died or who is to blame nor do they form part of a disciplinary process. They do not replace, but are in addition to, an inquest and any other form of enquiry into a homicide.

The purpose of DHRs is to consider the circumstances that led to the death and to identify where responses to the situation could be improved in the future. Lessons learned from the reviews will help agencies to improve their response to domestic abuse and to work better together to prevent such tragedies from occurring again.

The Home Office has published statutory guidance on how to complete DHRs. The Dorset CSP has developed a local process based on the guidance. The CSP has also developed a Privacy Notice which explains how personal information is collected, used and shared by a range of organisations to meet the requirements of a DHR.