Domestic Homicide Review - Anonymised summary

1. The review

The Community Safety Partnership commissioned a Domestic Homicide Review following the homicide of an adult woman by her intimate partner. The Review examined the circumstances preceding her death and agency involvement across three community safety partnerships, including local authority and health-service areas. Particular consideration was given to opportunities to recognise vulnerability and domestic abuse, barriers to disclosure, the use of interpreters and the importance of professional curiosity. 

2. Case summary

The victim had moved to the UK from overseas and spoke limited English. Following concerns at her home, information was not immediately reported to police. Subsequent information from someone known to her led to a missing-person investigation, which became a homicide investigation. The victim was later found deceased, and her partner was identified as responsible for her death. 

3. Key facts

The victim experienced a number of circumstances that increased dependency and reduced access to independent support. The couple had children and lived in several areas

Agency contact was limited and predominantly through health, maternity and family-health services. Before her death, the relationship had deteriorated and the victim had indicated that she wished to separate.

Her informal support was limited. The subsequent homicide investigation identified evidence of serious previous violence and threats which had not been known to statutory agencies. 

4. Learning opportunities

Language and interpreters

Professional interpreters should be used where possible. 

Recognition and professional curiosity

Practitioners should consider wider social circumstances, dependency, isolation and intrusive third parties.

Routine/targeted enquiry

Services should create safe opportunities to ask about domestic abuse.

Policies and procedures

Domestic abuse procedures should support recognition, enquiry, response and safeguarding.

Cultural responsiveness

Understand cultural, family and community factors without assumptions.

Intersectionality and barriers

Language, migration, financial dependency and isolation can create barriers. 

Risk and vulnerability

Vulnerability should be considered cumulatively.

Publication

Public learning should be balanced with protection from harm.

5. Good practice

The Review identified positive practice including

• safeguarding awareness within interpreting arrangements
• systems for highlighting safeguarding concerns in primary care
• multi-agency information-sharing arrangements
• comprehensive domestic abuse policies
• established routine/targeted enquiry processes
• specialist support for people facing language or migration-related barriers
• appropriate use of professional interpreters
• domestic abuse special 1sts within health services
• accessible services and information m different languages.

6. Recommendations

1. Strengthen interpreters’ awareness and competence
2. Introduce/strengthen a local domestic abuse policy in primary care.
3. Ensure clear public-facing information about domestic abuse and support.
4. Ensure translation arrangements within public information.  
5. Update safeguarding adults’ procedures to include clearer detail on domestic abuse.  
6. Improve clinicians’ ability to recognise and respond to domestic abuse.
7. Share learning from the review across the three Community Safety Partnerships. 

The Home Office have agreed for this to be the only information published relating to the review owing to safeguarding concerns.