Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews (DARDRs) are multi-agency reviews conducted when a person aged 16 or over dies - or is suspected to have died - as a result of violence, abuse, or neglect by a relative, partner, ex-partner, or member of the same household. This includes deaths by suicide where domestic abuse is believed to have been a contributing factor.
The purpose of a DARDR is not to apportion blame but to identify lessons that can be learned to prevent future tragedies. Reviews are commissioned by local Community Safety Partnerships (CSPs) and involve a wide range of agencies, including police, health services, social care, housing providers, and specialist domestic abuse organisations. A DARDR panel is convened and chaired by an independent expert, and the process includes gathering evidence in relation to the circumstances leading to the incident and reviewing agency involvement and whether responses can be improved, as well as engaging with the victim’s family and community where appropriate. It also identifies good practice which can be shared.
DARDRs aim to:
- Improve working between partners
- Highlight missed opportunities
- Recommend changes to policy or practice and decide on the timescales when they will be implemented
- Apply the lessons to service responses as appropriate
- Help services work to prevent domestic violence and improve service responses for victims and their families.
DARDRs are grounded in a trauma-informed and victim-centred approach, ensuring that the voices of those affected are heard and respected. Once completed, anonymised reports are published to promote transparency and learning.
Process
If a DARDR is thought to have occurred in Bury, Greater Manchester Police or another agency will notify Bury’s Community Safety Partnership. After this takes place, there will be a scoping meeting where partner agencies decide whether the circumstances meet the criteria for a DARDR. If a positive decision is made, the Community Safety Partnership will appoint an independent chair and author who will hold a number of panel meetings with local statutory and voluntary partners, liaising with family members and those who may know the victim as appropriate. The chair will also gather information from services who are part of the panel in the form of Individual Management Reviews (IMRs) and chronologies. Once a report is complete, it is published in accordance with statutory guidance. All reports are anonymised with pseudonyms to protect the identity of the individuals involved in the incident.
Once published, the report may be shared with other local services to learning across agencies. Often, chairs also decide to hold specific learning events, inviting a range of local services to hear about some of the themes and outcomes of the review and the learning which needs to be implemented to prevent similar incidents occurring again. The actions outlined in the report will be regularly reviewed by the Community Safety Partnership to ensure that the recommendations are implemented.