Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews (DARDRs) are the same process as Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) — the name was changed following a public consultation and was confirmed in the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024. The name change reflects the wider scope of reviews, which now explicitly cover deaths by suspected suicide where domestic abuse appears to have been a contributing factor, as well as homicides. If you see references to DHRs in older guidance or documents, these refer to the same process.

The local Community Safety Partnership (CSP) is responsible for commissioning a DARDR. In Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, this responsibility sits with the relevant CSP for the area where the death occurred. The CSP appoints an independent chair, convenes a panel of agency representatives, and is responsible for ensuring the final report and action plan are completed and published in line with statutory timescales.

Yes. Families and friends of the victim are an important part of the DARDR process. An independent chair will aim to make contact with the family to enable them to contribute and ensure the victim’s voice is heard. Families do not have to take part, but many find it meaningful to do so. AAFDA (Advocacy After Fatal Domestic Abuse) provides specialist and independent advocacy to support families through the process, including helping them understand what to expect, what questions to ask, and how to engage with the review panel. Their details are in the national guidance section above.

Each DARDR produces a set of recommendations and an action plan setting out what each agency will do differently as a result of the review. Agencies are responsible for implementing the actions assigned to them. At a national level, the Home Office and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner analyse learning themes across reviews to inform policy and practice. Equation uses learning from local DARDRs to develop our training offer, update our practice, and improve the guidance we provide to other professionals working in the domestic abuse sector.

A DARDR must be considered whenever a person aged 16 or over has died, or appears to have died, as a result of violence, abuse or neglect by a partner, family member, or member of the same household. This includes deaths by suspected suicide where there is reason to believe domestic abuse was a contributing factor. The decision about whether to commission a review is made by the Community Safety Partnership, following a scoping review and, where necessary, in consultation with the Home Office Quality Assurance Panel.

An Individual Management Review (IMR) is a written account produced by an agency that had contact with the victim. It sets out what that agency knew, what actions were taken, and reflects on whether anything could have been done differently. Any agency that had relevant contact with the victim may be asked to complete an IMR. This includes statutory services such as the police, health, and housing, as well as voluntary sector organisations such as domestic abuse services. Equation produces IMRs where we have had contact with someone whose case is being reviewed.

Yes. Once a DARDR report has been quality assured by the Home Office Quality Assurance Panel and permission to publish has been granted, the report must be published. All published reports are anonymised to protect the identity of individuals involved. Reports are held in the national Domestic Homicide Review library, searchable by area and theme, at homicide-review.homeoffice.gov.uk. Local reports may also be published on the Community Safety Partnership’s website.