Domestic homicide review

A Domestic Homicide Review (DHR) is a multi-agency review of the circumstances in which the death of a person aged 16-years or over has, or appears to have, resulted from violence, abuse or neglect by a person to whom they were related or with whom they were, or had been, in an intimate personal relationship, or a member of the same household as themselves.

There is a statutory requirement for local areas to conduct a DHR following a domestic homicide that meets the criteria.

Since April 2011, in excess of 400 DHRs have been completed in the United Kingdom. DHRs provide a rich source of information on the nature of domestic homicide, the context in which it occurs and, most importantly, in the lessons that can be learned from the tragic event. This analysis sets out what we know about domestic homicide and draws out common themes and trends and identifies learning that emerged across the sample of DHRs.

The purpose of this analysis is to promote key learning and trends from the sample of DHRs with the aim of informing and shaping future policy development and operational practice both locally and nationally.

Local areas are encouraged to reflect on the learning identified and to consider how this can be used to deliver improvements to practice within their local context furthering their ability to safeguard victims and prevent domestic homicide. 

Once a DHR has been completed it is submitted to the Home Office for review.