Decision details

To enter into a funding agreement for Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) in Gloucestershire for the year 2024/25

Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) were established on a statutory basis under the Domestic Violence Crime and Victims Act 2004, with the provision coming into force in April 2011.

The Home Office Statutory DHR guidance (2016) places responsibility for establishing a DHR with the local Community Safety Partnership (CSP). Within Gloucestershire, each District has its own CSP, in Cheltenham this forms part of the Cheltenham Community Partnership. A local decision has been made across the relevant councils and partner bodies that the County-Wide CSP ‘Safer Gloucestershire’ will work in partnership with districts to support the statutory function for establishing a DHR.

As part of the development of the local DHR process, the six District CSPs, alongside the Office for Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) and NHS Integrated Care Board (ICB) have agreed to jointly fund DHRs in Gloucestershire. This agreement acknowledges that the learning from local DHRs is countywide and should not just consider the district in which the death took place.

Costs associated with DHRs are linked primarily with the independent chair, admin and advocacy services for families. Funding for advocacy services is detailed in a separate funding agreement.

The benefits of this approach are that the costs of carrying out DHRs do not fall solely on the responsible district and are instead shared out across the eight partners. The agreement specifies that the OPCC will fund 50% of the independent chair costs up to a maximum of £5000. The remaining 50% of chairing costs will be shared equally between the District CSPs signed up to this agreement and the ICB.

In addition, the district can access support and guidance being provided by the Domestic Abuse and Sexual Violence Strategic Coordinator and the OPCC.

The council could choose not to enter into the county-wide agreement. In this case, it alone would be responsible for the costs associated with running a DHR. The typical cost for running one DHR will exceed £5k. For the year 2024/25, we have been asked to contribute £3.2k to cover the costs of running seven DHRs.

Advice has been sought from One Legal about the funding agreement.

More information about Domestic Homicide Reviews, including the five published reviews are available on the council’s website:

https://www.cheltenham.gov.uk/info/62/community_safety_and_crime/1391/domestic_homicide_reviews