Government rejects proposal to allocate funds for domestic homicide reviews | Domestic abuse suicide
The Home Office has rejected a proposal to allocate government funds to investigate deaths linked to domestic violence.
Domestic abuse commissioner Nicole Jacobs said it was “deeply concerning” that local authorities in England and Wales were not receiving direct resources to help them carry out domestic homicide reviews (DHRs) and called on authorities to be “bolder” in their decision-making processes.
The government added that it was unable to provide “specific guidance” on how local authority funding should be spent, but acknowledged that improvements were needed in the review process.
DHRs are multi-agency inquests held in England and Wales where a person aged 16 or over dies following apparent abuse, violence or neglect by a partner, relative or family member.
They are designed to ensure public institutions learn from tragedies to protect future victims. They operate separately from related criminal proceedings and cannot assume civil liability for a death.
Jacobs said: “When someone loses their life as a result of domestic violence, we must do all we can to learn from that tragedy and ensure it never happens again.
“The lack of dedicated funding to enable councils to carry out these potentially life-saving reviews is extremely worrying, especially as councils have told me they will struggle to commission them if more resources are not available.”
Jacobs, who conducted a study Reporting to DHRs In a statement made on behalf of the government in 2024, it was stated that some councils had warned that they may have to stop carrying out investigations due to increasing financial pressure. Estimates from his office and the Local Government Association put the cost of each review at around £10,000.
DHRs were implemented in 2011. Their scope was expanded in 2016 to include suicides related to domestic violence; This is an issue the Guardian has highlighted in a series of recent reports. The number of suicides due to domestic violence has exceeded homicides for three years in a row.
Jacobs had called for dedicated funding for chairmen, expert panel members, support for families, administration costs and sharing lessons learned as councils scramble to fund a growing number of investigations.
He added: “Over the last few weeks this government has been increasingly accused of delivering change for victims and survivors of abuse. It must be bolder and bolder in its decisions if it is to achieve its mission and become a world leader in tackling violence against women and girls.”
“Ministers should re-evaluate this response and provide dedicated funding to ensure DHRs can be run effectively. This will not only deliver real improvements for people experiencing domestic violence, but will ultimately save lives.
“I would like to once again thank those who devoted their time, expertise and commitment to piloting the oversight mechanism despite funding challenges.”
In response to Jacobs’ report, Learning from Loss, the government said it “acknowledges the concerns raised about the financial and resourcing challenges associated with delivering DHRs”.
But he added: “Funding for DHRs is provided through the local authority funding agreement and unfortunately the Home Office is unable to provide specific guidance on how funding should be allocated locally.
“However, the new legal guidance has been prepared to improve efficiency and reduce delays in the overall process.
“For example, a new toolkit including templates, process maps, checklists, draft letters and key contacts will be included to guide those undertaking reviews and ensure consistent, high-quality outcomes.”
Labor committed to halving violence against women and girls in its 2024 manifesto and described the issue as a “national emergency”.
Jacobs said he was “pleased to see the government reaffirm its commitment to delivering a digital surveillance tool” but expressed disappointment that there were no details on its funding or a timeline for its implementation.
The government said further details about the platform “will be disclosed in due course”. He added that Jacobs would also try to implement his own recommendations regarding the DHRs he proposed.
He said: “The Home Office has introduced a new process, as part of the wider DHR reform programme, under which the sharing and implementation of national recommendations will be monitored across government departments by the Home Office DHR secretariat.”
