Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs)

Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) are a legal requirement in the case of a death from domestic abuse (domestic homicide) in Sheffield.

A domestic homicide as defined by the Home Office is where the death of a person aged 16 or over has, or appears to have, resulted from violence, abuse, or neglect by:

• a relative
• someone he or she has been in an intimate relationship with
• a household member

The purpose of a DHR

DHRs identify and apply lessons learned from a domestic homicide within and across organizations in Sheffield. They aim to improve services and prevent, where possible, deaths from domestic abuse. They do not seek to blame any person or agency and are separate from any disciplinary processes or an inquest.

How a DHR is carried out

In most cases, an organisation will refer a case to Sheffield's Domestic Abuse Co-ordination Team (DACT) if they believe it meets the criteria for a domestic homicide. DACT will then co-ordinate the review.

An independent chair is commissioned to undertake the DHR, supported by a review panel consisting of representatives from statutory and voluntary agencies. Each agency's involvement in the case is reviewed and recommendations are made to improve responses in the future. The Chair will also consider information from the victim’s family, friends, or work colleagues.

Once the review is complete, the report is sent to the Home Office for quality assurance. The report is then usually published and a learning brief will be prepared for professionals. 

DHR reports and summaries

The latest reviews that have been published, for Imran and Kirsten, are available to view below.

We have also published previous Sheffield Domestic Homicide Reviews. You can find them on the national GOV.UK: Domestic Homicide Review Library.

Domestic Abuse Serious Incident Reviews (SIRs)

If there has been a serious incident due to domestic abuse, or if the criteria for a DHR is not met but there is likely to be learning for agencies, the Safer Sheffield Partnership may complete a Domestic Abuse Serious Incident Review. 

The aim of this is the same as for a DHR, but the process is shorter and may not include an independent chair. A learning brief including recommendations for action is produced, published, and shared with professionals in Sheffield.

Learning Briefs

We publish learning briefs of the findings from Domestic Homicide Reviews and Serious Incident Reviews. These are available to view at the page below.

We would like to express our condolences to the families and loved ones who have been bereaved.