Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews

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Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews (DARDRs) were formerly known as Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs).

A DARDR is a review of the circumstances in which the death of a person aged 16 or over has (or appears to have) resulted from domestic abuse, with a view to identifying the lessons to be learned from the death. It provides an opportunity for national and local agencies, local communities, and society as a whole to consider each victim individually and treat every death as preventable.

How DARDRs work

An independent chair is commissioned to lead a review panel made up of representatives from statutory and voluntary organisations.

Together, the panel try to ensure that public bodies like social services, councils, police and other community-based organisations understand what happened that led to the death of the person and identify where responses to the situation could be improved. From this, we hope to learn all the right lessons including those which impact on how we work together. These reviews do not seek to lay blame but to consider what happened, what could have been done differently and what actions can be taken to improve responses to domestic violence situations in the future.

Guidance on Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews is published by the Home Office.