Domestic Abuse Commissioner Raises Alarm Over Insufficient Funding to Learn from Domestic Abuse Related Deaths

The UK government response to the Domestic Abuse Commissioners recommendations indicates alarming lack of resources dedicated to understanding and preventing deaths linked to domestic abuse.

Since 2011, local councils have been required to conduct domestic homicide reviews (DHRs), costing an average of £10,000, but no funding has been provided for addressing the issues raised within them. In 2016, the scope of DHRs was expanded to include domestic-abuse-related suicides, also without additional funding, resulting in an increase in review cases. This demand comes at a time when local authorities are facing budget cuts, leaving them with limited resources to manage public services and conduct these crucial reviews. As a result, local areas have expressed concerns to the Domestic Abuse Commissioner about their ability to carry out these life-saving reviews without dedicated funding.

Read the Information Commissioner's press release here