• The DHR will be carried out by a panel made up of people from Safer Walsall Partnership, the police, domestic abuse specialist services, health services, fire service, mental health teams and other agencies such as alcohol and drugs teams.  

• The panel is always led by an independent chair.

• It will establish what lessons are to be learned from the domestic homicide regarding the way in which local professionals and organisations work individually and together to safeguard victims.

• Identify clearly what those lessons are both within and between agencies, how and within what timescales they will be acted on, and what is expected to change as a result.

• Apply these lessons to service responses including changes to policies and procedures as appropriate.

• Prevent domestic violence homicide and improve service responses for all domestic violence victims and their children through improved intra- and inter-agency working.

• The panel will look at each agency’s involvement in the case.  They may speak to family, friends and work colleagues of the victim. They will then make recommendations to improve the response to domestic violence in the future.

The DHR report will not say how the person died or who is to blame. The review will take place in addition to other inquiries, like an inquest or post-mortem.