The government has decided to stop referring to domestic abuse-related deaths as ‘domestic homicides’ in its statutory guidance.
Instead of domestic homicide reviews (DHRs), it will use the term ‘domestic abuse related death reviews’, or DARDRs.
New guidance published last week is part of a programme of reform undertaken by the Home Office to improve the wider DARDR process.
Legislative amendments in Section 19 of the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 have changed the terminology for the reviews and clarified the criteria for which DARDRs can be commissioned.
DARDRs will now be undertaken when a death has, or appears to have, resulted from domestic abuse as defined by section 1 of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
DARDRs are legislated for under the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, which was amended by the Victims and Prisoners Act 2024 to align the definition of domestic abuse to that of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.
The terminology has been amended “to reflect the range of the deaths which fall within the scope of a review”.
The update in guidance comes almost a year after the government published its strategy document, Freedom from violence and abuse, which set out its commitment to halve violence against women and girls (VAWG) over the next ten years.
The government says “learning from tragedy is a key element of the strategy” with DARDRs providing “a crucial opportunity for local and national agencies, local communities, and society as a whole to consider each victim individually and treat every death as preventable”.
A new Home Office Quality Assurance Board was introduced in 2025. It will also impose compulsory training for DARDR chairs, so that individuals chairing reviews are equipped to fulfil their responsibilities effectively and to a high standard.
The news follows Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s decision to roll out specialist rape courts across England and Wales over the next two years. Earlier this month, the prime minister announced that by the end of 2027, all police forces in England and Wales will have dedicated rape and sexual offence investigation teams.
