SC22218 - Domestic Homicide Reviews - Independent Chairs and/or Authors (Dynamic Purchasing System)

Domestic Homicide Reviews - Independent Chairs and/or Authors (Dynamic Purchasing System)

Kent County Council established a Dynamic Purchasing System (DPS) in April 2023 for Independent Chairs/Authors, who are suitably qualified and experienced, to undertake reviews of Domestic Homicide/Suicide.

Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) came into force on the 13th April 2011. They were established on a statutory basis under Section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act (2004). The Act states that a DHR should be a review of the circumstances in which the death of a person aged 16 or over has, or appears to have, resulted from violence, abuse or neglect by (a) a person to whom they were related or with whom they were or had been in an intimate personal relationship or (b) member of the same household; with a view to identifying the lessons to be learnt from the death. In 2016, the criteria were expanded to include relevant cases where the victim had taken their own life and the circumstances gave cause for concern, i.e., there was coercive and controlling behaviour present.

Overall responsibility for establishing a review lies with the local Community Safety Partnership (CSP) as they are ideally placed to initiate a DHR and review panel due to their multi-agency setup. CSPs are made up of representatives from the 'responsible authorities' (police, local authorities, fire and rescue authorities, probation service and health) who work together to protect their local communities from crime and help people feel safer. Since 2011, the Kent Community Safety Partnership (KCSP) has had lead responsibility for managing DHRs on behalf of all CSPs in Kent and Medway under the Kent and Medway protocol.

Suppliers who meet the Selection Criteria and have been successfully accepted onto the DPS will be able to submit bids (via a mini-competition process) to be appointed as an Independent Chair and Author to provide the DHR services.

The DPS will run for a period of 2 years from April 2023 with the potential to extend (in yearly increments) for a further three years.

The DPS will operate electronically, and suppliers will be able to submit their application at any point in time whilst the DPS is live. There will be no limit on the number of providers who will be admitted and there will be future opportunities to join the DPS. All tender documents are accessible via The Kent Business Portal.