Our review services.

We support organisations and partnerships to carry out high-quality, thoughtful reviews that lead to meaningful learning and safer systems. Whether statutory or non-statutory, every review we undertake is rooted in care, curiosity, and a commitment to improvement.

Our team brings a strong grounding in safeguarding, systems thinking, and multi-agency practice. We understand the emotional and professional weight that reviews can carry, and we create the space for open reflection, challenge, and shared learning.

We offer a range of review services, from statutory processes like Domestic Abuse-Related Death (DARD) Reviews and Rapid Reviews, to thematic and non-statutory reviews that help uncover patterns, assess impact, or explore specific areas of concern.

Where needed, we can also provide additional support through review coordination, stakeholder engagement, or follow-up learning activities.

Formerly known as Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs)
Domestic Abuse-Related Death Reviews (DARD Reviews) are a statutory requirement under Section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act (2004). They must be commissioned by Community Safety Partnerships when a person aged 16 or over dies as a result of domestic abuse. The aim is not to apportion blame, but to generate learning and improve future responses.
We have extensive experience in leading and delivering high-quality, trauma-informed reviews. Our work is rooted in values of empathy, clarity, and critical reflection, always centring the experiences of victims and families, and supporting professionals to learn in a safe and constructive way.
We offer:
- Independent Chair and Author Services
  A highly experienced and credible Chair to lead the review process and write the final report, in line with statutory guidance and Home Office expectations.
- Review Coordination Service (optional)
  We can also act as Review Coordinator — managing logistics, liaising with panel members, supporting administration, and ensuring the review progresses smoothly and in line with timescales.
Safeguarding Adults Reviews (SARs) are required under Section 44 of the Care Act 2014 when an adult with care and support needs dies or experiences serious harm, and there is concern that partner agencies could have worked more effectively to protect them. The purpose is to learn, improve systems, and strengthen multi-agency safeguarding practice.
We understand the complexity and sensitivity of reviews involving adults with care and support needs. With our extensive experience in multi-agency review processes and other systems-level scrutiny we are well placed to support local safeguarding partnerships to deliver high-quality, reflective SARs.
We offer:
- Independent Chair and Author Services
  A values-led, trauma-informed approach to leading reviews, with clear governance, open engagement with professionals, and a strong focus on learning and improvement.
- Review Coordination Service (optional)
  We can also support you to coordinate the review process, manage logistics, liaise with involved agencies, and ensure smooth progression from Terms of Reference through to publication.
Our team brings a strong grounding in safeguarding, systems thinking, and the use of lived experience and practitioner insight to drive learning. We work alongside you to deliver reviews that are proportionate, person-centred, and designed to support meaningful change.
If you're planning a SAR or exploring options for future commissioning, we’d be happy to discuss how we can support.
When a serious incident occurs involving a child, local safeguarding partnerships must consider whether a Rapid Review or Child Safeguarding Practice Review (CSPR) is required. These reviews are a statutory duty under Working Together to Safeguard Children (2023) and are designed to promote learning, strengthen safeguarding systems, and reduce the risk of future harm.
We bring particular expertise in reviews where violence, abuse, or exploitation are key themes, including criminal or sexual exploitation, violence within young people’s dating relationships, and domestic abuse within families. Our understanding of these intersecting issues, alongside our experience of systems-level safeguarding work, places us in a strong position to support high-quality, thoughtful reviews that centre both learning and care.
We can support you with:
- Independent Chairing and Report Writing
  We take a values-led, trauma-informed approach, drawing out learning, facilitating reflective discussion, and ensuring the review process is robust and proportionate.
- Review Coordination (optional)
  If required, we can manage the logistics of the review, including scheduling, communication, minute-taking, and document management to support smooth delivery from scoping through to publication.
We’re open to discussing reviews where harm has occurred in other contexts, and we work closely with partnerships to ensure the right fit for every review. Our approach is collaborative, sensitive, and focused on helping systems reflect, improve, and ultimately keep children safer.
Not all serious incidents meet the threshold for a statutory review, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t valuable learning to be gained.
We support local areas to undertake non-statutory reviews where a broader or more flexible approach is needed. This includes single-case reviews that fall below statutory thresholds, but still present important opportunities to reflect, learn, and strengthen safeguarding practice.
We also undertake thematic reviews, working with partnerships to explore key learning across multiple cases. This can involve drawing out patterns, identifying system-wide challenges, and reviewing the impact of previous learning on multi-agency arrangements and practice. Thematic reviews can also be focused on specific areas of concern or types of harm or responses (for example, exploitation or professional curiosity) where deeper scrutiny is required.
Our approach is collaborative, evidence-informed, and rooted in a commitment to improving outcomes. We tailor each review to local need, offering critical insight while creating space for constructive reflection and meaningful change.
We can help you to develop an approach to how you undertake reviews. Our Director has substaintial experience in settng up Domestic Abuse Related Death Review (DARDR) processes within local areas. This has included individual Community Safety Partnership (CSP) areas as well as County Council areas in which there are multiple Tier 2 Local Authorities. Our protocol development service will include understanding what a good process should look like based on your partnership structures, translate this in to relevant guidance documents and produce the necessary templates to ensure implementation of the protocol is seamless and efficient.
We have worked to develop review processes across a range of disciplines including non-statutory reviews. An example of this can be seen through our work with the Public Health team in Torbay in which we worked to develop a Drug Related Death review process. This included developing criteria and thresholds for reviews, notification procedures and process development for undertaking reviews, embedding learning and monitoring impact.

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Examples of our work

Domestic Abuse Related Death Review

We have supported Derbyshire to undertake two DARD reviews. Both reviews involved male victims of homicide. Feedback from the commissioner included:
“having worked with a few chairs, we were really impressed with your methodical approach and organisation, as well as the way you led the meeting. It makes our job easier, so thank you”
Domestic Abuse Related Death Review

We have supported Cheshire West and Chester to conduct two DARD reviews. These were both suicide related death reviews involving women who have experienced domestic abuse in their intimate partner relationships. We provided an Independent Chair, Author and Coordination service for the review.
Developing a Drug Related Death Review Process

Commissioned by the Public Health team in Torbay; we supported the development of a Drug-Related Death review process. This included scoping practice from other areas across the UK and internationally, as well as conducting a literature review to explore what makes an effective and impactful review. We developed criteria and thresholds for reviews, notification procedures, and a clear process for undertaking reviews, embedding learning, and monitoring impact. We also mapped and aligned the review process with existing systems, including police and coronial investigations, to ensure a joined-up, system-aware approach.
Domestic Abuse Related Death Review

Undertaking a DARD review relating to a female victim who experienced multiple forms of disadvantage.
Domestic Abuse Related Death Review

Supporting Ealing in undertaking a DARD review for an unexplained death in which a female who had previously experienced domestic abuse had died.
Domestic Abuse Related Death Review

Supporting West Berkshire to undertake a DARD review relating to a familial homicide-suicide. Feedback from one panel member included:
“This is the best DARDR panel I have sat on. It was reviewing exceptionally tragic circumstances however it has actually felt like a positive work experience for me. The bar has been set very high now!”
Sue Carrington, Specialist Practitioner Domestic Abuse. Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Domestic Abuse Related Death Review

Independent Chair and Author service for a DARD review.
Domestic Abuse Related Death Review

Independent Chair and Author service for a DARD review relating to an intimate partner homicide. Feedback from a panel member included:
“Can I commend you not only on your excellent reports, under particularly challenging circumstances, but your ability to capture the essence and “voice” of our victim. I have been involved in DHR’s for over a decade now – including representing UK policing on the Home Office Quality Assurance panel, and this is one of the finest examples I have read”
Justin Armstrong, Review Officer, Specialist Crime Review Group, Metropolitan Police Service