Domestic abuse does not always begin with a visible injury. It can be controlling behaviour, isolation, threats, economic abuse, stalking, coercion or the gradual erosion of someone's independence.

Were there warning signs? Did somebody try to speak up? Did different organisations each hold part of the picture? Were opportunities to intervene missed?

What can be learned to help prevent another person experiencing the same harm?

Those questions are at the heart of changes introduced by the Government this month (September 2026).

On 15 September 2026, the Home Office published updated statutory guidance for Domestic Abuse Related Death Reviews (DARDRs) (previously known as Domestic Homicide Reviews). The revised approach is intended to strengthen how agencies learn from deaths connected with domestic abuse and turn those lessons into action. It reflects something increasingly recognised within domestic abuse prevention: not every death associated with abuse is recorded as a homicide.

Domestic abuse remains widespread

According to the latest Crime Survey for England and Wales (by ONS) estimates, approximately 3.8 million people aged 16 and over experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2025.

That included an estimated:

2.2 million women - 9.1% of women aged 16 and over
1.5 million men - 6.5% of men aged 16 and over

Around 12.5 million people (more than one in four adults) reported experiencing domestic abuse at some point since the age of 16.

These figures are a reminder that domestic abuse is not a marginal issue affecting a small number of households. It reaches communities, workplaces, families, schools, healthcare services and public services across the country, and its impact can be fatal.

There were 111 domestic homicides in the year ending March 2025, according to figures cited by the Government.

Recognising deaths that can otherwise remain hidden

Between April 2020 and March 2024, the national Domestic Homicide Project recorded 1,012 domestic abuse-related deaths. They included: 501 domestic homicides and 354 suspected victim suicides following domestic abuse (Home Office, 2025)

image representing domestic abuse and a hand indicating a stop signal which further represents prevention

The Government first announced plans to rename Domestic Homicide Reviews in 2024 specifically to better recognise deaths following domestic abuse, including suicide and circumstances involving coercive control and economic abuse.

The new Domestic Abuse Related Death Review framework now reinforces that broader understanding.

A DARDR can examine the circumstances surrounding a death and bring together information held by organisations including the police, councils, social services, healthcare organisations and community-based services.

The purpose is not simply to determine blame but to also understand what happened, identify where responses could have been improved and make recommendations that can help protect people in future.

That principle - learning in order to prevent - should matter far beyond the review process itself.

Sometimes the warning signs exist in different places

image representing a sign of warning which in this instance directly relates to the signs of domestic abuse

Domestic abuse rarely fits neatly within the boundaries:

A person may speak to their GP
A neighbour may hear something
An employer may notice changes in behaviour or attendance
Police may respond to an incident
A school may become concerned about a child
A housing provider, council service or specialist charity may hold another part of the picture

Individually, those pieces of information may not always reveal the full level of risk - together, they can tell a very different story.

This is why effective safeguarding is not simply about whether information is collected. It is about whether concerns can be recognised, escalated appropriately and understood alongside other relevant information.

The Home Office's own work on learning from domestic abuse-related deaths emphasises the importance of agencies learning together rather than recommendations existing in isolation.

For communities and organisations, there is a wider lesson here
Having policies is important
Having reporting mechanisms is important
Having support services is essential

BUT! None of those things can achieve their purpose unless people feel able to use them — and somebody is prepared to listen when they do.

Speaking up has to lead somewhere

We often encourage people experiencing or witnessing concerning behaviour to speak up.

However, encouraging reporting without considering what happens afterwards only addresses part of the problem. Someone deciding whether to raise a concern may be weighing up difficult questions:

Will anyone believe me? Will anything happen? Will the person I'm worried about find out? Am I making too much of this? Is this behaviour even serious enough to report? Where do I go? What happens after I tell someone?

For somebody experiencing coercive or controlling behaviour, even making contact with a service may carry risk.

Removing barriers to reporting therefore means more than providing a form or telephone number - it means creating routes that are accessible, clearly explained, appropriately confidential and connected to meaningful support and action.

How imabi is Giving Women a Voice to Speak Up and Seek Help

Prevention is everyone's business

Domestic abuse services and the police have specialist expertise and critical roles to play, but prevention cannot sit with specialist services alone.

Workplaces can make it easier for employees to seek support
Schools and universities can make trusted reporting and safeguarding information visible
Healthcare professionals can recognise indicators and create opportunities for safe disclosure
Businesses and community organisations can provide trusted spaces and signposting
Friends, relatives and neighbours can listen
Technology can help make information, reporting routes and support easier to access, and help organisations understand patterns that might otherwise remain hidden.

None of these approaches replaces specialist safeguarding practice, but together, they can create more opportunities for concerns to be noticed and support to be reached earlier.

If you need support

If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic abuse, help is available.

image representing a sign to ask for help especially in an emergency or if someone is in immediate danger - different type of help is available

In an emergency or if someone is in immediate danger, call 999.

If you are calling 999 from a mobile and cannot speak, listen to the operator and, if prompted, press 55 to be transferred to the police. Pressing 55 does not automatically allow police to locate you.

In England, the National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge, provides free and confidential support 24 hours a day on 0808 2000 247. Other specialist services are available for men, LGBT+ people and people across Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Trusted support and information can also be accessed through imabi Travel Guardian, alongside reliable reporting routes.