News/Blog
Domestic Homicide and Suicide Reviews
Posted on April 2 2026 at 16:34
The Criminal Justice Modernisation and Abusive Domestic Behaviour Reviews (Scotland) Act 2025 came into effect on 1st April 2026 - here’s what it means for Scotland.
What are these reviews?
A Domestic Homicide and Suicide Review is:
- A multi-agency investigation after a death
- Carried out when domestic abuse is known or suspected
- Looking at cases of homicide or suicide linked to abuse
These reviews:
- Look at what happened before the death
- Examine which services were involved (police, NHS, social work, etc)
- Identify missed opportunities to help
Why do we need them?
- To learn lessons from each loss
- To improve how agencies work together
- To prevent future deaths
Reviews help to answer:
- Were warning signs missed?
- Did agencies communicate properly?
- Could something have been done earlier?
The goal is simple: learn from these deaths to prevent future ones.
What does this mean for Scotland?
From 1st of April, Scotland will formally review domestic abuse-related homicides and suicides that meet the criteria. This creates a consistent, national approach - something that hasn’t existed in Scotland before.
Domestic abuse-related deaths are not inevitable - they often follow missed opportunities to support, protect, and intervene. These reviews exist to make sure those moments are recognised, and that lessons are learned to help prevent future tragedies.
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