Domestic Homicide and Suicide Reviews in Scotland: Protocol

13. Sharing of draft reports for factual accuracy checking

Before a domestic homicide or suicide review report and public summary (summarised and pseudonymised version of the report intended for publication) are submitted to the Review Oversight Committee for quality assurance there will be a need to share the draft report or part of a draft report with agencies that are referenced within the review and/ or where learning/ recommendations for those agencies have been identified by the Case Review Panel. This is to ensure the report is factually accurate and that there are ‘no surprises’ for agencies when the report is finalised.

While some agencies may be represented on the Case Review Panel there will be some that may not. The learning and recommendations may also need to be discussed with relevant others within an agency to ensure these are clear. Agencies therefore should be offered the opportunity to consider the content of a report that relates to their agency including the findings, learning, proposed recommendations and rationale for how these were reached. In such cases it is likely that the relevant parts of the draft review report will be shared rather than the full report. It is likely that some domestic homicide and suicide reviews will be joint reviews and as such there will be a need for the draft report to be shared within the governance arrangements for the other review processes. No agency can veto a recommendation but they can advise on the language and how the recommendation should be framed to ensure these are clear and achievable.

Whether a review is a joint review or not, the sharing of the draft report in full or part must be done in line with the 2025 Act, this protocol and data protection protocols. Only the Review Oversight Committee Chair or Case Review Panel Chair can share a full or partial draft report with approved individuals for the purpose of checking accuracy. Single Points of Contact within the relevant agencies will be contacted by the Secretariat to ascertain which specific individuals require access. Where individuals are considered appropriate, approval to share with those individuals will only be done so where they sign a confidentiality agreement which sets out the statutory duty to keep the information confidential until such time where it may be published. This means that the draft report or partial draft report cannot be shared with any other individuals within or outwith an agency without prior approval by the Review Oversight Committee Chair or Case Review Panel Chair. Should additional members of an agency require sight of the draft review report, the Single Point of Contact should discuss this with the Secretariat who can liaise to seek the requested approval.

The material shared will also be password protected and protectively marked given the sensitivities of the information within the reports. Where a draft report/ partial draft report is shared for the purpose of checking accuracy a copy is to be provided to the Scottish Ministers.