Domestic Homicide and Suicide Reviews in Scotland: Protocol

7. Sharing information on deaths notifications, referrals and reviews

Information on deaths notified or referred to the Review Oversight Committee including the number of deaths notified or referred, or whether a death is being considered or being reviewed will not be shared beyond those determined by the parties to the protocol to be necessary to the review process. This restriction includes sharing with interested parties, media, researchers, parliamentarians and relevant others. This is not an exhaustive list. This is to avoid identification of the deceased, their living family members and to avoid prejudicing any criminal investigation or proceedings.

Until the point the Review Oversight Committee determine whether a notified or referred death is a reviewable death, a death notification or referral can be revoked. Where a notifying body or the Scottish Ministers make a revocation the notification or referral is to be treated as having never been received. It cannot be treated as never being received if information on the death or the numbers of notifications and referrals received or being considered are shared beyond those essential to the process.

Information on the number of notifications and referrals will be made publicly available on a two yearly basis. Section 30 of the 2025 Act makes provision for a biennial report that will be laid in Parliament. The thematic report will provide information on the number of notifications and referrals broken down by domestic homicide and suicide and by who notified or referred the death; the number of deaths that proceeded to review and the number that did not and why; the number of Lord Advocate notices to suspend or discontinue a review and the high level reasons; common themes from reviews as well as key learning points that may not constitute a theme, and other relevant information relating to domestic homicide and suicide reviews over the previous two years.

The sharing of information on notifications, referrals and domestic homicide and suicide reviews includes combined, joint reviews and expanded reviews. This position has been agreed by all parties to the protocol in order to help prevent in so far as possible, prejudice to criminal investigations and proceedings.