Domestic homicide and suicide reviews: statutory guidance

Statutory Guidance Overview

This statutory guidance has been issued by the Scottish Ministers to support the Review Oversight Committee and Case Review Panels established under the Criminal Justice Modernisation and Abusive Domestic Behaviour Reviews (Scotland) Act 2025 in the carrying out of their functions in overseeing and undertaking domestic homicide and domestic abuse related suicide reviews. The statutory guidance should be read alongside the Criminal Justice Modernisation and Abusive Domestic Behaviour Reviews (Scotland) Act 2025, Explanatory Notes and the Protocol to prevent domestic homicide and domestic abuse related suicide reviews prejudicing criminal investigations, proceedings or inquiries.

Domestic homicide and domestic abuse related suicide reviews are a new review process in which everyone involved will be learning as the model becomes embedded. Feedback from the reviews will be sought throughout the process, consolidated and used to update and refine this statutory guidance to support domestic homicide and domestic abuse related suicides to be undertaken to the high standard victims deserve.

The statutory guidance will be reviewed in 2028, providing an important opportunity to incorporate learning from the initial two years of implementation and ensure that emerging evidence and practice insights are embedded within future iterations of the guidance.