Who will own my data once I submit it?
Knowsley Council will own the data on behalf on of Knowsley Community Safety Partnership who have the statutory duty to undertake these reviews.
Why do you need my information?
Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) were established on a statutory basis under Section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act (2004). This provision came into force on 13th April 2011. The government has also announced that the name of these reviews will be changed from ‘Domestic Homicide Review’ to ‘Domestic Abuse Related Death Review’, to better reflect all deaths which fall within their scope.
The purpose of a Domestic Abuse Related Death Review is to:
(a) establish what lessons can be learned from the domestic homicide/domestic abuse related death regarding the way in which local professionals and organisations work individually and together to safeguard victims
(b) identify clearly what those lessons are both within and between agencies, how and within what timescales they will be acted on, and what is expected to change as a result
(c) apply these lessons to service responses including changes to inform national and local policies and procedures as appropriate
(d) prevent domestic abuse and homicide and improve service responses for all domestic violence and abuse victims and their children by developing a co-ordinated multi-agency approach to ensure that domestic abuse is identified and responded to effectively at the earliest opportunity
(e) contribute to a better understanding of the nature of domestic violence and abuse
(f) highlight good practice.
What Personal Information do we collect?
In the course of conducting a review we collect the following personal information about individuals associated with the deceased from statutory and voluntary bodies who have been directly involved in the case:
- Name
- Relationship to deceased
- Contact details
- Minutes from meetings and interviews
We also collect the following ‘special category data’ (personal data which is more sensitive and is treated with extra care and protection) from medical records, social care records and information from specialist providers (such as providers of domestic abuse services or provider of substance misuse services):
- Racial or ethnic origin
- Religious or philosophical beliefs
- Health
- Sexual orientation
We also collect the following criminal offence data and Criminal record information supplied by crime prevention services such as the police or youth justice service.
What allows you to use my information?
Where we are processing personal data about you as part of a Domestic Abuse Related Death Review, we rely upon the following lawful conditions:
UK GDPR
- Article 6(1)(c) – processing that is necessary for KMBC to fulfil a statutory obligation, namely those placed upon KMBC by the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004
- Article 6(1)(e) – processing that is necessary for the purposes of delivering a public task carried out in the public interest
Where we collect and use your special categories of personal data we rely on the following lawful conditions:
- Article 9(2)(g) – processing is necessary for substantial public interest (for statutory purposes and for the purpose of safeguarding children and individuals at risk).
- Article 9(2)(j) – processing for research purposes.
- Article 9(2)(f) - where the processing of special category data is necessary for the establishment, exercise or defence of legal claims or whenever courts are acting in their judicial capacity.
- Article 9(2) (j) to process your special category and criminal offence data.
Data Protection Act 2018
- Sch1, Part 1, Paragraph 4 – Research
The legislation underpinning these legal obligations and tasks includes:
- Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004
- Victims and Prisoners Act 2024
- Crime and Disorder Act 1998 (preventing crime and disorder, Section 17 – Duty to consider crime and disorder implications, Section 115 – Disclosure of information).
- Children Act 2004 (Section 10 – improve wellbeing of children, Section 11 – safeguard and promote the welfare of children).
Who will my information be shared with?
Section 9 of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act (2004) and Section 19 of the Victim and Prisoners Act 2024 lists the statutory agencies required to participate in DARDRs.)
When the decision to initiate a review is taken an Independent Chair is appointed and a multi-agency Review Panel is convened. The review panel is made up of representatives from a range of organisations who are best placed to contribute to the review and take forward any recommendations that come out of the process. This includes members of the Knowsley Community Safety Partnership as well as external specialists where required.
We will securely share information relevant to the review with those organisations participating in the review process as described within the Statutory Guidance for the Conduct of Domestic Homicide Reviews which may include:
- Police
- Knowsley Council
- The First Step
- Other specialist independent domestic abuse services
- Registered Social Housing Providers
- Probation
- NHS and Merseycare
- Integrated Care Board
- Drug and Alcohol services
- Office of The Police and Crime Commissioner
This list is not exhaustive and there may be others subject to each individual review.
We are required to share data with the Home Office.
We will share personal information with law enforcement or other authorities if required by applicable law or in connection with legal proceedings.
We will share personal information with our legal and professional advisers in the event of a dispute, complaint or claim.
The legislation includes the requirement for some reports to be published in anonymised or pseudonymised format.
Data may also be shared for research purposes in anonymised or pseudonymised format.
Do I have to provide this information and what will happen if I don’t?
Information will be processed by the organisations involved in the DARDR’s.
Individuals may also be contacted to contribute to the DARDR but can choose not to provide information. If you choose not to provide information your views may not be included in the DARDR.
How long will you keep this data for and why?
We will hold your personal information for 6 years following the closure of the domestic homicide review and then we will securely destroy your information.
The recordings of meetings which will be deleted once minutes have been finalised.
The Independent Chair/Author will be instructed to delete personal information when the report has been agreed and approved by the Home Office and The Knowsley Community Safety Partnership.
How will my information be stored?
Collection and sharing of this information is via Microsoft 365 tools such as Outlook, Forms and Teams.
The Independent Chairs/Authors are contractually required to ensure personal data is processed securely.
Will this information be used to take automated decisions about me?
No
Will my data be transferred abroad and why?
Knowsley Council will not transfer your data abroad
What rights do I have when it comes to my data?
Under the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018/ UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), you have the following rights with regards to your personal data: -
- The right to subject access – you have the right to see a copy of the personal data that the council holds about you and find out what it is used for
- The right to rectification – you have the right to ask the council to correct or remove any inaccurate data that we hold about you
- The right to erasure (right to be forgotten) you have the right to ask the council to remove data that we hold about you
- The right to restriction – you have the right to ask for your information to be restricted (locked down) on council systems
- The right to data portability – you have the right to ask for your data to be transferred back to you or to a new provider at your request
- The right to object – you have the right to ask the council to stop using your personal data or to stop sending you marketing information, or complain about how your data is used
- The right to prevent automated decision making – you have the right to ask the council to stop using your data to make automated decisions about you or to stop profiling your behaviour (where applicable)
To find out more about your rights under the DPA 2018/UK GDPR, please visit the Information Commissioner’s website.
You can request a copy of your data or ask questions about how it is used by visiting our website here:
Subject access request | Knowsley Council
By email to: Inforights@knowsley.gov.uk
Or in writing to:
Data Protection Officer
Knowsley Council
Westmorland Road
Huyton
L36 6GA
Who can I complain to if I am unhappy about how my data is used?
You can complain directly to the Council’s Data Protection Team by writing to: -
Data Protection Officer
Knowsley Council
Westmorland Road
Huyton
L36 6GA
Or email: data.protection.officer@knowsley.gov.uk
You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office using the following details: -
The Information Commissioner's Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Telephone: 08456 30 60 60 or 01625 54 57 45
Website: www.ico.org.uk