Minister Harris brings Study on Familicide and Domestic and Family Violence Death Reviews to Government

• Minister publishes the study ahead of beginning work on implementing recommendations
• Consultative group with family members of victims to be established as part of next steps

The Minister for Justice, Simon Harris TD, has brought the 'Study on Familicide and Domestic and Family Violence Death Reviews' to Government.

The independent study, commissioned by the Department of Justice, consulted with a wide range of stakeholders including family members of victims, non-governmental organisations, and State agencies, and makes a number of recommendations.

It is now being published.

Minister Harris said:

"None of us can begin to understand the appalling impact of something like this unless you've lived through it. That's why we are so grateful to the families for engaging in the process and for giving of themselves and their time.

"It took tremendous bravery and selflessness to use their own experiences of unimaginable pain to make our systems better, and we are indebted to them.

"I recognise what a truly difficult subject this is, and how the families deserved to be listened to. We really needed to hear that lived experience to understand where the system is working and, more importantly, where it is not working. Fundamentally, of course, we want to try to prevent such incidents from happening.

"But, where you can't prevent, we want to ensure the whole system responds appropriately to ensure that individuals and communities are supported."

Following publication, the Department of Justice will convene a cross functional Interdepartmental Group (IDG) to examine how to bring forward, as appropriate, any recommendations contained in the study through implementation of Zero Tolerance, the Third National Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (DSGBV) Strategy.

In addition to the Inter Departmental Group, it is intended to convene a small advisory group of relevant NGOs for consultation as part of the implementation process.

Minister Harris has also committed to an advisory committee drawn from the families to work with the Department of Justice on the recommendations.

Action on a number of recommendations is already underway through the Zero Tolerance strategy.

These include:

• The CSO will begin work on a National Prevalence Study of domestic and intimate partner violence next year
• The new agency for Domestic, Sexual and Gender Based Violence, which will be established next January, will assume responsibility for a national refuge strategy, with the provision of refuges already accelerating under Zero Tolerance
• New DSGBV Agency to significantly improve the collection of data
• Improved education on domestic, sexual and gender based violence
• Better training for those most likely to encounter DSGBV victims
• Risk assessment protocols

Minister Harris added:

"Earlier this month I met with all family members who have contributed to the report. We discussed not only their experiences and the report, but also the next steps and key actions, including those identified by the families in our discussions.

"This was absolutely necessary and the right and proper thing to do and all family members now have a final copy of the report.

"Whilst my Department was not involved in the work of the study, nor was it a member of the study's Advisory Group, given the importance of the issues involved, I am committed to enact suitable recommendations as a priority.

"I want to get going on the next steps - to implement the recommendations. The way to do that is by bringing this to Government, as I have done today, and to publish it.

"Once published, we will be able to bring together the three groups that will really be central to helping us advance the most important recommendations of the report.

"Most importantly there will be a family group - made up of families of victims interested in working with us - that will operate in parallel to the other two groups."

This is a specialist study dealing with matters of a particularly sensitive nature and which was tasked with two very distinct pillars focusing on the two policy areas of:

• The provision of supports to families who are victims of familicide cases and
• Domestic and Family Violence Death Reviews

The study was carried out independently of the Department of Justice and was submitted to the Department last year.

Due to the gravity of the subject matter and impact on victims' families, thorough examination of the report was necessary before publication.

The report itself is comprehensive and far reaching, containing a large number of recommendations of varying degrees of complexity, many of which are being progressed through Department of Justice work to tackle domestic abuse and protect victims, and others which require further examination by the three new groups.

Background to study

Following a meeting with then Minister for Justice Flanagan and Mary Coll and her daughter Jacqueline in February 2019, it was announced that arrangements were being put in place by the Department of Justice for a study to be conducted in relation to measures to prevent and address matters relating to the unlawful deaths of family members.

The Coll family had previously made submissions in the context of the tragic loss of Clodagh Hawe and her three sons who were all murdered in August 2016 by Alan Hawe.

In May 2019, Ms Norah Gibbons was appointed to chair a study group, to conduct a Study on Familicide and Domestic Homicide Reviews, later retitled as a Study on Familicide & Domestic and Family Violence Death Reviews. Ms Gibbons passed away on 8 April 2020 and Ms Maura Butler was subsequently appointed as the new chair.

The study team met with many of the families of victims of Familicide and Domestic Homicide (including the Coll family). In addition, the study team met with relevant State Departments and Agencies and other relevant organisations.

The study team received a number of submissions following a public call in June 2019. The date for submissions was extended to 27 September 2019 to allow as many persons as possible to contribute. The study team also offered interested parties an opportunity to meet with members of the study team to tell their story.