Chair of Review Oversight Committee, Domestic Homicide and Suicide Reviews

Chair of Review Oversight Committee, Domestic Homicide and Suicide Reviews Job Info

• Job Identification 3126
• Locations United Kingdom (Hybrid)
• Working Pattern Part Time
• Number of Openings 1
• Apply Before 01/29/2026, 11:55 PM

ROLE SUMMARY

Domestic Homicide and Suicide Reviews (DHSRs) are a new type of review in Scotland, established by the Criminal Justice Modernisation and Abusive Domestic Behaviour Reviews Act 2025. Domestic homicide and suicide reviews aim to identify what lessons can be learned and potentially applied following a death where domestic abuse is known or suspected, in order to help prevent future abuse and deaths.

They are not investigations into how someone died and are not about apportioning blame; instead, DHSRs are fundamentally about identifying where changes and improvements can be made for the future as well as giving a voice to those who have died.

In Scotland, following a determination by the Review Oversight Committee or the Scottish Ministers that a domestic homicide or domestic abuse related suicide review is to be undertaken, the Oversight Committee will establish a Case Review Panel. Each review will be led by a Case Review Panel Chair drawn from a pool of Chairs following successful recruitment to these posts. The Reviews will be comprised of a multi-agency review panel and experts in specific subject matter as required.

Each Case Review Panel will be supported in its functions through a secretariat of Scottish Government officials. We estimate that the average number of DHSRs will be in the region of 20 per year.

If you are looking for a rewarding and worthwhile opportunity, we would like to hear from you.

Applications are invited from a wide range of people who have an interest in public service and you will be offered the training and development you need to successfully serve as a Chair of a DHSR Panel.

More information about the post is available in the candidate information pack. Please request the pack from the DHSR team at dhsrmodelt

RESPONSIBILITIES

The responsibilities of the Review Oversight Committee Chair include but are not limited to:

• Provide leadership to the Review Oversight Committee and the learning review mechanism as a whole, engaging in relationship building across sectors;
• Chair regular meetings of the Review Oversight Committee, facilitating impartial and constructive discussions;
• Work closely with the Domestic Homicide and Suicide Reviews (DHSR) Secretariat to establish Case Review Panels and oversee the carrying out of reviews;
• Ensure that domestic homicide and suicide reviews are undertaken rigorously and sensitively, in line with the agreed terms of reference;
• Provide quality assurance for a short summary report for any cases where a domestic homicide or suicide review is not completed;
• Provide quality assurance for all reports and associated learning and recommendations that are presented by the Chairs of the Case Review Panels to the Review Oversight Committee;
• Support the monitoring and implementation of learning and recommendations resulting from each domestic homicide or domestic abuse related suicide review;
• Ensure the reporting requirements under legislation are met by contributing to biennial thematic reports relating to a series of reviews to highlight pertinent points, patterns and themes, as well as changes that have been implemented as a result; and
• Keep under review key documents supporting the domestic homicide and suicide review process including the Protocol to help prevent reviews prejudicing criminal investigations, proceedings and inquiries, and the statutory guidance.

ROLE CRITERIA

There are three areas where the Chair of the Review Oversight Committee will be expected to demonstrate their competency:

• Knowledge, including all of:
  • Knowledge of domestic abuse and intersectionality;
  • Knowledge of domestic homicide and suicide;
  • Knowledge of the wider landscape and operating context;
  • Knowledge of subject-specific disciplines
• Skills, including all of:
  • Leadership
  • Analytical
  • Organisational
  • Communication
  • Interpersonal
• Personal Attributes, including some but not all of:
  • Calm
  • Challenger
  • Curious
  • Empathetic
  • Flexible
  • Honest
  • Impartial
  • Listener
  • Open-minded
  • Passionate
  • Personal ethics/duty of candour
  • Reflective
  • Resilient
  • Respectful
  • Self-caring
  • Trustworthy

More information about each of the knowledge areas, skills and personal attributes for this role, alongside the level of competency candidates are expected to display against each of these criteria and the required wordcount for each element of the application, is included in the candidate information pack.

CANDIDATE BACKGROUND AND EXPERIENCE

You do not need to have previous experience of serving in a public appointment role, and we do not expect candidates to be able to demonstrate each of these skills and areas of knowledge to the most comprehensive level. You may have gained your experience through work, by being active in your community, in a voluntary capacity or through your own lived experience.

We value the benefits of diverse experience and…