Clare’s Law: Understanding the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme

Key Takeaways

Clare’s Law is the common name for the domestic violence disclosure scheme, or DVDS, available across England and Wales since March 2014. It is designed to help people check whether a current or ex partner has a history of domestic abuse, domestic violence, or other relevant abusive behaviour.

• Anyone can make a Clare’s Law request about their own partner, or on behalf of someone else if they are worried that person may be at risk of domestic violence.

• The scheme has two routes: the right to ask, where a person or third party requests information, and the right to know, where police and partner agencies proactively disclose information.

• If you or someone else is in immediate danger, call 999 straight away – do not wait to use Clare’s Law.

• Clare’s Law can help a potential victim make an informed decision, but it cannot guarantee that someone has no abusive past.

• SPI can support you with understanding the process, organising relevant information, gathering evidence where lawful, and signposting to legal and safeguarding help.

What Is Clare’s Law and Why Was It Introduced?

Clare’s Law, also known as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme, allows individuals to inquire about their partner’s history of violence or abuse to assess potential risks. It gives people a formal route to ask the police whether a current or former intimate partner has a relevant record of domestic abuse, violence, stalking, harassment or other harmful behaviour.

The scheme was named after Clare Wood, who was murdered by her abusive ex-boyfriend in 2009, and was officially implemented in England and Wales in 2014. Clare was killed in Salford by her ex partner, who had a known history of serious domestic violence which she had not been told about. Her case led to public pressure for a scheme that could help protect people before abuse escalates into serious harm.

Pilot schemes took place in 2011–2012 in selected police areas, including Greater Manchester, Gwent and Nottinghamshire. Clare’s Law was then rolled out nationally across England and Wales from 8 March 2014. The scheme now sits alongside wider domestic abuse protections, including Domestic Violence Protection Notices, Domestic Violence Protection Orders and the Domestic Abuse Act 2021.

Fact box: Clare’s Law is now widely used. In the year ending March 2024, there were 58,612 DVDS applications in England and Wales, according to published data reported by Statista.

The legal framework has also developed. The Domestic Abuse Act 2021 statutory guidance recognises that domestic abuse is not limited to physical violence. It can include coercive control, economic abuse, psychological abuse, emotional abuse and sexual abuse.

How Clare’s Law Works: ‘Right to Ask’ and ‘Right to Know’

The domestic violence disclosure scheme operates through two distinct but linked routes: right to ask and right to know. Both are designed to help protect people from risk, but they begin in different ways.

Under Clare’s Law, individuals have the ‘right to ask’ the police for information about their partner’s past, and the ‘right to know’ if the police determine that there is a credible risk of domestic abuse.

Clare’s Law provides individuals the ‘right to ask’ the police if their partner has a history of violence or abuse, allowing them to request information about their current or ex-partner’s past behaviour. This means a person can ask about their own partner or ex partner, or a third party can ask if they are worried about someone else’s relationship.

The right to know works differently. The ‘right to know’ under Clare’s Law allows agencies to apply for a disclosure on behalf of someone they believe is at risk of domestic violence, enabling proactive sharing of information if deemed necessary. This can happen where police, probation, social services or another safeguarding agency identifies a credible risk of domestic abuse.

Simple route map:

• Right to askA person, family member, close friend, neighbour, colleague or professional asks police to check whether someone has an abusive past.

• Right to knowPolice or safeguarding agencies identify that someone may be at risk and consider disclosing information even if no one has made an application.

• Final decisionPolice checks and safeguarding review decide whether disclosure is lawful, necessary and proportionate.
  

Under both routes, police will only disclose information where it is relevant to risk and necessary to protect someone from harm. Not every application leads to a disclosure, because the police must balance safety, privacy, data protection and human rights.

Who Can Make a Clare’s Law Request?

Anyone aged 16 or over can make a Clare’s Law request if they are in, or have been in, an intimate relationship and are worried about domestic abuse or an abusive past.

Applications for Clare’s Law can be made by anyone aged 16 or older, regardless of gender or the nature of the relationship, whether heterosexual or same-sex. Individuals aged 16 or older can exercise their right to ask about a partner’s history of abuse, regardless of the nature of the relationship, including same-sex relationships.

The person at risk does not have to live with the partner. A request may relate to a current relationship, a recent separation, continuing contact with an ex partner, child arrangements, financial ties, harassment or stalking.

Third-party requests are also allowed. A parent, sibling, employer, neighbour, professional, close friend or other member of the public can apply if they believe someone may be at risk. If you are applying on behalf of someone else, the police will only disclose information to the person at risk, not to the applicant.

In most cases, this is because the disclosure is intended to protect the potential victim, not to provide general background information to others. There may be exceptions where another arrangement is needed to protect a vulnerable person, but the usual position is that the person facing the risk receives the information directly.

Immigration status, gender identity, sexual orientation and financial situation do not remove the right to ask. Police must consider all victims of domestic abuse without discrimination.

If you are unsure whether your situation falls within the scheme, SPI can talk through your circumstances confidentially and help you decide whether making a request is appropriate.

How to Make a Clare’s Law Request

The process is designed to be straightforward. You can usually start a Clare’s Law request online, over the phone, or in person at a police station in England and Wales.

You can make a Clare’s Law request online, over the phone, or in person at a police station, providing information about yourself and your partner, such as names, dates of birth, and addresses.

Typical routes include:

• Online: visit the relevant police force website and look for “Clare’s Law” or “Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme”.

• Phone: call 101 and ask to make a Clare’s Law request or DVDS application.

• In person: attend a local police station and speak to the front desk about starting a request.

You will usually be asked for:

• Your full name, date of birth and address.

• The full name, date of birth and address of the person you are worried about, where known.

• Details of the relationship.

• A brief explanation of your concerns.

• Any known incidents of abuse, violence, coercive control, stalking, harassment or threats.

• Information about children, previous police call-outs, restraining orders or other safeguarding concerns.
  

You should mention anything that feels relevant, even if it has not been formally reported before. Examples include controlling behaviour, sexual violence, sudden escalation, monitoring phones, threats to kill, hearsay about an abusive past, or repeated breaches of boundaries.

If you have communication or accessibility needs, tell the police when you apply. Interpreters, support workers, disability adjustments and other practical arrangements can often be put in place.

When using an online route, make sure you are on the official police website. Some sites use a security service to prevent malicious bots. If a page is displayed saying “uk performing security verification”, “security verification”, “verification successful”, or “respond ray id”, it may simply be a bot protection check that verifies you are a genuine visitor. If you are waiting too long, try again via the force’s official www address, call 101, or attend in person.

A Clare’s Law request should never delay calling 999 if there is immediate danger.

What Happens After You Apply?

After a Clare’s Law request is made, police carry out background checks using national and local databases. These police checks may look for previous arrests, charges, convictions, intelligence reports, court orders and safeguarding concerns.

Police may consider:

• Previous arrests, charges or convictions for domestic violence or domestic abuse.

• Intelligence about violent or abusive behaviour.

• Reports involving stalking, harassment, coercive control or sexual offences.

• Breaches of restraining orders, non-molestation orders or Domestic Violence Protection Orders.

• Relevant information held by partner agencies.
  

A safeguarding panel or multi-agency group will often review the application. This may involve police, probation, social services and specialist domestic abuse services. The group considers whether disclosure is lawful, necessary and proportionate.

The main stages are:

• Request received.

• Risk assessed.

• Police checks completed.

• Multi-agency decision made.

• Disclosure and safety planning arranged where appropriate.
  

For non-urgent cases, many forces aim to respond within around 35–45 days, although timescales vary. Decisions can be much quicker where there is immediate or escalating risk.

If a disclosure is approved, information is usually shared in a private face-to-face meeting with the person at risk. A support worker may also be present. The recipient may be asked to sign an agreement not to share the details more widely, because disclosing the information publicly could create danger, affect an investigation or breach confidentiality.

Sometimes no disclosure is made. That does not always mean there is no risk. It may mean there is no relevant record, the information cannot lawfully be shared, or the threshold for disclosure has not been met. Police may still offer safety planning, domestic abuse support referrals and guidance. SPI can help explain what has happened and what other protective steps may be available.

Limits, Confidentiality and What the Scheme Cannot Do

Clare’s Law is a powerful safeguarding tool, but it has important limits.

The police can only disclose information they lawfully hold and believe is relevant to domestic violence or domestic abuse risk. Minor or unrelated offences will not usually be shared. Information may also be restricted because of data protection law, the Human Rights Act, ongoing investigations or the need to protect another person.

The absence of a disclosure does not guarantee that someone has no abusive past. Many people experience abuse that is never reported to police. Some abusive behaviour leaves no formal record. Others may have concerns recorded as intelligence but not in a form that can be safely disclosed.

Confidentiality is central to the scheme. Disclosures are made for safety reasons, not for publication. Recipients are normally asked not to share details publicly, including on social media, because this could undermine safeguarding work or put people at risk.

Police will not usually tell the subject of the check who requested the information. However, the subject may become aware that police are managing risk around them if urgent safeguarding steps are taken.

Clare’s Law also does not replace emergency protection, civil legal orders, criminal charges or specialist support. It is one route to information, not a complete safety plan. SPI can help individuals explore additional safeguards where appropriate, including documenting incidents and signposting to legal advice.

Recognising Domestic Abuse and Assessing Immediate Danger

Domestic abuse is not only physical violence. Under the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, abuse can include controlling or coercive behaviour, emotional abuse, psychological abuse, economic abuse, sexual abuse, threats, intimidation and violent behaviour between people who are personally connected.

Warning signs that may prompt a Clare’s Law request include:

• Extreme jealousy or possessiveness.

• Monitoring phones, messages, location or social media.

• Isolating someone from friends or family.

• Threats of harm to the person, children, pets or relatives.

• Sudden escalation in controlling behaviour.

• Unexplained injuries or fearfulness.

• Repeated harassment after separation.

• Pressure around money, housing, immigration or child contact.
  

Immediate danger is different from general concern. Examples include threats to kill, strangulation or choking, weapon use, escalating stalking, sexual violence, repeated breaches of orders, or a partner saying they will seriously harm themselves or others.

In these high-risk situations, the priority is to call 999, seek a place of safety and involve emergency services before or alongside any domestic violence disclosure scheme application.

SPI can support with safety planning, documenting incidents and connecting someone to specialist domestic abuse services or legal support when they are ready.

How SPI Can Support You Around Clare’s Law

At SPI, we understand how intimidating it can feel to speak to the police, disclose concerns about domestic violence, or ask whether a partner has an abusive past. Sensitive matters require discretion, accuracy and calm professional support.

We can help by:

• Talking through whether your situation may be suitable for a Clare’s Law request.

• Helping gather and organise relevant information before contacting police.

• Explaining what to expect at each stage of the domestic violence disclosure scheme.

• Supporting you in recording concerning experiences in a clear timeline.

• Signposting to legal advice, housing support, counselling and specialist domestic abuse organisations.

• Helping you understand next steps if disclosure is made, refused or delayed.
  

Our work is handled confidentially and sensitively. Where there is serious and immediate risk, we will explain any safeguarding duties clearly so that you understand what may need to happen to protect life and prevent harm.

To enquire with SPI, use the secure contact form displayed on this website, call us on 01217691626, or email us directly on info@sentryprivateinvestigators.co.uk. Early advice can help you make informed choices before the situation escalates.

FAQ: Clare’s Law and the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme

Does it cost anything to make a Clare’s Law request?

No. There is no fee to make a domestic violence disclosure scheme application. It is a free safeguarding service provided by the police.

Many domestic abuse charities and support services are also free. SPI can help direct you to appropriate resources if you are unsure where to start.

Can I make a Clare’s Law request if I no longer live with my ex-partner?

Yes. You can still apply if you no longer live together, as long as there is or has recently been an intimate relationship and you believe there is an ongoing risk of domestic abuse, harassment or harm.

If contact continues through children, finances, shared property, stalking or unwanted messages, explain this in the application so police can assess current risk accurately.

Will my partner find out I have asked about their abusive past?

In most cases, the person being checked is not informed that a Clare’s Law request has been made. This is to protect the applicant and the person at risk.

If urgent safeguarding action is required, the subject may become aware that police are managing risk, but details of who raised concerns are protected as far as possible.

What if the police say there is no information to disclose?

“No information to disclose” does not necessarily mean someone has never been abusive. It may mean there is nothing recorded, nothing relevant, or nothing that can lawfully be shared.

Trust your instincts if behaviour feels controlling, frightening or unsafe. Continue safety planning and consider other protections. SPI can help you explore your options.

Can I use information from a Clare’s Law disclosure in court or on social media?

Clare’s Law disclosures are normally made under strict conditions and are primarily for personal safety planning. They are not intended for general publication.

If you want to rely on the information in legal proceedings, seek specialist legal advice first and discuss it with the police. Avoid sharing details online, as this could breach confidentiality, affect investigations or increase danger.