SHARED information could be vital in saving lives, regardless of the Data Protection Act, Solicitor General Harriet Harman told delegates at a domestic violence conference in Swindon yesterday.

Police, health, social services and other organisations should not be afraid to share details of cases when dealing violence in the home, she said.

"We need to be more confident about bringing our own judgement to bear and not simply default to professional responsibilities or the Data Protection Act," she said.

She told the south west regional domestic violence conference at the Hilton Hotel that by the time files on domestic killings arrived on her desk it was clear that professionals were aware of what was happening. "When a woman is killed by a partner it is very rarely a bolt out of the blue," she said.

Representatives from 45 crime and disorder reduction partnerships were among the delegates at the event, organised to discuss children, who are often the forgotten victims of domestic violence.

The conference heard that in 90 per cent of cases children were in the same or the next room when incidents happened.

Miss Harman backed reviews carried out by police forces, including the Metropolitan Police, following such killings and said similar reviews would be included in the new Domestic Violence Bill soon to go before the House of Commons.

Under the Bill police, health, social services and other professionals would try and understand what had happened and learn lessons for the future.

Only yesterday it was reported organisations like social services were unwilling to take part in the Metropolitan Police's reviews because they feared they could be sued for mistakes but Miss Harman said: "If you have exercised your judgement and done the best you can, nobody is going to criticise you."

She said the Bill will focus on early intervention and introduce a group of "stay away" non-molestation orders, similar to those already in place in Northern Ireland.

The orders, issued by crown and magistrates courts during criminal proceedings, as well as by family courts, will be backed up by the power to prosecute and imprison those who breach them.

And they can still be issued even if a defendant is acquitted.

"It is the court giving him a yellow card," Ms Harman said. "We need to ensure criminal courts take responsibility for protection as well as punishment."

She said sentencing was another area under review. The Sentencing Advisory Panel is about to issue a consultation document considering whether provocation should be barred as a defence in court.

"If it is allowed we would be in danger of saying there is no excuse for domestic violence but if you go the whole hog and kill her then you have a defence of provocation," she said, adding that it was a form of DIY capital punishment.

Swindon Women's Refuge manager Jenni Manners shared the stage at the conference.

She claimed the indirect cost of domestic violence through police time, medical treatment and social services' support was in the region of £10million a year in Swindon alone and that up to 15,000 children could be affected by it.

She said there was an urgent need for more contact centres and staff able to undertake one-to-one supervised contact between violent men and their children.

She also suggested courts could impose similar rulings on violent partners as they did on people convicted of cruelty to their pets.

She questioned the importance given to anger management courses for violent men, claiming: "These men manage their anger very well. They are violent at home and they can manage to shut that off very quickly in the face of authority."

Delegates at the conference included survivors of domestic violence, police officers, teachers, Army welfare service representatives, social workers, lawyers, health visitors and psychologists.

Tina Clarke