One woman is killed every five days by an abusive partner in England and Wales, as millions of others remain in violent relationships.

For friends and family who feel at a loss of knowing how to help when they suspect a loved one is at risk, there is a way of applying for support from police that lots of people are still unaware exists.

Known as Clare's Law, the family who campaigned for the legislation to be introduced after Clare Wood was murdered by her partner are speaking out, saying that more than a decade on, there is still little awareness of the life-changing scheme.

It allows people to request information from police to show whether a current or former partner has a history of abusive or violent behaviour.

Det Supt Sue Faraday, from Gloucestershire Police, said many people in her area are unaware they can access the information.

"You could be a friend, family member, neighbour, hairdresser or the person in the relationship, or even a professional like social services," she added.

Officially known as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS), the legislation was named after 36-year-old Clare Wood, who was murdered by a man with a history of violence in Salford, Greater Manchester in 2009.

Wood had met Appleton through Facebook and dated him for several months. Unbeknown to her, he had a history of violence against women.

Following her death, her father Michael Brown campaigned for a system that would allow people to ask police about a partner's violent past.

Brown argued that his daughter may have made different choices had she known about Appleton's previous offences.

His campaign eventually led to the creation of Clare's Law, which was rolled out nationally in England and Wales in 2014.

Since Brown's death, Clare's daughter Maddy Wood has continued raising awareness and believes more needs to be done to ensure people know the legislation exists.

"Clare's Law can only protect people if they know about it and feel confident enough to use it," she said.

"A lot of the younger generations and the LGBTQ+ community have not heard of it, it makes me sad as there is a whole resource to use".

"It can't protect us from everything but it's there to help".

Anyone concerned about the risk of domestic abuse can make a Clare's Law application.

Importantly, the request does not have to come from the person in the relationship.

Det Supt Faraday said requests can be made by friends, family members and professionals.

Police then assess the information available and decide whether a disclosure should be made.

The process includes both a "right to ask", where someone requests information, and a "right to know", where police can proactively disclose information if they believe somebody is at risk.

When a request is made, officers consider a range of information including previous convictions, cautions, arrests and intelligence relating to domestic abuse.

They then decide whether sharing that information is necessary to protect someone from harm.

Det Supt Faraday said police carefully balance an individual's right to privacy with the need to keep potential victims safe.

"We consider really closely the balance of sharing private data with the risk presented for domestic abuse," she said.

Domestic abuse organisations say disclosures can sometimes reveal concerning patterns of behaviour even where there have been no criminal convictions.

Freedom of Information data obtained by the BBC shows that Avon and Somerset Police received 8,363 Clare's Law applications since 2014.

Wiltshire Police had 7,303 applications, and Gloucestershire Constabulary has received 6,424 requests.

Together, that amounts to more than 22,000 applications across the three forces.

The number of requests has increased over time, suggesting awareness of the scheme is growing.

Under government guidance, applicants should normally receive a response within 28 days.

However, Gloucestershire Constabulary confirmed its longest disclosure response time in 2026 was 56 days.

Faraday acknowledged that resources can be stretched at times.

"Resourcing is challenging, but we make sure to have the resources in place," she said.

"The officers working in disclosure have multiple different roles, which means other responsibilities."

Within 28 days if there is something to disclosure the police will get in touch with the 'victim', either in person or online.

The force has recently introduced an online video-calling platform called GoodSam, allowing Clare's Law appointments and discussions to take place remotely rather than requiring officers to visit applicants in person.

Domestic abuse organisations say Clare's Law can only be effective when abusive behaviour is reported and recorded.

The Gloucestershire Domestic Abuse Support Service (GDASS) said greater reporting is essential because many incidents never come to police attention.

National estimates suggest only around 20% of domestic abuse incidents are reported to police.

Clare, from GDASS, said one warning sign can be relationships that move extremely quickly.

"When relationships are very intense and very quick at the start, those can be early red flags," she said.

"The abuser wants to reel you in as quickly as possible and make your lives so intertwined that it becomes very difficult to leave."

"That can be through marriage, setting up a business together, moving in together or even pregnancy."

People can apply:

If there is immediate danger, call 999.

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