A Victorian coroner has praised the bravery of three teenagers who tried to intervene when their father fatally stabbed their mother in 2020.

WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are advised that the following article contains the name and images of a person who has died, with the permission of the family.

Noeline Dalzell died when her ex-partner James Fairhall approached her children and stabbed her once in the neck at their Seaford home.

Presenting his findings, coroner John Cain said the response by Victoria Police’s family violence investigation unit “fell well below best practice” and had failed to keep Ms Dalzell safe.

“The newly created unit (at that time) should have done more than passive monitoring,” he said.

It recommended Victoria Police carry out an independent review to determine whether improvements had occurred since the fatal incident and provide a benchmark to assess future success.

It also recommended that Victoria Police introduce a policy ensuring victims of family violence are notified of the court outcome, and that victims of high-risk offenders are informed within 48 hours.

It comes after the court heard authorities failed to contact Ms Dalzell before Fairhall’s release, less than two weeks before her murder.

Eleven recommendations were made in total, which largely focused on improving information sharing between agencies including Victoria Police, child protection and Victoria Corrections.

After presenting his findings, Cain spoke directly to the family in court.

“I was deeply saddened by the persistent and preventable violence that (the children) observed and experienced,” Cain said.

Mrs Dalzell’s sister-in-law Jenny Dalzell welcomed the recommendations and urged action.

“The coroner has given the government a roadmap which we must implement to help prevent our and others’ suffering from being repeated.”

In 2022, Fairhall was sentenced to 25 years in prison after being found guilty of Ms Dalzell’s murder.