diff --git a/castellan/key_manager/barbican_key_manager.py b/castellan/key_manager/barbican_key_manager.py
index 5d758710..9036aa6c 100644
--- a/castellan/key_manager/barbican_key_manager.py
+++ b/castellan/key_manager/barbican_key_manager.py
@@ -619,19 +619,23 @@ class BarbicanKeyManager(key_manager.KeyManager):
             else:
                 raise exception.KeyManagerError(reason=e)
 
-    def delete(self, context, managed_object_id):
+    def delete(self, context, managed_object_id, force=False):
         """Deletes the specified managed object.
 
         :param context: contains information of the user and the environment
                      for the request (castellan/context.py)
         :param managed_object_id: the UUID of the object to delete
+        :param force: specifies if the secret must be deleted even when they
+                     have consumers.
+        :raises ValueError: if the secret has consumers but no force parameter
+                     is provided or if force equals False.
         :raises KeyManagerError: if object deletion fails
         :raises ManagedObjectNotFoundError: if the object could not be found
         """
         barbican_client = self._get_barbican_client(context)
         try:
             secret_ref = self._create_secret_ref(managed_object_id)
-            barbican_client.secrets.delete(secret_ref)
+            barbican_client.secrets.delete(secret_ref, force)
         except (barbican_exceptions.HTTPAuthError,
                 barbican_exceptions.HTTPClientError,
                 barbican_exceptions.HTTPServerError) as e:
diff --git a/castellan/key_manager/key_manager.py b/castellan/key_manager/key_manager.py
index ff868cb0..5640c897 100644
--- a/castellan/key_manager/key_manager.py
+++ b/castellan/key_manager/key_manager.py
@@ -106,7 +106,7 @@ class KeyManager(object, metaclass=abc.ABCMeta):
         pass
 
     @abc.abstractmethod
-    def delete(self, context, managed_object_id):
+    def delete(self, context, managed_object_id, force=False):
         """Deletes the specified managed object.
 
         Implementations should verify that the caller has permission to delete
@@ -119,6 +119,10 @@ class KeyManager(object, metaclass=abc.ABCMeta):
         UUIDs of objects that belong to other users by repeatedly calling this
         method. That is, objects that belong to other users should be
         considered "non-existent" and completely invisible.
+
+        Implementations that block the deletion of secrets with consumers
+        without making the "force" parameter equals True should raise
+        an exception.
         """
         pass
 
diff --git a/castellan/key_manager/not_implemented_key_manager.py b/castellan/key_manager/not_implemented_key_manager.py
index 2c169a4c..11e3ebd5 100644
--- a/castellan/key_manager/not_implemented_key_manager.py
+++ b/castellan/key_manager/not_implemented_key_manager.py
@@ -48,7 +48,7 @@ class NotImplementedKeyManager(key_manager.KeyManager):
     def list(self, context, object_type=None):
         raise NotImplementedError()
 
-    def delete(self, context, managed_object_id):
+    def delete(self, context, managed_object_id, force=False):
         raise NotImplementedError()
 
     def add_consumer(self, context, managed_object_id, consumer_data):
diff --git a/castellan/key_manager/vault_key_manager.py b/castellan/key_manager/vault_key_manager.py
index d277be3f..712661e0 100644
--- a/castellan/key_manager/vault_key_manager.py
+++ b/castellan/key_manager/vault_key_manager.py
@@ -343,8 +343,12 @@ class VaultKeyManager(key_manager.KeyManager):
                          record['created'],
                          key_id)
 
-    def delete(self, context, key_id):
-        """Represents deleting the key."""
+    def delete(self, context, key_id, force=False):
+        """Represents deleting the key.
+
+        The 'force' parameter is not used whatsoever and only kept to allow
+        consistency with the Barbican implementation.
+        """
 
         if not key_id:
             raise exception.KeyManagerError('key identifier not provided')
diff --git a/castellan/tests/unit/key_manager/test_barbican_key_manager.py b/castellan/tests/unit/key_manager/test_barbican_key_manager.py
index db684bb5..00f3bce2 100644
--- a/castellan/tests/unit/key_manager/test_barbican_key_manager.py
+++ b/castellan/tests/unit/key_manager/test_barbican_key_manager.py
@@ -383,7 +383,30 @@ class BarbicanKeyManagerTestCase(test_key_manager.KeyManagerTestCase):
 
     def test_delete_key(self):
         self.key_mgr.delete(self.ctxt, self.key_id)
-        self.delete.assert_called_once_with(self.secret_ref)
+        self.delete.assert_called_once_with(self.secret_ref, False)
+
+    def test_delete_secret_with_consumers_no_force_parameter(self):
+        self.mock_barbican.secrets.delete = mock.Mock(
+            side_effect=exception.KeyManagerError(
+                "Secret has consumers! Use the 'force' parameter."))
+        self.assertRaises(exception.KeyManagerError,
+                          self.key_mgr.delete, self.ctxt, self.key_id)
+        self.mock_barbican.secrets.delete.assert_called_once_with(
+            self.secret_ref, False)
+
+    def test_delete_secret_with_consumers_force_parameter_false(self):
+        self.mock_barbican.secrets.delete = mock.Mock(
+            side_effect=barbican_exceptions.HTTPClientError(
+                "Secret has consumers! Use the 'force' parameter."))
+        self.assertRaises(exception.KeyManagerError,
+                          self.key_mgr.delete, self.ctxt, self.key_id,
+                          force=False)
+        self.mock_barbican.secrets.delete.assert_called_once_with(
+            self.secret_ref, False)
+
+    def test_delete_secret_with_consumers_force_parameter_true(self):
+        self.key_mgr.delete(self.ctxt, self.key_id, force=True)
+        self.delete.assert_called_once_with(self.secret_ref, True)
 
     def test_delete_unknown_key(self):
         self.assertRaises(exception.KeyManagerError,