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Multi-agency support to tackle severe domestic abuse could save £740 million a year to the public purse
An innovative way of supporting victims of severe domestic abuse could save £740 million to the public purse if rolled out nationally, a new report launched today shows.
Saving lives, saving money: MARACs and high risk domestic abuse reveals that for every £1 spent on Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs), at least £6 could be saved in direct costs to agencies such as the police, health, criminal justice system and children’s services. Written by Coordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse (CAADA), the report is supported by data collected by the national charity on behalf of the Home Office, as well as early evaluation studies, which show that up to 60% of victims report no further violence after a MARAC.
A MARAC is a voluntary meeting where information is shared on the highest risk domestic abuse cases between local public agencies, including the police, health, children’s services, housing and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs)*, amongst others. After sharing all relevant information about a victim, the meeting then discusses options for increasing their safety, and turns this into an action plan.
Over 28,000 adult victims and 40,000 children were supported by a MARAC in 2009. With more than 120,000 adult victims of high risk domestic abuse estimated to be living in the UK, more support is urgently needed. The report calls for legislation to embed a commitment to MARACs across the UK, along with further resources for IDVA teams to support MARACs to manage the full volume of cases in their area. The need for better links between MARACs and public agencies that support families is also highlighted, to ensure that identified children receive adequate protection.
Saving lives, saving money: MARACs and high risk domestic abuse reveals that the average high risk domestic abuse case costs an estimated £20,000 per annum to the public purse, through key support agencies such as the police, health, housing and children’s services. This figure can be broken down to approximate costs of £5,000 for health services, £5,500 for the police, £7,500 for the criminal justice system and £2,500 for remaining agencies including children’s services and housing. The total direct costs of all high risk victims is around £2.4bn.
Using an independently verified analysis, the report shows that MARACs save at least £6,100 of these costs per victim; they would only have to be successful in 16% of cases to pay for themselves. The net return on investment for the health service is 533%; for the police 550%; for children’s services 276% and for the criminal justice system, 1109%.
Diana Barran, Chief Executive of CAADA said: “MARACs have genuinely transformed the choices and support available to victims of severe domestic abuse and their children. However, currently these choices are available to just a quarter of the victims that need them. With proper support from Government we have the chance to save lives, save public money and help give children back the futures they deserve.”
Debbie**, a survivor of severe domestic abuse who was supported by her local MARAC said: “My husband was a real Jekyll and Hyde character. As well as physical abuse, he told me that he would kill me and the kids if I ever left him. This made me terrified of leaving, so for 18 years I stayed.”
“I’d never have been able to move on in my life without the package of support that was offered to me through the MARAC and IDVA service. All the agencies did everything they could to make our lives safer – they supported the children in school, made our home more secure, the police undertook a criminal investigation, I was encouraged to get injunctions to prevent him from contacting me, fire safety checks were undertaken – the works. I would have left him years ago had I known that this support was available. We’re now living a life that is free from violence and we’re a lot happier as a result.”
Click here to download the unreferenced version of Saving lives, saving money: MARACs and high risk domestic abuse
Click here to download the referenced version of Saving lives, saving money: MARACs and high risk domestic abuse
ENDS
* Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) are specialist case workers who focus on working predominantly with high risk victims. They work from the point of crisis on an intensive, short to medium term basis and have a well defined role underpinned by an accredited training programme. They also represent the victim at MARAC and co-ordinate the response of the wide range of MARAC agencies who might be involved in a case, including those working with perpetrators and children. They therefore work in partnership with a range of statutory and voluntary agencies but are independent of any single agency.
** To protect identities, names have been changed.
CAADA’s response to the launch of Together we can end violence against women and girls: a strategy - November 25th 2009
Diana Barran, Chief Executive said: “CAADA warmly welcomes the wide-ranging nature of Together we can end violence against women and girls: a strategy which aims to embed strategic support and awareness of the issue across a wide range of public agencies. We equally look forward to a healthy discussion about backing this ambition with new and ongoing resources for specialist local victim and children services.
We recognize some excellent proposals in the strategy. A consultation to place Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARACs) on a statutory footing is welcomed - we know that MARACs can save lives and public money. Despite being a voluntary provision, MARACs have supported over 29,000 adult cases and 40,000 associated children over the last year, stopping abuse in up to 60% of cases. We are equally encouraged by the emphasis placed on strategic commitment to domestic violence support within government departments, especially the Department of Health, and throughout wider local services.
At a time when public funding cuts are undoubtedly on the horizon, it is to be expected that there is proportionately limited new funding announced within the report. But in taking these decisions we would highlight that by stopping severe abuse the potential savings to the public purse runs into hundreds of millions of pounds.
For women and families living with severe domestic abuse, MARACs and Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) offer a real solution. Almost two thirds of women living with high risk abuse report that it stops following intensive, multi-agency support coordinated by an IDVA.
While the IDVA sector has expanded in capacity over the past four years, many services are facing cutbacks and current capacity is estimated to be less than half of the 1,200 – 1,500 IDVAs needed for national coverage. The government is unlikely to tackle the problem of a postcode lottery service provision until the question of funding is properly addressed.
Finally, we applaud the emphasis on evidenced-based decision making which is clear throughout this strategy. When resources are restricted, it’s crucially important that work in this area is well targeted and based on a knowledge of what we knows works. An increased evaluation of outcomes will ensure that services remain effective and public money will be well spent.
CAADA's response to the launch of Safety in Numbers: A multi-site evaluation of Independent Domestic Violence Advisor Services - November 24th 2009
Click here to download the full report, executive summary or two page briefing of Safety in Numbers
Co-ordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse (CAADA) is delighted by the results of Safety in Numbers , which gives hard evidence that Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) offer a real solution for women living with severe domestic abuse. The report shows that almost two thirds of women living with the most extreme physical, emotional and sexual abuse reported that this abuse had ceased following intensive interventions by IDVAs.
Having been instrumental in the national roll out of IDVAs across the UK, providing training, practical support and policy information to hundreds to date, we whole heartedly agree with the report's recommendations that more IDVAs are needed. Over 720 IDVAs have now received accredited training by CAADA, and tens of thousands of victims are already safer today as a result of this, but this is less than half the 1,500 permanent posts we believe are needed for national coverage.
CAADA supports the report's call for a common IDVA service commissioning framework which prioritises victim safety. In our experience, IDVA services which operate to a common standard of excellent and safe practice continuously demonstrate better victim safety outcomes. Only by commissioning to a common framework will the maximum number of high risk victims be properly supported.
We also agree with the report's calls for more links with children's services, health services and those who work with perpetrators. The risks to children from domestic abuse have long been established. What Safety in Numbers makes clear is the sheer scale of the problem. Better care pathways are desperately required to ensure that these children receive the support they so badly need. Increased commitment from health and perpetrator agencies to attend MARACs will also result in a larger safety net of support for the victim.
By providing intensive one-to-one support to victims from the point of crisis and coordinating multi-agency support work, IDVAs are transforming our response to the most high risk domestic abuse, saving lives and helping thousands of victims to live a life free from abuse. For this reason we support this report and look forward to the government's plans to support the IDVA sector in the newly-launched Violence against Women and Girls strategy.
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