caada - co-ordinated action against domestic abuse

MARAC Implementation Programme

If you are a professional attending a MARAC in the Greater London area, please refer to our separate London MARAC training page.

A Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) is a meeting where information is shared on the highest risk domestic abuse cases between representatives of local police, health, child protection, housing practitioners, Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs) and other specialists from the statutory and voluntary sectors. After sharing all relevant information they have about a victim, the representatives discuss options for increasing the safety of the victim and turn these into a co-ordinated action plan. The primary focus of the MARAC is to safeguard the adult victim. The MARAC will also make links with other fora to safeguard children and manage the behaviour of the perpetrator. At the heart of a MARAC is the working assumption that no single agency or individual can see the complete picture of the life of a victim, but all may have insights that are crucial to their safety. The victim does not attend the meeting but is represented by an IDVA who speaks on their behalf.

CAADA has developed 10 Principles of an Effective MARAC which incorporate the key elements for a MARAC, focused around the safety of the victim. The principles seek to embed common practice between MARACs while also respecting local differences, therefore enabling a consistent response for victims nationally. The MARAC Implementation Programme is designed to support local areas in establishing, developing and sustaining an effective MARAC. The three stages of the Programme offer training, support and quality assurance to do this and are structured around the principles:

Stage One training: this multi-agency day provides professionals with the training, guidance and the practical tools to ensure they understand the MARAC process, risk identification, information sharing and action planning. The day is suitable for areas establishing a MARAC for the first time and those who are already running a MARAC and want to access support.

Stage Two observation: (approximately six months after Stage One training) based on the observation of a meeting, this visit aims to highlight local strengths and examples of good practice, provide an opportunity to discuss issues that have arisen since Stage One and identify areas for further development. MARACs are also encouraged to begin to consider their participation in the third and final stage of the MARAC Implementation Programme.

Stage Three quality assurance: (approximately twelve to sixteen months after the Stage Two observation visit). Drawing on evidence provided by the local area, this is an opportunity for MARACs to review their practice in and around the meeting in relation to the principles. While the principles cannot answer all the issues that practitioners face, particularly in relation to resources, they do provide the framework for solid analysis of the process of running a MARAC. In particular, this stage aims to identify strengths and good practice, as well as considering those areas that could be developed further and the sustainability of the process.

The MARAC Implementation Programme also offers a ‘wrap around' service offering a helpdesk to answer MARAC queries and signposting to champions in other areas so that MARACs can share good practice. This can be accessed via marac@caada.org.uk Support in relation to data collection, analysis and evaluation can be access via marac_data@caada.org.uk

For further information on the CAADA MARAC implementation programme, including how to apply, please contact us by emailing marac@caada.org.uk or telephoning 0117 317 8750. If you are a professional attending a London MARAC, please refer to our separate London MARAC Training section.

If you would like practitioner resources relating to MARAC, please visit the practitioner resources section of this website.