Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conferences (MARAC)

1. What is a Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC)?

A MARAC is a meeting to discuss ways to help victims at high risk of murder or serious harm. Information is shared at the meeting between representatives of the police, health, child protection, housing practitioners, Independent Domestic Violence Advisors (IDVAs), probation and other specialists from the statutory and voluntary sectors.

After sharing all relevant information they have about a victim, their family and the person causing the harm, 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 person at risk does not attend the MARAC but is represented by an Independent Domestic Violence Advisor (IDVA). An IDVA is a named professional case worker for domestic abuse victims whose primary purpose is to address the safety of 'high risk' victims and their children, serving as the victim's main point of contact. The person causing harm of the alleged domestic abuse should not be informed of the meeting or of the referral to MARAC.

2. MARACs and Adult Social Care

In common with safeguarding procedures, MARAC facilitates information sharing about the risks of harm and actions needed to increase safety are agreed creating a risk management plan involving all relevant agencies. MARAC does not replace safeguarding meetings or processes and cases are not discussed in the same level of detail as a safeguarding meeting. MARAC is not an ongoing case management process; cases are discussed once unless there is a new incident over the next 12 months.

3. MARACs and Children and Young People

The MARAC will help agencies working with children and young people link up efforts to safeguard the abused parent and efforts to safeguard the child, helping them to intervene in vulnerable families before children are placed at significant risk. The MARAC will also help those agencies to work with clients that are not engaging with agencies or need more support by involving other agencies, such as the IDVA service or specialist domestic violence services, to work with the victim.

4. Risk Assessment

When someone is experiencing domestic abuse, it's vital to make an accurate and fast assessment of the danger they're in, so they can get the right help as quickly as possible. The Safelives Dash risk checklist is used by a variety of agencies in Jersey including IDVA and the Police. Dash stands for domestic abuse, stalking and 'honour'-based violence.

The Dash risk checklist can be used for all intimate partner relationships, including LGBT relationships, as well as for 'honour'-based violence and family violence. It is primarily intended for professionals – both specialist domestic violence workers, such as IDVAs, and other professionals working for mainstream services. It aims to provide a uniform understanding of risk across professions. A high score means the victim is at high risk of murder and/or serious harm and needs urgent help. These victims should get help from an IDVA, and all the relevant local agencies should come together at a MARAC meeting to make a plan to make them safe.

5. Criteria for MARAC

The threshold for MARAC is:

Repeat referrals get referred back into the MARAC process if there is a further incident reported to at least one MARAC agency within a twelve month period of the last MARAC.

6. How are Victims' Cases Referred to MARAC?

Any frontline agency representative that undertakes a risk assessment with a victim, and thereby determines that their case meets the high risk threshold, can refer a victim's case to MARAC. IDVAs, police and health professionals commonly refer high risk victims to MARACs.

Referrals are made to Marac@jersey.pnn.police.uk.

Click here to view MARAC Referral Form.

Steps to the MARAC Process

Click here to view the Steps to the MARAC Process.