Contents
1 Aim
A multi-agency risk assessment conference (MARAC) is a local meeting where information is shared on the highest risk domestic abuse cases between representatives of the local police, probation, health, children and adult safeguarding bodies, housing practitioners, substance misuse services, Independent Domestic Violence Advisers (IDVAs) and other specialists from the statutory and voluntary sectors.
Information about the risks faced by those victims, the actions needed to ensure safety, and the resources available locally are discussed, and used to create a risk management plan involving all agencies. The MARAC is part of a coordinated response to domestic abuse, incorporating representatives from statutory, community and voluntary agencies working with victims, adults experiencing or at risk of abuse or neglect, children and alleged perpetrators.
The success of MARAC depends upon those agencies sharing up to date information about individuals involved in domestic violence incidents (victims, children and perpetrators) to assess risks, agree actions and assign responsibility. Sharing information allows for an accurate assessment of risk and identification of needs to safeguard and improve the lives of survivors and any children. This means that information must be shared at the earliest opportunity to address the issue before risk escalates to the point it is difficult to mitigate or address.
The aims of a MARAC are:
- to share information to increase the safety, health and wellbeing of victims or survivors and their children
- to determine whether the perpetrator poses a significant risk of serious harm to the victim and dependents and. or staff, and ensure other approaches, for example, multi agency public protection arrangements (MAPPA), are referred to as appropriate
- to evaluate effective information sharing to enable appropriate actions to be taken to increase public safety
- to construct and jointly implement a risk management plan that provides professional support to all those at risk and that reduces the risk of harm
- to reduce repeat victimisation
- to improve agency accountability
- to improve support for staff involved in high-risk domestic abuse cases
At the heart of a MARAC is a working assumption that no single agency or individual can see the complete picture of the life of a person who is at risk, but all may have insights that are crucial to their safety, as part of the coordinated community response to perpetrators.
The aim of this standard operating procedure is to:
- ensure that the MARAC representative has a deputy to cover any annual leave, sickness, or absence
- ensure that the nominated representatives attending for the full duration of the MARAC have the authority to commit to actions at the meeting
- ensure that the MARAC representative have had domestic abuse, MARAC and DASH (Domestic abuse, stalking and ‘honour’-based violence) training. Which is the risk assessment tool used as part of managing the risk of victims of domestic abuse
- ensure that they share information relating to cases identified as High Risk in accordance with Information Sharing Agreements and in accordance with General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) legislation
- ensure that information is recorded in victims and perpetrators electronic records if open to RDaSH services
- ensure that MARAC cases are flagged and tagged within the patient electronic records
- ensure that all actions are completed by representatives within the specified timeframe and that the MARAC administration team is updated
- ensure that staff involved with MARAC are supported to reduce the impact of vicarious trauma
2 Scope
This standard operating procedure relates to Rotherham, Doncaster and South Humber (RDaSH) MARAC representatives only.
3 Link to overarching policy, and or procedure
4 Procedure or implementation
4.1 Agenda and research prior to the MARAC
Eight working days prior to the scheduled meeting, the MARAC administrator will compile a case list and agenda for the meeting and circulate to the designated MARAC representatives (DMR) from each agency represented on the MARAC.
4.2 Doncaster process
4.2.1 Talking Therapies or community Mental Health team
The case list is sent to rdash.safeguardingadults@nhs.net and is checked by the safeguarding administrator to identify people known to the trust. Those open to RDaSH services are referred into the safeguarding module and allocated to the MARAC caseload.
4.2.2 0 to 19
The case list is sent to the DMR directly.
4.2.3 Aspire
The case list is sent to directly to Aspire and is checked by the DMR rostered to attend the meeting.
4.2.4 Rotherham process
The case list is sent to the DMR generic inbox.
4.2.5 North Lincolnshire process
The case list is sent to the DMR directly.
4.2.6 Responsibilities of the DMR in all areas
The DMR will ensure that an alert ‘flag and tag’ is placed on the patient electronic record. The alert enables staff assessing the patient to be aware that the patient is being discussed at MARAC, either as a victim or perpetrator. The following form of words must be used when recording the alert on the patient record:
- victim, high risk victim of domestic abuse
- perpetrator, alleged high-risk perpetrator of domestic abuse (not to be disclosed to patient)
Under no circumstance, should a perpetrator know that they are being discussed at MARAC as this may put the victim at increased risk.
It is the responsibility of the DMR to ensure that the necessary research is undertaken on each case. This will include research on the victim, perpetrator, and where appropriate, children. The information shared may include information about recent visits, any contact details, professional opinion on general health, child development and recent attitudes or behaviours of the family.
A MARAC research form is available to help all the agencies to share information in a consistent and time-efficient way and will be sent by the MARAC administrator (see appendices).
The research forms must not be attached to the patient record, they must be destroyed or deleted following the MARAC meeting.
4.3 Information sharing
The success of the MARAC hinges on effective and timely information sharing. It is recognised that families experiencing domestic abuse, and particularly those at highest risk, will need the help and involvement of a wide variety of agencies. This may include input from agencies working in the social, welfare, economic, safety, housing, criminal and civil justice sectors. Because of this a partnership approach is vital.
Individual agencies will hold incomplete information about the family, and this can inhibit the development of the most appropriate approach to managing risk. In contrast sharing information through the MARAC facilitates the development of appropriate and timely risk management plans. Information shared at the MARAC will be used to draw up a safety plan which will, in the light of the information available and when put into practice, attempt to address the risks faced by the victim and children.
In some cases, it may also cover the risks faced by other people such as family members, colleagues or friends. Risks faced by staff working with the family may also be identified and included in the action plan.
4.4 Key principles governing disclosures made during or following a MARAC meeting
Decisions to disclose must be necessary and proportionate, taking into account:
- the prevention or detection of crime, including safeguarding someone’s life and, or child protection needs
- if it is in the public interest
- the right to life and to live free from inhuman and degrading treatment and torture
The information that is shared at the MARAC meeting will be used to construct a safety plan which will aim to address the risks faced by the adult victim and children.
The majority of cases will also involve children and so the requirement for information sharing for child protection purposes will, on most occasions, also come into force.
The MARAC covers only the highest risk cases of actual or suspected domestic abuse. Cases will generally be those where there is a threat of serious harm or homicide to the victim and, or their children. MARAC cases should therefore meet the criteria for information sharing without consent. For example, most MARAC cases will clearly meet the ‘exceptional circumstances’ outlined in the Caldicott guidelines.
Failing to share relevant information can put victims and their children at serious risk. Bearing this in mind decisions by agencies to disclose information must still be justifiable given the estimated level of risk and should be proportionate.
Professionals representing their agency on the MARAC should decide what information they should disclose on a case-by-case basis considering the criteria given above and their own agency guidance.
All agencies who are part of the MARAC have signed up to the MARAC Information Sharing Protocols which sets out their responsibilities in relation to the sharing, storing and review of the sensitive, personal data which a MARAC requires to be effective.
The sharing of information is vital to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of victims of domestic violence and also their children. It is often only when information from a number of sources has been shared and is put together that it becomes clear that a child or a vulnerable adult is at risk of or is suffering harm.
4.4.1 Presenting information at the meeting
- Provide current facts about the individuals your agency is working with
- Do not repeat any information that has already been shared unless your information adds to or conflicts with this information
- Your information should be relevant, factual, up to date, and not include any hearsay or supposition.
- Include known information about perpetrator vulnerabilities that might increase risk
- Provide any evidence of counter-allegations of domestic abuse
- Provide relevant details of links with other victims or perpetrators to help identify any serial perpetrators or victims
- Historical information is important if it helps to identify patterns of behaviour and risk, but agencies must ensure that any historical information is relevant.
4.5 Actions
Action planning is at the heart of the MARAC. Following the sharing of relevant and appropriate information around the MARAC table, agencies are invited to volunteer actions which will increase the safety of any vulnerable parties including people involved in the case and staff. These actions are likely to include individual agency actions to increase safety, for example, increased health visitor visits or referral to an enhanced services within the agency, multi-agency actions which maximise the resources of agencies, for example, joint visits, or agreements to engage a perpetrator to allow safety work to be carried out with a victim. The role of the DMR is to ensure that these actions are undertaken, not for carrying them out themselves. This may be the responsibility of another RDaSH service.
Agency actions are to be completed within the week in which the MARAC takes place unless otherwise stated on the agenda. This means that agencies should take responsibility at the meeting for noting their actions prior to the circulation of minutes and for enacting them Agencies are required to email the MARAC administrator to confirm in detail the completion of all actions.
The responsibility to take appropriate action rests with individual agencies; it is not transferred to the MARAC. The role of the MARAC is to facilitate, monitor, and evaluate effective information sharing to enable appropriate actions to be taken to increase public safety.
4.6 Recording on electronic patient record
Following attendance at MARAC, the DMR must record brief information as stated on the MARAC template on SystmOne.
If MARAC minutes are received, they must not be attached to the patient electronic record, and instead deleted once they have been read. If a colleague requests to have sight of any MARAC minutes, they must contact the MARAC chair to request access.
For patients registered into the safeguarding module, once recording is completed, the patient must then be discharged from the module.
4.7 Deputising
If a DMR is unable to attend a MARAC meeting, they must ensure there is a deputy attending to share information on their behalf. If this is not possible, the nurse consultant for safeguarding must be informed.
4.8 Authority to commit resources
All DMRs must be of sufficient seniority to have the authority to make decisions and commit resources or have delegated authority to make decisions and commit resources, at the MARAC.
4.9 Supervision
DMRs must attend safeguarding supervision at least once every 90 days, as per Supervision policy. In addition, ad hoc safeguarding supervision is available from the safeguarding team or a trained safeguarding supervisor.
4.10 Training
DMRs must be up to date with domestic abuse training level 3 which includes:
- domestic abuse
- MARAC
- DASH risk assessment
This training can be accessed in several ways; RDaSH training, multi-agency safeguarding partnership, Safelives, or local domestic abuse services.
5 Links to associated documents
- Rotherham MARAC operating protocol (L:\Corporate\SafeGuarding\All Age Safeguarding\policies and procedures\DVA MARAC SOP\Rotherham MARAC Operating Protocol final June 2021.doc)
- Doncaster MARAC operating protocol (L:\Corporate\SafeGuarding\All Age Safeguarding\policies and procedures\DVA MARAC SOP\Doncaster MARAC Operating Protocol Final January 2019-1.doc)
- North Lincolnshire MARAC operating protocol (L:\Corporate\SafeGuarding\All Age Safeguarding\policies and procedures\DVA MARAC SOP\3.3 MARAC Protocol FINAL.pdf)
6 Appendices
6.1 Appendix A
6.2 Appendix B
Document control
- Version: 1.
- Unique reference number: 1073.
- Approved by: Clinical policies review and approval group.
- Date approved: 5 January 2024.
- Name of originator or author: Nurse consultant for safeguarding.
- Name of responsible individual: Executive director for nursing and allied health professionals.
- Date issued: 25 January 2024.
- Review date: 31 January 2026 (new document).
- Target audience: MARAC representatives.
Page last reviewed: April 25, 2024
Next review due: April 25, 2025