A Home Office briefing on ending violence against women and girls highlights the importance of joined-up working in preventing and responding to domestic violence and notes the role of multi-agency risk assessment conferences (Maracs) in helping to achieve this.
How are children affected by domestic violence?
According to Home Office statistics, around 200,000 children in England live in households where there is a known risk of domestic violence. The number of children at risk, however, is likely to be significantly higher owing to under-reporting of this type of violence.
Children who live in these households can suffer physical, psychological and emotional harm through being directly exposed to violence, and can also be affected through indirect exposure, by witnessing violence in the home.
What are Maracs?
Once a risk of domestic violence has been identified, a risk assessment should be carried out by the agency that received the initial referral. Police are commonly the agency to receive the referral; however, other agencies, such as hospitals, social services and health visitors may identify risks of domestic violence.
In cases in which the risk is determined to be high, a referral to a Marac should be made by the assessing agency or lead agency (usually the local authority). The Marac brings together representatives from a number of agencies to share information they hold about the case and take action to prevent future harm to the very high-risk victims of domestic violence and their children. The particular agencies involved will vary by local authority, and may include police, probation, community services, the NHS, refuge and outreach services, for instance. Children's services will play a part in the Marac to ensure that any children involved in the case are provided with the necessary support and services. There are currently around 250 Maracs in operation across England and Wales.
All agencies at the meeting should sign a confidentiality agreement, and a protocol between participating agencies should be in place to make it clear what is expected of individual agencies and to ensure that information is shared for the purpose of increasing safety and reducing risk.
An independent domestic violence adviser can attend the Marac on a victim's behalf.
How can a Marac help victims of domestic violence?
The Marac can help high-risk victims and survivors access more resources locally. At the Marac, agencies come together to identify needs and how to provide the right help to reduce the risk of domestic violence in the future. Some of the actions that the Marac might take include:
Making sure any agencies that the victim approaches are aware of their situation so they can be better supported;
Writing a support letter on the victim's behalf to assist them in accessing support or services (e.g. housing); and
Arranging joint meetings between agencies to help co-ordinate any support that a victim may need.
