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

A MARAC is a monthly meeting where professionals meet to share information on the highest risk domestic abuse cases. These can include representatives of local police, probation, 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.

The purpose of the meeting is as follows:

• To share information to increase the safety, health and well being of victims – adults and their children;
• To determine whether the perpetrator poses a significant risk to any particular individual or to the general community;
• To construct jointly and 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; and
• Improve support for staff involved in high risk DV cases.
• The responsibility to take appropriate actions 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.