The Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management (MARAM) Framework was established in legislation in 2018. It responds to the first two recommendations of Victoria’s Royal Commission into Family Violence 2016 (the Royal Commission).
The MARAM Framework creates a system-wide model for all services that interact with adults and children who have experienced family violence or may be at risk of experiencing family violence.
It covers all aspects of service delivery. This includes early risk identification, screening, assessment and management, safety planning, collaborative practice, stabilisation and recovery.
The MARAM Framework aims to:
- ensure all professionals, regardless of their role, have a shared understanding of family violence and perpetrator behaviour
- increase the safety of people experiencing family violence
- ensure the broad range of experiences are represented in the family violence response. This includes for Aboriginal and diverse communities and identities, children, young people, older people, and different family and relationship types
- keep perpetrators in view and hold them accountable for their actions
- provide guidance to organisations on aligning to the Framework to ensure consistent service delivery.
MARAM is being implemented alongside two other enabling reforms for information sharing and risk frameworks– the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVISS) and the Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS). Family Safety Victoria is the lead agency on the implementation of MARAM and the FVISS. The Department of Education (DE) is the lead agency on the implementation of the CISS.
Organisations are prescribed under the regulations as MARAM Framework organisations and/or Information Sharing Entities (ISEs).
Section 193 of the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic) requires a report to be tabled in parliament annually on the progress of MARAM implementation. This is the fifth report to be tabled, covering implementation activities from 1 July 2022 to 30 June 2023.
Family Safety Victoria, a Division of the Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (the department), leads the implementation of the reforms. This requires Family Safety Victoria to design and develop the policies, resources and training and prepare this consolidated annual report. Family Safety Victoria also oversees implementation across the whole of the Victorian Government (WoVG) through governance, reporting and annual surveys and for the department across its various workforce portfolios.
Each relevant department is responsible for tailoring the policies, resources and training to their specific workforce needs. This includes communication about the reforms and responses to barriers the workforces face.
Sector peak and representative organisations support implementation more directly with practitioners. In 2022–23, the department funded 16 organisations to undertake this work through the Sector Capacity Building Grants program. The funded organisations are:
- Adult Multicultural Education Services (AMES)
- Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare (CFECFW)
- Council to Homeless Persons
- Dardi Munwurro
- Djirra
- Elizabeth Morgan House
- Jewish Care Victoria
- No to Violence (NTV)
- Safe and Equal
- Sexual Assault Services Victoria
- Victorian Aboriginal Child Care Agency (VACCA)
- Victorian Aboriginal Community Services Association Limited (VACSAL)
- Victorian Alcohol and Drug Association (VAADA)
- Victorian Healthcare Association (VHA)
- Whittlesea Community Connections (WCC)
- Youth Justice.
Chapters 1 to 4 of this report provide context of the reforms, legislation, and relevant portfolios.
Chapter 5 provides an overview of the current state of WoVG MARAM alignment, as indicated by the 2023 MARAM Annual Survey.
Chapters 6 to 9 cover the four WoVG strategic priorities. A chapter is dedicated to each priority.
- clear and consistent leadership
- supporting consistent and collaborative practice
- building workforce capability
- reinforcing good practice and commitment to continuous improvement.
Each chapter contains subsections related to work undertaken by:
- Family Safety Victoria within the Department of Families Fairness and Housing as reform lead
- departments as leads for their workforces
- sector peak bodies and organisations that support practitioners.
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