Appendix 9: Text-equivalent descriptions of figures

Figure 1: Victorian Government highlights for 2023-24

Family Safety Victoria

• From 5-year Legislative and Evidence reviews:
  • 16 recommendations for better legislation
  • 17 recommendations for improved evidence-based practice
• Practice guides for working with children and young people due for release in 2025

Education

• Updated guidance, tools and MARAM training for education workforces
• More than 1,950 schools now use the Respectful Relationships whole-school approach

Information sharing

• Significant increase in information sharing in 2023–24:
  • 8,099 child protection requests, a 51% increase from 2022–23
  • 8,075 Victoria Police requests, 900 more than last year
  • 51,503 court requests
  • 33% increase in Department of Government Services information sharing
• This shows growing confidence in the information sharing system

Risk assessments and safety plans

• The Orange Door completed:
  • 54,261 risk assessments, a 61% increase from 2022–23
  • 24,837 safety plans, a 16% increase from 2022–23

Government services

• In 2023–24:
  • 4,164 victim survivors accessed the Financial Counselling Program
  • 1,016 victim survivors accessed the Tenancy Assistance and Advocacy Program

MARAM annual survey

• 94% of organisational leaders state that MARAM alignment is a priority
• 77% felt their workforce has the support they need to meet MARAM obligations

Multicultural affairs

• 14 contextualised resources created, including MARAM poster packs in 6 languages

Child protection

• New laws ensure courts can access information about family violence risk when making court orders

Courts

• New specialist children’s court opened in Dandenong
• The court has separate entrances and waiting areas, and remote hearing facilities

Figure 2: Preparation for the Child and Young Person practice guides

Consumer affairs

• Working with peak bodies, Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria and funded agencies
• Identifying gaps in organisational procedures

Mental health

• Working with services that work with children, including:
  • paediatric social workers
  • general practitioners
  • nurses
  • early parenting centres

Child protection

• Implementing guidance and tools in 2025
• Updating program policies, procedures, guidelines and training

Victoria Police

• Reviewing the guides
• Will consider developing other guidance material
• Ensuring culturally strong practice

Victim services

The Family Violence Restorative Justice Service is reviewing policies to incorporate the new guidance and tools

Figure 3: Information sharing among departments

Corrections and justice services

• 1,700 requests on average processed by the FVISS team each month

Victim services

• 4,821 victims of crime helpline requests (up from 303 in 2020–21)

Courts

• 4,200 requests on average each month
• 51,503 requests in 2023–24

Government services

• 33% increase in Department of Government Services information sharing in 2023–24

Victoria Police

• 8,075 Victoria Police requests, 900+ more than last year

Child protection

• 8,099 requests, up 51% since 2022–23
• Most frequent requests came from:
  • Victoria Police
  • specialist family violence services
  • hospitals

Figure 4: MARAM risk assessments and safety plans

Risk assessment and safety plans

• 384,000 completed online since 2018, with 79,098 completed in 2023–24
• 54,600 completed using the Specialist Homelessness Information Platform in 2023–24
• 80,271 safety plans completed online from April 2018 to June 2024
• 54,261 risk assessments completed by The Orange Door using online tools, a 61% increase from 2022–23

Figure 5: Using the Adults Using Family Violence practice guides and training package

MARAM annual survey

• 45% of organisational leaders have used the MARAM Adults Using Family Violence (AUFV) practice guides
• 21% aware of the resources but have not used them

Child protection

• Tailored AUFV identification and intermediate training for child protection, Hurstbridge Farm and secure services staff

Consumer affairs

• Tailored AUFV training for Dispute Settlement Centre of Victoria staff, financial counsellors, tenancy advocates and Births, Deaths and Marriages staff

Mental health

• Alcohol and other drugs intake and assessment tools align with AUFV guides

Forensic disability and public housing workforces

• Tailored AUFV training for the entire workforces

Courts

• Implementing practice guides in 2024–25
• Learning needs analysis to be completed in 2024–25

Corrections and justice services

• Intermediate AUFV training for Community Correctional Services staff

Figure 6: MARAM training in 2023–24

Training data

• 89,317 training sessions across all sectors
• 2,483 participants in new MARAM Adults Using Family Violence (AUFV) training since it started in 2023

Health

• 57,813 MARAM and information sharing courses completed by the health, mental health and ambulance workforces

Child protection

• Risk assessment workshops for:
  • 650 child protection leaders and managers
  • 695 child protection practitioners

Forensic disability

• 90 (53%) forensic disability staff completed training
• 65 receive tailored AUFV training

Education

• 5,000 leaders and professionals completed training on information sharing and family violence reforms

Victoria Police

• 2,709 risk assessment and information sharing courses delivered

Consumer affairs

• All staff in financial counselling, dispute settlement and tenancy assistance attended training in 2023–24

Public Housing

• 360 existing housing staff completed tailored MARAM victim survivor identification training
• 87 staff completed tailored MARAM AUFV identification training

Multicultural affairs

• 132 Spectrum aged care workers attended MARAM elder abuse training

Corrections and justice services

• All Victims of Crime Helpline staff completed MARAM foundational training
• 412 youth justice staff completed information sharing scheme training
• 1,634 prison staff completed MARAM foundational training
• 567 community corrections staff completed intermediate victim survivor training

Courts

• 59 trainee court registrars completed MARAM training

Figure 7: Overview of legislation, policy and frameworks

Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic) Part 11

Empowers responsible Minister to approve framework

Requirement on framework organisations to align policies, procedures, practice guidance and tools with the approved framework.

Obligations on Ministers: reporting; review of Framework; legislative review

Evaluation

5-year reviews:

• Must assess whether the framework reflects current evidence-based best practice (up to every 5 years)
• Must assess the extent to which the legislation is achieving consistency in family violence risk assessment and management (after the first 5 years)

2-year review:

• Considering whether the framework has been implemented as planned

Regulation

Family Violence Protection (Information Sharing and Risk Management) Amendment Regulations 2018:

• Defines prescribed matters for Ministers to report on, relating to implementation and operation of the framework by framework organisations

Legislative instrument

Family Violence Risk Assessment and Risk Management Framework:

• Defines what framework organisations should align to:
  • A set of principles reflecting the values underpinning the framework
  • 4 pillars, each with framework requirements, setting out the objectives of the framework

MARAM Framework

Provides evidence base and policy direction

Describes system architecture and accountability mechanisms

Expands on the pillars in the legislative instruments

Supporting resources

Operational practice guidance for risk assessment and management for victim survivors, adults using family violence, children and young people (pending)

Guidance for organisations and change leaders, including development of a maturity model approach to alignment.

Training for practitioners and organisational leaders (victim survivors, adults using family violence, children and young people, collaborative practice and leading alignment)

Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic) Part 5A

Regulation

Family Violence Protection (Information Sharing and Risk Management Amendment Regulations 2018):

• Prescribes Information Sharing Entities authorising sharing under Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme

Family Violence Information Scheme Guidelines

Provide information on the operation of the legislation and guidance on appropriate information sharing

Supporting resources

Guidance checklists and templates supporting practice

Links to MARAM practice guides

Figure 8: MARAM Framework on a page

The Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (MARAM)

4 pillars to guide organisational alignment

• Pillar 1 – Shared understanding of family violence
• Pillar 2 – Consistent and collaborative practice
• Pillar 3 – Responsibilities for risk assessment and management
• Pillar 4 – Systems, outcomes and continuous improvement

10 MARAM practice responsibilities set at organisational level

1. Respectful, sensitive and safe engagements
2. Identification of family violence
3. Intermediate risk assessment
4. Intermediate risk management
5. Seek consultation for comprehensive risk assessment, risk management and referrals
6. Contribute to information sharing and other services (FVISS and CISS)
7. Comprehensive assessment
8. Comprehensive risk management and safety planning
9. Contribute to coordinated risk management
10. Collaborate for ongoing risk assessment and management

3 levels of practice for professionals:

Comprehensive

• All responsibilities

Intermediate

• All except 7 and 8

Identification

• All except 3, 4, 7 and 8

Framework requirements for each pillar

Pillar 1

Demonstrate understanding of:

• Family violence risk and impact
• Spectrum of family violence types
• Complexity of experiences in community (intersectionality)
• Use of the evidence-based risk factors to support determination of risk

Pillar 2

Apply consistent collaborative practice through use of:

• MARAM tools to screen, identify, assess, manage family violence risk
• FVISS/other laws to share information
• Structured professional judgement –
  • Victim survivor self-assessed level of fear
  • Evidence-based risk factors
  • Info sharing and collab
  • Own professional judgement

Pillar 3

Organisational leaders:

• Understand their organisation’s responsibilities in family violence risk assessment and management, and those that relate to the operation of the information sharing scheme
• Equip their workforce with the tools, resources and training to meet those responsibilities

Pillar 4

Contribute to understanding of the evidence base:

• Establish governance to oversee alignment
• Collect consistent information about the evidence-based risk factors from use of the tools and client feedback
• Lead change management activities to promote continuous improvement

10 principles to guide the service system

To help achieve a shared understanding, the Framework principles support each pillar and help guide Victoria’s family violence system-wide response.

1. Family violence is unacceptable
2. Services collaborate and share information
3. Victim survivor agency is respected
4. Children are victim survivors in their own right
5. Gender inequality is a driver for family violence
6. Children’s vulnerabilities and needs are unique
7. Culturally safe and non-discriminatory services for Aboriginal people
8. Accessible non-discriminatory services for diverse groups
9. System-wide view for perpetrator accountability
10. A different approach for young people who use violence

Figure 9: Survey responses by sector

Figure 10: Importance of organisational alignment to MARAM

Figure 11: My organisation has the tools, resources and training to meet MARAM obligations

Figure 12: My organisation applies consistent and collaborative practice using MARAM tools

Figure 13: Understanding of MARAM alignment

Figure 14: Training completed by professional and frontline staff

Figure 15: Training completed by organisational leaders or executives