As the final report of the Royal Commission states:
Broadening responsibility for addressing family violence will require each sector or component part of the system to reinforce the work of others, collaborate with and trust others, to understand the experience of family violence in all its forms.[5]
Professionals from a broad range of services, organisations, professions and sectors have a shared responsibility for identifying, assessing and managing family violence risk, even where it may not be core business.
Together, they form the family violence service system, and are formally recognised and prescribed by regulation as ‘framework organisations’. The full list of framework organisations is available online.
Many professionals who have not traditionally had a role in assessing and managing family violence risk with victim survivors or perpetrators will now need to be familiar with these processes.
You are not expected to become a family violence expert – but everyone has a role.
This will vary based on the nature of your organisation and the type of contact you have with people experiencing and using family violence.
The MARAM Framework and Practice Guides are designed to help professionals in the service system, spanning specialist family violence services, community services, health, justice and education, to work together in responding to family violence, supporting victim survivors to be safe and recover from violence, and keeping perpetrators in view and held to account.
Given the prevalence of family violence, it is likely that most professionals and services across the community will come into contact with people experiencing and using family violence.
Any organisations not prescribed as ‘framework organisations’ can be guided by the MARAM Framework to identify how adult and child victim survivors can be better supported to disclose, be safe and recover from family violence, and to engage with perpetrators to invite personal accountability for their use of violence and motivate them to change.
While non-prescribed organisations and professionals are not required under the FVPA to align their policies, procedures, practice guidance and tools with the MARAM Framework, they are encouraged to do so.
This includes understanding the MARAM Framework and its application to their service users and incorporating relevant guidance on foundation knowledge and responsibilities into their work.
You may find the MARAM Framework and the Practice Guides can improve your response to family violence and assist with intervening earlier and connecting service users to the family violence service system.
6.1 Working with perpetrators
Professionals across the service system have a role in keeping perpetrators engaged and in view of services, contributing to accountability for their use of family violence and supporting them to change their behaviour – whether directly or indirectly.
The Royal Commission identified opportunities for a broader range of professionals and sectors to play a role in the integrated family violence system and support identification, risk assessment and management of people who use violence.[6] Working with people using violence can support professionals and the service system to keep victim survivors safe from violence. Identifying, assessing and managing family violence risk are crucial elements of a broad robust approach to perpetrator accountability.
Your professional and sector role will determine your level of responsibility in relation to perpetrators, and guidance and tools are provided in the perpetrator-focused MARAM Practice Guide.
6.1.1 Increased risk arising from perpetrator interventions
Interventions with perpetrators may increase risk to adult and child victim survivors.
They may also increase a perpetrator’s risk to themselves (from suicide or self-harm) or to professionals/community (such as threats to harm). Call Triple Zero (000) in an emergency or if there is imminent risk.
You should understand the potential for certain interventions to adversely affect people using violence from Aboriginal communities based on their connection, or lack of connection, to community and culture.
Seek secondary consultation with specialist Aboriginal community organisations to inform your understanding of interventions and their possible unintended effects.
Refer to your service’s policies and procedures for working with service users both within agency environments and when conducting home visits or outreach activities.
If you have a role in also working with a victim survivor, consider if it is safe, appropriate and reasonable to contact them and share information about increased risk, or another service working with a victim survivor to respond to increased risk.
Plan your approach to assessment to support safe engagement.
You should also engage in reflective practice and supervision to explore both perceived and real risks to your own safety, including any fears you have of directly working with perpetrators.
In planning with your supervisor, determine required supports, ways to manage risks to yourself and the service user, and alternative arrangements, if appropriate, to support the engagement and monitoring of the person using violence.
Secondary consultation with specialists may support your safe engagement.
Share information with other engaged services to ensure support is provided for the victim survivor as needed, due to increased risk that may arise from some perpetrator interventions if not actively managed.
The Organisation Embedding Guidance and Resources contains more information on worker safety.
Updated