What is happening
FSV is continuing to support departments and sectors to align to the perpetrator-focused MARAM Practice Guides and tools. Since the release, FSV are learning more about how agencies and practitioners are engaging with the new resources and efforts to align.
Previous advice has been to await training before using the tools in practice. This remains the advice for organisations with identification and intermediate responsibilities.
However, FSV encourages all organisations and practitioners to implement strategies to be ready for practice. This may mean developing internal communities of practice, embedding the tools and guidance into your operations in readiness, and updating policies, procedures and internal practice guidance.
In addition, specialist family violence services are encouraged to start using the tools and Practice Guides particularly where you are adequately supported and policies and procedures are in place. This is in recognition of the depth of knowledge and experience in working with adults using family violence already held by these services, to support Curtin University analyse the use of the tools, and to ensure readiness for supporting identification and intermediate practitioners.
The Orange Door network is socialising the Comprehensive Practice Guides and tools. FSV, in collaboration with The Orange Door Practice Leadership, have been developing statewide operational guidance for The Orange Door response to adults using family violence. The focus of the operational guidance is the role of The Orange Door in engaging with adults using family violence as well as assessing and managing the risk they pose – including utilising the predominant aggressor identification tool. Across the network each site is developing local implementation plans to support the change management approach for MARAM alignment to the comprehensive tools.
To understand whether the perpetrator Comprehensive Assessment Tool is working as intended, FSV has engaged Curtin University to analyse the information being gathered by services who are using the newly developed tools. Specialist practitioners and services across the sector who are using the tools are being invited to collate the risk assessments conducted within the service over the coming months and share them with the researchers to analyse.
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