What is the five-year evidence review?
The MARAM Framework was established in the Family Violence Protection Act 2008 (Vic) in 2018. The Act requires five-yearly reviews of MARAM (Section 194) to ensure it reflects the current evidence and best practice. The review looks at:
- whether MARAM reflects best practice of family violence risk assessment and risk management
- what changes may be needed.
What has been achieved so far?
The first of these reviews is now complete.
The literature, practice, and design review, led by Allen & Clarke Consulting, examined the Framework and key supporting resources, including victim survivor-focused MARAM Practice Guides and tools published in 2019. It involved consideration of family violence research, best practice, evidence, and consultation with 225 participants from 81 organisations. This included victim survivor advocates, family violence practitioners, academics, specialist and universal services, and government bodies.
The review found that across all sectors, MARAM is considered a valuable resource. It supports a shared understanding of family violence, risk assessment and risk management practices.
The review made 17 recommendations relating to accessibility of the MARAM Practice Guides and assessment tools, improving approaches to risk assessment, and planning and enhancements to recognise experiences of family violence risk across all communities, including children and young people.
The MARAM 5-Year Evidence Review Final Report, Literature Review, and Summary Report are available at MARAM Framework 5-year Evidence Review(opens in a new window).
A second part of the evidence review, a data review, is also underway, analysing available data on the evidence-based risk factors. This review is led by Monash University and is scheduled to be completed in 2025.
Monash University and Family Safety Victoria are working together to create data linkages using data from the Coroner’s Court of Victoria and FSV’s Tools for Risk Assessment and Management (TRAM) data platform*. This data linkage will provide a better understanding of evidence-based risk factors to assist in the response to family violence risk assessment and risk management.
*For more information on TRAM, see the updates on “MARAM tools in TRAM and SHIP”.
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