What MARAM practice guidance is being developed?

FSV have commenced the development of MARAM practice guidance for:

• direct risk and wellbeing assessment of children and young people victim survivors
• identifying and responding to young people using family violence in the home and in intimate partner/dating relationships (recognising young people using violence often experience family violence risk).

This new practice guidance will support workforces prescribed under the MARAM Framework to respond to children and young people as victim survivors in own their own right and support their wellbeing in the context of family violence. The guidance will also support professionals to respond to young people using violence with a trauma and violence-informed and age and developmental stage lens. The practice guides and tools are anticipated for release in 2023.

What has been achieved so far?

FSV has contracted a range of subject matter experts to support the development of draft content for both projects. This includes the Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, YSAS and the Centre for Innovative Justice, RMIT. Further subject matter experts supporting development of lived experience practice and supporting Aboriginal children and young people are anticipated to be engaged shortly. FSV has commenced sector consultation with a focus on identifying and responding to young people using family violence in the home and in intimate partner/dating relationships – including where they are also a victim survivor of family violence.

What is happening now?

FSV is seeking nominations to support development across 2022–23, including practitioners, team leaders, policy and research professionals across organisations working with children and young people, either experiencing or using family violence, to participate in consultations to inform the development of these MARAM resources.

If you are interested in nominating to join this list please email your name, role, program area and organisation to infosharing@familysafety.vic.gov.au

What is planned next?

Development of child-focused direct risk and wellbeing assessment tools to support the practice guides is anticipated to commence early Quarter 1 2022–23, subject to the outcome of the consultations.

Links and resources

Adults using family violence training

What training is being developed?

There will be three training packages developed on Identification, Intermediate and Comprehensive responsibilities to support prescribed MARAM workforces and their practitioners.

What has been achieved so far?

FSV has engaged Swinburne University of Technology and consortium partners, Uniting Vic/Tas and Boorndawan Willam Aboriginal Healing Service (BWAHS) to undertake the development of non-accredited MARAM training for working with adults using family violence. No to Violence are also involved in the development as a key subject matter expert. In early April, Swinburne Consortium provided the draft Course 1 – Identification training module for review to the subject matter experts and FSV.

What is happening now?

FSV is reviewing the content and structure of the training package and providing feedback. FSV will facilitate a pilot session of the identification package for early user feedback to inform development of Courses 2 and 3 (Intermediate and Comprehensive). FSV has consulted with departmental MARAM implementation teams on working closely with Swinburne to organise pilot sessions to inform the finalisation of the training packages.

What is planned next?

FSV has commenced planning for the delivery of the training, with approval having been provided for FSV to commence a procurement process to secure a lead training provider. The lead training provider is intended to deliver training to specialist workforces, and support training other approved providers to deliver to identification and intermediate workforces. The exact details of this continue to be in discussion.

Redevelopment of MARAM victim survivor training

What training is available and subject of the review?

Victim survivor modules are available in identification, intermediate and comprehensive practice. These modules are delivered by Safe and Equal, and other providers procured by government departments.

Collaborative Practice training is delivered through Principal Strategic Advisors.
Leading Alignment for organisational leaders is delivered by Safe and Equal.

The training has been available for more than 2 years. This means there is a good amount of feedback and knowledge to access on any opportunities for improvements.

What has been achieved in the redevelopment so far?

Safe and Equal have commenced consultations. The initial consultations, focused on trainer feedback, have been completed.

What is happening now?

In May, Safe and Equal are consulting with participants who have completed training over the past three months.

What is planned next?

Once Safe and Equal have completed their reviews, they will prepare a set of recommendations for consideration by FSV on potential updates to the training modules. FSV will consider the recommendations and consult with stakeholders at that time. This is anticipated for June 2022.

Links and resources

What is MARAM accredited training?

The Centre for Workforce Excellence (CWE) in Family Safety Victoria is working in partnership with the Department of Education and Training (DET), to develop vocational education and training (VET) courses in family violence. This is aimed at building the knowledge, skills and capabilities of existing and future workforces to respond to and contribute to the prevention of family violence. These courses are the first accredited training courses to be directly based on the Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management (MARAM) Framework and Family Violence Capability Frameworks.

Through these courses, individuals will be able to access MARAM aligned, accredited family violence training through registered training organisations (RTOs), TAFEs and dual sector universities, either during their career trajectory or before they enter the workforce as part of their pre-service education and training.

What has been achieved so far?

On 1 April 2019, the Course in Identifying and Responding to Family Violence Risk (22510VIC) was accredited by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA). The single-unit course is currently being delivered by TAFEs, RTOs and dual sector universities, and is free for participants. The course can be taken either as a standalone course or the course unit (VU22733) can be imported within several VET courses. The course covers foundational family violence knowledge and MARAM responsibilities (1, 2 5, 6, 9 and 10) aligning to MARAM identification, including use of the screening tool and basic safety planning.

On 1 August 2020, the Course in Intermediate Risk Assessment and Management of Family Violence Risk (22561VIC) was accredited by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA). This is a two-unit course which includes VU22733 as a pre-requisite, and a second unit (VU22988) that covers MARAM responsibilities 3 and 4 for intermediate risk assessment and management of victim-survivors and people using violence.

What is happening now?

A refreshed training approach for the Course in Identifying and Responding to Family Violence Risk (22510VIC) will be rolled out over coming months. This will include the provision of resources to TAFEs and RTOs such as additional case studies, new assessments, and facilitator and learner guides.

What is planned next?

Between May and August 2022, the second unit of the Course in Intermediate Risk Assessment and Management of Family Violence Risk (22561VIC) will be refreshed to reflect new practice guidance relating to working with adults using family violence. FSV will also be seeking broad industry views on the course in May/June 2022.

What is the MARAM Video Series?

The MARAM video series will cover 18 impactful and needed videos that support prescribed workforces to better understand the MARAM reforms more broadly and the key concepts and responsibilities that apply to their role. These videos will be available on the vic.gov.au website and YouTube.

The project will include two types of videos developed:

• Type 1 – MARAM Basics Series: Short, sharp specific topics related to MARAM practice such as Structured Professional Judgement (for example). The content for this series will be mainly animated.
• Type 2 – MARAM victim survivor and PUV Series: Longer role play scenarios between a practitioner and client, including graphics with key topics raised.

What has been achieved so far?

FSV has appointed Gozer Media to undertake the video production work. FSV has engaged with four organisations (VAADA, NTV, Safe and Equal and Elizabeth Morgan House) to support development of role play videos showing risk assessment and management in practice.

What is happening now?

FSV is working with Gozer Media and the four organisations to finalise scripts and commence working on video production.

What is planned next?

The videos are scheduled for release in August 2022.

What is the MARAM Maturity Model?

The MARAM Maturity Model is intended to be one of the key supporting resources of the MARAM Framework. Sitting alongside the MARAM Practice Guidance and Organisational Embedding Guide, which support organisations to understand what steps they should take to align with MARAM and provide guidance on risk assessment and management responsibilities. The MARAM Maturity Model will provide a means for organisations to assess their level of progress in taking these alignment steps.

What has been achieved so far?

FSV has funded eight organisations to support a user-led design of the MARAM Maturity Model. Each organisation will provide a staff member to support product development of the Maturity Model matrix and self-audit tool, and test this in-house. The sector champions represent a range of sectors including education, justice, community services and health.

What is happening now?

FSV are currently scoping out the program of work with the sector champions, focusing on the first three months of discovery and initial prototype development. Workshops with the sector champions will commence from early June 2022.

What is planned next?

The design and testing work by the sector champions will be subject to wider consultation with MARAM stakeholders. This is anticipated in early 2023.

What is the five-year legislative review?

The Family Violence Protection Act 2008 requires a review year independent review of the MARAM legislation, as well as the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme and Central Information Point. The Review will consider the extent to which the FVPA 2008 and associated MARAM Framework provisions are achieving their objectives.

The Review will report on the following issues:

• The legislative provisions for the Family Violence Risk Assessment and Risk Management Framework as well as:
  • assess the extent to which the legislation is achieving the objective of providing a framework for achieving consistency in family violence risk assessment and management; and
  • recommend changes required, if any, to improve the effectiveness of the legislation in achieving that objective.
• The legislative provisions for FVISS and CIP. The review will also include consideration of any adverse effects and include recommendations.

What has been achieved so far?

The Family Violence Reform Implementation Monitor’s (FVRIM) office has been appointed to conduct the Review of MARAM, FVISS and CIP.

What is happening now?

The FVRIM’s office will communicate further detail on the review process and timelines in due course.

What is planned next?

The Review will include consultations with victim survivors of family violence, including across a range of diverse communities if possible, and all sectors impacted by these reforms, including justice, education, health, human services, sexual assault and family violence workforces. The Review will be undertaken between May 2022 and May 2023.

What are the Family Violence Capability Frameworks and why are they being reviewed?

The Family Violence Prevention and Response Capability Frameworks provide the foundational skill set required to both deliver prevention of violence against women initiatives and respond to all of forms of family violence.

The Capability Frameworks are used to support workforce mapping, planning, capacity building, recruitment and learning and development. The frameworks are relevant for all workforces intersecting with family violence in Victoria.

The frameworks were developed in 2017 as ‘living documents’. This review is a key priority outlined in Building From Strength Rolling Action Plan (1.15). It is timely not to reflect on the capability uplift required across the system as identified by the MARAM Framework, Free from Violence strategy and other family violence reform over the last five years.

Building from Strength outlines that everybody has a role in family violence response and prevention, this will be reflected in the update of the frameworks.

What has been achieved so far?

FSV has developed a project plan, including approach to stakeholder engagement and the timelines for the completion of the review and associated update. FSV intend to complete the review by end December 2022, following which the two frameworks will be updated in 2023. In April 2022, a Working Group of key specialist peaks and agencies across prevention and response was established to drive the work of the capability frameworks review.

What is happening now?

A consult plan is being finalised with input from the working group, following which first round of consultations will be arranged.

What is planned next?

A round of targeted consultations with affected workforces across prevention and response are being planned for June/July as part of the review.