The Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (MARAM) ensures services are effectively identifying, assessing and managing family violence risk. MARAM was previously known as the common risk assessment framework or ‘CRAF’.
MARAM has been redeveloped to address:
- the issues and gaps identified by the Royal Commission into Family Violence(opens in a new window)
- the Coronial Inquest into the death of Luke Geoffrey Batty
- the 2016 Monash Review of the framework
The aim of MARAM is to increase the safety and wellbeing of Victorians. It will do this by ensuring relevant services can effectively identify, assess and manage family violence risk.
The Framework has been established in law under a new Part 11 of the Family Violence Protection Act 2008.
This means organisations that are authorised through regulations, as well as organisations providing funded services relevant to family violence risk assessment and management, must align their policies, procedures, practice guidance and tools to the MARAM Framework.
What will happen?
The MARAM Framework provides guidance to organisations prescribed under regulations that have responsibilities in assessing and managing family violence risk.
It will support prescribed organisations to:
- recognise a wide range of risk indicators for children, older people and diverse communities. This will be across identities, family and relationship types
- keep perpetrators in view and hold them accountable for their actions and behaviours
A range of organisations were prescribed under MARAM on 27 September 2018.
Benefits of MARAM
All parts of the service system will have a shared understanding of risk assessment and management.
Professionals will have the skills and a framework to guide appropriate risk management action.
There is a clear understanding of the responsibilities of other parts of the system to coordinate and implement safety and accountability planning.
MARAM resources
The MARAM Framework is also supported by operational practice guidance and risk identification, screening and assessment tools. These can be found on the MARAM practice guides and resources page along with the Organisational embedding guide to help your organisation meet its obligations under MARAM.
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