Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference

Detective Inspector Paul White BSCB Annual Conference 4th June 2009

History

 April 2003 – Cardiff  16 Statutory and Non Statutory Agencies  Initial Monthly meetings  Now two weekly – 20 new cases per meeting.

 CAADA – Combined Action Against Domestic Abuse – www.caada.org.uk

 Bromley MARAC commenced March 2008

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Aims of the MARAC

Increase safety, health and well-being of victims and children.

 Determine level of risk posed.

 Construct jointly and implement safety planning/professional support to reduce risk.

 Reduce repeat victimisation.

 Improve Agency accountability.

 Improve support for staff involved in high risk DV cases CAADA MARAC implementation guide

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Your client discloses DV

Life and limb Immediate risk – offender present or longer term?

Police called?

Risk assessment – CAADA recommended risk indicator checklist / Barnardo’s risk assessment for children.

High risk / very high risk – immediate action required?. Refer to MARAC via agency representative. If no representative – MARAC coordinator. All others to One Stop Shop.

CAADA risk indicator checklist

http://www.caada.org.uk/library_resources.html#2      Identifies cases to be referred to MARAC Be alert to the fact that risk is dynamic.

Three common criteria for referral – professional judgement, visible high risk 14 or more ‘Yes’, potential escalation.

Explain to the victim the purpose of the risk indicator checklist.

Refer to your MARAC lead or to MARAC Coordinator

Common Safety Planning Options

      Sanctuary / Safer Bromley Van / CPO Refer to One Stop Shop Panic Alarm / Prioritise calls to address Assistance to obtain County Court orders Housing Options – relocation / refuge Social Care – Child Care Plan   Freedom Programme Drugs and Alcohol Outreach

Safety Planning continued….

 Monitoring release from HMP  Offender targeting  Awareness of the situation  Requests of agencies to change / adopt certain procedures  Referral of offender to MAPPA

Advantages

 Increased safety of high risk victims and children.

 Joint Agency Working - relationships, joint visits, staff safety.

 Advance information - moving into/moving on.

 Reduction of repeat victimisation.

 Cost savings for local services.

Evaluation feedback from Cardiff

 “Before I joined I wouldn’t have had a clue how to get in touch with probation. We now have points of contact and are on first name terms with people in the other agencies to find out pieces of information.”  “Some agencies have snippets of info that on their own don't raise any particular concern. Its only when the jigsaw of info is pieced together that the risk factors begin to be understood.”  “I think that the agencies involved in MARAC are underestimating how important the work is . They are not allowing staff to have time to devote to MARAC” CAADA MARAC implementation guide

Continued………

 “It is important that we don’t hide behind issues of Human Rights, privacy. When we talk about Human Rights we should be looking at articles 2 and 3 the freedom to live without threat of torture, freedom of life…..we need to think about the issue proportionality. In terms of victims we are looking at the critical few… Agencies need to look a bit deeper at their reasons for not sharing info, and not being prepared to work together”  42% of victims referred to MARAC remained free of violence after one year.

CAADA MARAC implementation guide.

The National Perspective

Supplied courtesy of CAADA

Bromley Perspective

 Reporting to Police of DV for the size of population falls just short of national average.

 Reliance on partner agencies to disclose.

 Attendees are at middle manager level  Steering Group – Strategic leads for each organisation.

 Approximately 20% of referrals are from agencies other than Police.

Contacts

 Detective Inspector Paul White – Bromley Police Station 0208 284 9985  Mr David Gaywood – LBB DV Coordinator 0208 313 4290  PC Jean Hydes – MARAC Coordinator – Bromley Police Station 0208 284 8765