Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC)
A Multi Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) is a regular local meeting to discuss how to help victim/survivors of domestic abuse who have been assessed as being in the top 10% at highest risk of homicide or serious harm.
No single agency has a complete picture of the life of a domestic abuse survivor, but many will have insights that are crucial to their safety. The MARAC is both a forum to share these insights with other local services and to develop a joined-up safety plan.
In 1999, Standing Together pioneered the first multi-agency group to implement safety measures for victims of domestic abuse in Hammersmith and Fulham. MARACs have since been recommended by successive governments and are now prioritised in every Local Authority area.
Our MARACs
Standing Together continues to spearhead best practice and excellence in the field of MARAC provision and coordinates MARACs across four London boroughs:
Hammersmith & Fulham
Westminster
Kensington & Chelsea
Haringey
We address from 300 to 500 high risk cases in each borough every year. Our statistical evidence indicates there is significant improvement in key deliverables, such as volume and referrals from diverse backgrounds, where Standing Together has taken over the coordination of a MARAC.
In line with The Coordinated Community Response, our MARAC’s bring services together to ensure local systems identify those at highest risk, keep survivors safe through robust safety planning, hold abusers to account, and prevent further escalation.
Our team offer training and briefings for professionals practising in any of these four London Boroughs. We also offer in-depth consultancy support to help make your MARAC more effective. Contact us to find out more.
Our Research
MOPAC commissioned a review of how London MARACs operate across the 32 London boroughs in 2021. The review was carried out by Standing Together in collaboration with Centre for Abuse Research (CARe) at the University of Suffolk. You can review the report here and executive summary here.