Facilitate the roll-out of the Risk Assessment and Management Panels

Implemented

Who is leading the change

Family Safety Victoria

The Victorian Government facilitate the roll-out of the Risk Assessment and Management Panels, or RAMPs, as a priority, ensuring that this includes:

adequate resourcing and support—case management and links to long-term support
standardised referral guidance, to be used by all agencies, that is aligned to the revised Family Violence Risk Assessment and Risk Management Framework to identify high-risk cases for referral to RAMPs
organisational and practice guidelines for effective RAMP operation, supported by a targeted workforce development and training program
processes for supporting oversight by Regional Family Violence Integration Committees
implementation oversight by the Cabinet Family Violence Sub-committee and Victorian Secretaries’ Board Sub-Committee on Family Violence Reform

Following 2 successful pilots, 18 Risk Assessment and Management Panels (RAMPs) were rolled out across the state from June 2016. RAMPs are formally convened monthly meetings, held at local levels between representatives from key agencies and organisations that contribute to the safety of women and children experiencing serious and imminent threat from family violence. By working together, they can better facilitate the safety of family violence victim survivors, and focus on men who pose a serious and imminent threat, to prevent them from perpetrating harm and to hold them accountable for their actions. RAMPs provide a response to women and their children at critical levels of risk, who require a comprehensive, multiagency risk assessment and management action plan.

The RAMPs are co-chaired by Victoria Police and specialist family violence services. Other core members comprise:
- Corrections Victoria
- Child FIRST
- Department of Health and Human Services Child Protection
- Department of Health and Human Services Housing
- Mental Health Services
- Alcohol and Drug Services
- Men's Family Violence Services
RAMPs are also attended by associate members that may have particular knowledge of the situation, including referring agencies. Associate members attend a RAMP on an 'as needed' basis to inform risk assessment and management action planning to keep women and children safe.

A web-based information sharing and record management application, the RAMP Information Sharing System (RISS), has been developed to support the RAMPs program and facilitate meetings by enabling RAMP coordinators and members to:
- process referrals
- see history of RAMP involvement for perpetrators, affected family members and their children
- conduct live multi-agency risk assessments and assign risk management actions during meetings
- provide updates to track impact between meetings
Following the rollout of the RAMPs, work has continued to embed the new operational practice, provide continued workforce development and address system barriers so that the RAMPs can operate as effectively as possible.

Comprehensive RAMP training sessions are delivered by the Statewide RAMP Coordinator (through the Domestic Violence Resource Centre Victoria), This training, along with detailed operational guidelines, ensures that RAMP members are well placed to contribute to the RAMP process and understand the model and their own roles and responsibilities. The RAMP operational guidelines are being reviewed to ensure alignment with the Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (MARAM) and the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme.

The RAMP Information Sharing System (RISS) has been rolled out across the state, to support better information sharing and promotes the consistent delivery of the RAMP program.

The RAMP program underwent a continuous improvement review process led by Domestic Violence Victoria to ensure the quality, consistency and efficiency of RAMPs across the state. The program will also undergo an evaluation to measure RAMP outcomes and the extent to which RAMPs reduces risk posed by perpetrators and keeps victim survivors at the highest risk safe.

In relation to governance, the Victorian Secretaries Board Sub-Committee on Family Violence Reform will provide oversight of the RAMPs program and be updated on a bi-annual basis, or more often as required.

Updated 18 May 2020