A working group to support operation of the information-sharing

Implemented

Who is leading the change

Family Safety Victoria

The Victorian Secretaries’ Board Sub-Committee on Family Violence Reform oversee a working group consisting of representatives of ‘prescribed organisations’ covered by the recommended information-sharing regime and the Office of the Privacy and Data Protection Commissioner. The working group should:

identify priority areas for the development of an information-sharing culture throughout the family violence system
develop an awareness campaign to explain the new information-sharing regime to prescribed organisations
coordinate the production of any guidelines or guidance material created to support the new information-sharing regime and help prescribed organisations put their information-sharing arrangements into operation
help prescribed organisations update information-sharing protocols and memorandums of understanding and deliver internal training on information sharing

The success of any new legislation around the recommended information sharing regime will depend on effective implementation supported by appropriate governance.

The Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (MARAM) and Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVISS) reforms have been supported by a working group with representation from departments of Premier and Cabinet, Education and Training, Justice and Community Safety, and Health and Human Services in addition to Courts and Victoria Police. These representatives have supported key policy work in the design and implementation, including through awareness raising activities, training and change management activities for the MARAM and information sharing reforms to support understanding of the reforms and use of the scheme in practice.

Ongoing training to support implementation of the MARAM and FVISS is underway, focusing on workforces prescribed under regulations to align to the MARAM Framework and authorised to share information under FVISS. (See Recommendations 2, 3 and 5).

An Expert Advisory Group with relevant non-government and academic expertise continues to provide ongoing advice on the implementation of the family violence information sharing scheme and the MARAM Framework. Work with sector stakeholders is ongoing to identify the future entities that will be prescribed under each reform.
MARAM and FVISS implementation efforts have been supported by the sector grants initiative to provide direct implementation support to sectors with prescribed organisations.

The projects developed from this funding form the Family Violence Multi Agency Risk Assessment and Management and Information Sharing (MARAMIS) Sector Capacity Building Project 2019-20. These projects are intentionally sector-facing and complement a range of whole of government and department-led efforts to build workforce and staff capacity. Grant recipients have formed the MARAMIS Sector Capacity Building Working Group, meeting bi-monthly from August 2019 – June 2020, to allow grant recipients to collaborate, share ideas, resources and activities, and work towards a unified approach across the service system.

There is a separate Aboriginal MARAMIS Sector Capacity Building Working Group also meeting bi-monthly from August 2019 – June 2020 that specifically addresses services for Aboriginal people.

The frequency of these working groups is determined by members, who also have their own separate communities of practice. Family Safety Victoria facilitates and provides secretariat support to the working groups as well as content support about the reforms to sector grant recipients.

Family Violence Regional Integration Committees also drive a range of cross-sector work at the regional level to support better information sharing and collaboration on family violence risk assessment and management.

Updated 18 May 2020