MARAM practice guidance

What MARAM practice guidance is being developed?

Family Safety Victoria (FSV) is developing MARAM practice guidance for:

• direct risk and wellbeing assessment of children and young people victim survivors 

• identifying and responding to young people using family violence in the home and in intimate partner/dating relationships (recognising young people using violence often experience family violence risk).

This new practice guidance will support workforces prescribed under the MARAM Framework to respond to children and young people as victim survivors in their own right and support their wellbeing in the context of family violence. The guidance will support professionals to respond to young people using violence with a trauma and violence-informed, and age and developmental stage lens. The practice guides and tools are anticipated for release in 2024.

What has been achieved so far?

In 2022-23, 41 consultation sessions were held with over 500 professionals across MARAM prescribed workforces to support the development of the child and young person-focused MARAM practice guidance. 

The Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare, YSAS, Safe and Equal were engaged to contribute to the development of the Practice Guides, with much of their work contributing to the project now completed. In addition, FSV engaged RMIT and Monash University to undertake research reports. 

In December 2022, RMIT published the report ‘Adolescents using Family Violence (AFV) MARAM Practice Guidance Project 2022: Review of the Evidence Base’. The report reviews the evidence base in relation to tools currently used to assess adolescent violence in the home (AVITH), adolescent intimate partner or ‘dating’ violence and harmful sexual behaviours.

In March 2023, Monash University published their report, ‘Young people’s experiences of identity abuse in the context of family violence: A Victorian study’. The report provides analysis of Victorian responses received to Monash University’s national survey on children and young people’s family violence experiences, use of violence, service, and support needs. The survey was completed in 2021 as part of a national study funded by ANROWS. The Victorian sample includes responses from 1454 Victorian young people aged 16-20 years old. The report builds on the I Believe You report published by Monash University in February 2023, and supports further understanding of the voice and experience of children and young people experiencing family violence. The findings from each report will directly inform the practice guidance and tools by incorporating young people’s experience of barriers to help seeking and service engagement, and experience of family violence that targets the young person’s identity and/or culture.

In May 2023, FSV engaged Swinburne University and Safe and Equal to commence development of the MARAM child and young person family violence risk and wellbeing identification and assessment tools.

In June 2023, FSV further engaged a consortium of VACCA and Yoowinna Wurnalung Aboriginal Healing Service (YWAHS) to work on content across the draft practice guidance, co-lead consultations with key stakeholders, engage with and draw upon children and young people’s voices, contribute to tool and template development and support user testing processes. This approach will ensure that consultation and user testing is culturally safe and an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander lens is centred throughout the development of the Practice Guides and tools.

FSV has also established a Youth Advisory Group, from participants in the I Believe you research project, to ensure the findings from the research is embedded in the practice guidance and tools.

What is happening now?

FSV and project partners are drafting content across the 10 MARAM responsibilities and updating the Foundation Knowledge Guide. 

Swinburne University is undertaking an evidence review to support the development of child and young person family violence risk and wellbeing identification and assessment tools. Findings from this study, alongside RMIT’s review, will be used to help shape both the content and design of the new MARAM tools, which will be tested and refined over the coming months. 

In August 2023, Safe and Equal are holding a series of consultations with specialist family violence services focusing on direct engagement, risk assessment and risk management with children and young people independently, as well as alongside a parent/carer. 

FSV is undertaking targeted consultation focusing on language and practice related to identifying use of harm as separate to use of family violence by young people, and approaches to accountability with young people using family violence.

What is planned next?

For the remainder of 2023, Swinburne University and Safe and Equal, will be finalising the research methodology for development, testing and refinement of the child and young person tools. The development phase will be completed by the end of 2023, following a comprehensive, iterative process of feedback gained from subject matter experts. Draft practice guidance will be developed by FSV with VACCA, YWAHS and Safe and Equal, alongside the tool development.

FSV will be testing draft material in consultation with workforces later in 2023. If you would like to be involved in consultation, please contact infosharing@familysafety.vic.gov.au.

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