Victims/survivors of domestic abuse - multi-agency risk assessment and interventions: report

4. Emerging Themes and Recommendations

Overarching recommendations

9. The following overarching recommendations were identified at the workshop held in November 2022:

• Necessity of effective resourcing for Maracs; information on this needs to be fed into the strategic funding review, particularly in relation to funding for IDAAs. A sustainable funding model for Maracs needs to be developed to help ensure consistency in the quality of support to victims/survivors across Scotland.
• The voice of experience must inform every stage of the development of Marac in Scotland, to help ensure that Maracs are responsive to victims/survivors' needs.
• Link Marac development work with that being undertaken on domestic homicide reviews.

Short term recommendations

10. Carry out research/ mapping exercise of practice in local authority areas across Scotland. This will identify:

• Current involvement in Marac
• Training undertaken
• Training needs of professionals in different sectors and with different levels of involvement in Marac
• Information sharing
• Cost benefit analysis
• Use of DASH RIC
• Exploration of a composite storytelling case study.

11. To inform more inclusive, accessible practice in future, research will also include consultation of those with lived experience, and an exploration of:

• Gaps in the current system in identifying and responding to the risks that victims/survivors experience, including systemic barriers to referral
• Examples of inclusive and accessible practice.

Medium term recommendations

12. Develop a set of national standards around MARAC

• Standards should cover areas including role/sector expectations, good practice, accounting for needs of children and young people, information sharing, and resourcing models. This will prepare the ground for statutory footing.

13. Develop training model

• The model will raise awareness and help ensure consistency of practice. The model will build on existing frameworks and adopt a tiered approach according to the level of professionals' involvement in Maracs. It will cover key themes such as information sharing, and accounting for children and young people's needs and experiences.

Long term recommendation

14. Marac should be put on a statutory footing

• This will put Marac on the same footing as other public protection processes, and potentially raise standards while driving better funding and consistency in quality of delivery across Scotland.