After a referral is made, a Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) meeting is held to discuss an action plan for the victim.
Meetings are held every four weeks in Dumfries via Microsoft Teams.
Victims or perpetrators cannot attend the MARAC meeting.
You should never make the perpetrator aware of the MARAC meeting as this may increase the victim’s risk.
Actions are identified
Appropriate actions are identified at the MARAC meeting and by using the knowledge and expertise of different agencies, the identified risks are reduced and/or managed in the most appropriate and effective way.
An action plan is circulated around all relevant agencies so that they carry out their actions.
The organisations involved in the meeting:
- Police Scotland
- Dumfriesshire and Stewartry Women’s Aid
- Wigtownshire Women’s Aid
- Dumfries and Galloway Rape Crisis
- ASSIST Scotland
- NHS Dumfries and Galloway
- Scottish Prison Service
- Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service
- Dumfries and Galloway social work team
- Dumfries and Galloway education team
- Dumfries and Galloway housing team
- Victim support
- Wheatley Group
- Cunninghame Housing Association
- Riverside Scotland Housing Association
After the meeting
The MARAC Coordinator will share the action plan with relevant agencies; will follow the actions up and will ask agencies for updates before the next MARAC meeting.
Any action points are shared with relevant practitioners by the MARAC representative or the MARAC Coordinator - for example, schools and nurseries.
The MARAC coordinator, with the approval of the MARAC chair, will create new post-MARAC actions if new developments require this.
The IDAA (Independent Domestic Abuse Advocate) will have a conversation with the victim and will update them on the MARAC meeting.
You can learn more about the process in our Multi agency risk assessment conference (MARAC – operating protocol).