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MARAM and Information Sharing Reforms
The Victorian Government is progressing three interrelated reforms that are integral to reducing family violence and promoting child wellbeing or safety. Child and Family Services are subject to the Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS), the Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVISS) and are MARAM framework organisations.
The Centre is supporting State Government in its roll out of the MARAM and Information Sharing reforms, and is funded by the Peak Sector Capacity Building Grant.
Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS)
The CISS was developed in response to numerous independent reviews and child death inquiries over the past decade, including the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse. These reviews and inquiries recommended reform to Victoria’s information sharing arrangements to improve wellbeing and safety outcomes for children, by addressing a risk-averse culture to sharing information. CISS enables authorised organisations and services to share information to promote the wellbeing or safety of children.
Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVISS)
The Royal Commission into Family Violence identified that organisations working with victims and perpetrators of family violence collect a wide variety of information. It also identified barriers that prevent information from being shared as effectively as it could be. The Commission found that the failure to share crucial information can have serious consequences for victims of family violence. FVISS enables authorised organisations and services to share information to facilitate assessment and management of family violence risk to children and adults.
MARAM
The Royal Commission into Family Violence (and review of the Common Risk Assessment Framework – CRAF) also recognised the need to set out standards, roles and responsibilities, and include assessment tools and practice guidance for family violence identification, risk assessment and risk management. The MARAM framework sets out the responsibilities of different workforces in identifying, assessing and managing family violence risk across the family violence and broader service system. MARAM will guide information sharing under both information sharing schemes wherever family violence is present.
Resources
Organisational Embedding Guide
Family Safety Victoria’s has released its Organisational Embedding Guide on the Victorian Government website under ‘Organisational focused resources’.
MARAM Practice Guide for Survivors
The MARAM practice guides support professionals to understand their relevant responsibilities under the MARAM Framework towards the identification, assessment and ongoing management of family violence risk as it relates to their specific roles. You can find this guide under ‘Practice guide resources and tools’.
How to use the MARAM Organisational Embedding Guide
This video, developed by Family Safety Victoria, explains how to use the three MARAM Organisational Embedding Guide core resources. Please share this information with your team leaders and colleagues who are involved in supporting organisational alignment to MARAM.
MARAM and Information Sharing Resource Hub
The MARAM and Information Sharing Resources Hub contains useful information for Child and Family Services and allied sector workforces to assist in implementing the reforms. The resouce hub includes State Government resources as well as resources developed by the Centre including webinars, podcasts, case studies and training summaries.
