Chapter 4: MARAM structure

The three core components of MARAM are illustrated in Figure 3 below. The MARAM pillars are set at an organisational level. They each contain a requirement to which organisations must align. Alignment is defined as actions taken by organisations to effectively incorporate the four pillars into existing policies, procedures, practice guidance and tools, as appropriate to the roles and functions of the entity and its place in the service system. Appendix 3 sets out the MARAM pillars.

The pillars, along with 10 MARAM principles guide a shared understanding of family violence response across the service system to guide consistent practice. Appendix 4 provides the full text of the principles.

The MARAM responsibilities set out the practice expectations for professionals in relation to family violence risk identification, assessment and management. Supporting resources provides guidance for organisations to determine the appropriate MARAM responsibilities for their workforce. Appendix 5 provides the full details of the responsibilities.

The responsibilities can be broadly summarised into three levels of practice:

• identification – this role incorporates all MARAM responsibilities, except those related to assessment and management of risk (3–4 and 7–8). It applies to people who interact with Victorians in the course of their work, where they could identify family violence is taking place. They may be able to observe family violence narratives or behaviours, and/or ask sensitive questions of victim survivors (for example, at schools and early childhood centres)
• intermediate – this role incorporates all MARAM responsibilities, except specialist risk assessment and management (7–8). It applies to people who interact with Victorians in the course of their work, where they can assess or manage a presenting ‘need’ (for example, alcohol or drug use, mental health or housing crisis)
• comprehensive – this role incorporates all 10 MARAM responsibilities. It applies to people who interact with Victorians in a specialist capacity to directly respond to family violence (for example, specialist family violence services and family violence refuges).