Making a referral

Victims of domestic abuse can be referred to one of the following local agencies:
Next Link
Victim Support
WISH @ Hartcliffe & Knowle West

We recommend that you contact the agency first, to make sure it is the right place for your client and able to accept them.

If your client is at high risk, they should be referred into the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC).

What is the MARAC?

The main aim of the Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) is to reduce the risk of serious harm or homicide for a domestic abuse victim and to increase the safety, health and wellbeing of other victims, both adults and children. In a MARAC local agencies will meet to discuss the highest risk victims of domestic abuse in their area. Information about the risks faced by those victims, the actions needed to ensure safety, and the resources available locally are shared and used to create a risk management plan involving all agencies.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does a representative from my agency attend?

The MARAC is able to target resources at the most complex high risk domestic abuse cases. The representative can also bring crucial information to the MARAC that the other agencies were not aware of, such as details of siblings. This can be particularly important in cases where so called ‘honour’ based violence is suspected.

What cases are discussed?

The highest risk cases of domestic abuse are discussed in your MARAC. These will have been identified by a practitioner from any agency using an evidence based risk assessment tool. It is recommended that the MARAC should initially see the top 10% of cases in your area in terms of risk profile.

What information should my agency bring?

The agency representative should bring any relevant information to the MARAC about the family/victim that will help assess the risk or inform a safety plan. This might include:

• information about recent visits
• any contact details
• your professional opinion on general health and development
• recent attitudes/behaviours of the family members
• risk and possible protective factors in that family

Does the victim need to know they are being discussed at MARAC?

Whether you discuss the MARAC with your patient will depend on whether you referred the case to MARAC.
IF YOU ARE THE REFERRING AGENCY: It is good practice to discuss the referral with the victim if it is safe to do so. You will need to use your professional judgement to decide whether it is safe.
IF YOU ARE NOT THE REFERRING AGENCY: You should check with the referring agency before contacting your client to gather relevant information to ensure it is safe to do so.

What are the legal grounds for sharing information?

Disclosures to MARAC are made under the Data Protection Act and the Human Rights Act. Information can be shared when it is necessary to prevent a crime, protect the health and/or safety of the victim and/or the rights and freedoms of those who are victims of violence and/or their children. It must be proportionate to the level of risk of harm to a named individual or known household. For further information see the FAQs on disclosure of information at MARAC available at www.caada.org.uk

Who do I contact for more information?

The MARAC Administrator, Michelle Cunningham, by phone on 0117 945 4322 or by email on michelle.cunningham@avonandsomerset.pnn.police.uk.

Useful downloads

A copy of the CAADA-DASH risk assessment form (Word). To check that you are using the most uptodate version of this form, we advise you to check the CAADA website
Detailed flow chart of the MARAC process (pdf)
MARAC process frequently asked questions (pdf)

Thanks to Lucy Muchina, Bristol MARAC Nurse, for providing text and information for this page.