MARAC

[mimi3]

Hi, just looking for some advice regarding MARAC.
Been with my husband for 10 years and we have 3 children. For a period of 5 years he was abusive (emotionally and sexually) towards me (never the children, he’s a good Dad) - this abusive period ended 2 years ago and over the past 2 years he has done work on himself and he has been a lot better. However, I realised I wasn’t in love with him anymore and we had 2 weekends in a row where the abusive behaviour very slightly started again. So I told him I wanted to separate. We both went to individual therapy and his therapist told him to reach out to Fearfree to undertake a course on helping his abusive behaviour.
They rang me and asked if I would like support as well, to which I said okay. She then did a dash report with me and it didn’t score high, however, on reflection she and the team decided it was a high risk case (because my partner became depressed after we separated) and told me, she was referring the case to Marac.

She said that if marac pick up the referral and “it’s a big if” it will then go to conference etc. is it true that it is an ‘if‘ they pick it up or do they check every referral?

I’m so nervous about the marac situation - my husband (technically ex) has and is doing a lot to improve his behaviour and where he goes wrong I don’t view him as a threat, I’m not scared of him etc. we still live together because I want to keep things normal for the children until we decide how to navigate a divorce. But now I fear us living together is seen as more high risk to the professionals.
I’m nervous that they won’t deem my kids safe in the house, I’ve always had plans to home Ed my kids and now I’m worried that this whole process will effect that and they won’t let me if social services get involved.

It just feels like it’s all been blown way out of proportion, yes, my husband has previously been abusive and occasionally those traits still come to surface, but I don’t feel like a marac meeting is necessary and I’m now just feel really scared about what’s going to come of a potential conference about our case.

It’s hard to find information online about marac apart from the standard description of what the meeting is actually about. Does anyone have any experience of what could come from it based on a situation similar to mine?

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear Mimi3,

Thank you for your post and welcome to the parents' forum.

You say that you have been with your husband for 10 years and that you have 3 children. For 5 years, he was abusive towards you. You say this ended 2 years ago and that since then his behaviour has changed. You recently told him you wanted to separate after some of the abusive behaviour started again. You both attended therapy, and a professional contacted you and then referred your case to MARAC. You would like to know what will happen with the MARAC referral and whether this will lead to a conference. You say that you worry that still living with your ex may be perceived as a higher risk to professionals. You are worried that if children's services get involved, then you may not be able to home educate your children. You feel worried about what may happen.

To answer your question, every MARAC referral will be considered. If it is accepted, your case will be discussed at a conference and necessary information shared between agencies. The professionals there will discuss what actions they may need to take to help safeguard you or your children. This could include a referral to children's services if they are worried about the risk your ex may pose.

It is understandable that you are worried and I would advise that you speak to the professional who referred you for any updates they may have from the referral process or the MARAC meeting itself. If a referral is going to be made to children's services, you should be informed. If children's services do become involved, they may want to do an assessment called a child in need assessment. This will involve a social worker speaking to you and your children and working with you to understand if you need any additional support. This does not mean you cannot home educate your children.

You may also find it useful to contact your local domestic abuse services, who can give you more information on the MARAC process or guidance on your current living situation with your ex.

I hope you have found this useful.

Best wishes,

Suzie.

[QWQ21]

If social services have closed their case and can’t find any risks or concerns, (no assessments were done on my partner) can Marac then get involved? My partner has a court order in place with his ex, which has been in place for the last 5 years.

[Suzie, FRG Adviser]

Dear QWQ21,

Thank you for your post. My name is Suzie, and I am an online adviser replying to your question today.

A Marac (multi-agency risk assessment conference) is a meeting where information is shared on the highest risk domestic abuse cases. They are attended by representatives from police, health, child protection, housing, independent domestic violence advisors (Idvas), probation and other specialists from the statutory or voluntary sectors. You can read more about MARAC in an advice sheet from the Safe Lives charity here.

Referral to MARAC can come from any agency involved in domestic abuse prevention, support and risk management and a decision on referral will depend on professional judgement about the severity of the risk and the need for agencies to work together to ensure future safety.

I hope this information was useful to you.
There are many different ways to contact Family Rights Group if you seek further advice in the future:

• A free telephone advice line open Monday to Friday between 9.30am and 3pm (excluding Bank Holidays) on 0808 801 0366
• Easy-to-follow online information. Features include an A-Z, FAQs, films, ‘top tips’ and legal advice sheets;
• Online forums where families can receive advice, discuss issues, and find support;
• A webchat service where you can message an adviser online, who will help you find information and advice to support you.

Best wishes,
Suzie