The Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management (MARAM) Framework and information sharing schemes ensure that services effectively address family violence and promote child wellbeing and safety.
Health workers are in a unique position to identify and respond to family violence and promote child wellbeing and safety. The involvement of health workers is particularly important in and after emergencies, when family violence tends to increase, escalate and change.
The Victorian government has introduced laws to make it easier for services to share information to keep families and communities safe. They are the:
- Child Information Sharing Scheme
- Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme.
The Schemes are being implemented with the Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (MARAM).
Information Sharing Schemes
Child Information Sharing Scheme
The Child Information Sharing Scheme (CISS) allows authorised services to share information to promote the wellbeing or safety of a child or a group of children. Find more information on the child information sharing page.
Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme
The Family Violence Information Sharing Scheme (FVISS) allows authorised organisations to share information to assess or manage family violence risk to children and adults. Find more information on the family violence information sharing page.
Child Safe Standards
The Department of Health oversees and promotes compliance with the Child Safe Standards. These standards are in line with the Child Wellbeing and Safety Act 2005. They apply to all Victorian department funded or regulated organisations. Find more information on Child Safe Standards.
Family Violence Multi-Agency Risk Assessment and Management Framework (MARAM)
MARAM sets out the responsibilities of different workforces in identifying, assessing and managing family violence risk across the family violence and broader service system.
MARAM guides information sharing under both information sharing schemes where family violence is present. Find more information on the MARAM framework.
Workforces authorised to share information
The health workforces who are authorised to share information are:
- Ambulance Victoria
- bush nursing centres
- state-funded aged care services
- health services (including hospitals)
- alcohol and other drug services
- mental health services (community-managed and designated services)
- early parenting centres
- Maternal and Child Health services
- community health services
- general practitioners and general practitioner nurses
Schools, childcare centres, police and courts are also authorised to share information under the schemes.
MARAM training
For a detailed list of information sharing webinars and eLearning courses for the health workforce, see Training for the information sharing and MARAM reforms on the vic.gov.au website.
Resources
Further information
For further information about training and resources available to support health workforces implementing these reforms, please email infosharing@health.vic.gov.au
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