Family Violence Support

4. MARAM nominated staff responsibilities

If a staff member is identified by their school leader to be a MARAM nominated staff member they have the qualifications, training, experience or a role aligned with wellbeing. They are responsible for screening for family violence and making basic safety plans, and supporting children or young people experiencing wellbeing or safety issues, including by making referrals and using Child and Family Violence Information Sharing Schemes to share information.

As a nominated staff member, are responsible for the following under MARAM:

• Responsibility 1: Respectful, sensitive and safe engagement
• Responsibility 2: Identification of family violence
• Responsibility 5: Seek consultation for comprehensive risk assessment, risk management and referrals
• Responsibility 6: Contribute to information sharing with other services (as authorised by legislation)
• Responsibility 9: Contribute to coordinated risk management
• Responsibility 10: Collaborate for ongoing risk assessment and risk management.

MARAM nominated staff can meet their responsibilities by:

• reading the Introduction, All staff, Staff who use CISS and FVISS, and MARAM nominated staff chapters of the Information Sharing and Family Violence Reforms: Guidance and Tools
• attending MARAM training for nominated staff – refer to Training for the information sharing and MARAM reforms, under ‘Education workforces’
• engaging respectfully, sensitively and safely with people who may be experiencing family violence
• using the Family violence screening tool (DOCX) if they have:
  • received a disclosure of family violence
  • observed signs of trauma that may indicate a child or young person is experiencing, or is at risk of experiencing, family violence, family violence risk factors, narratives (for example, statements or stories) or behaviours that indicate an adult is using family violence
  • completed or received a completed Family violence identification tool (DOCX) and/or Family violence screening tool (DOCX) from a colleague
• following the instructions in the Family violence screening tool to respond to family violence in accordance with the Four Critical Actions, including by:
  • developing a safety plan using the Family violence basic safety plan template (DOCX) after completing a Family violence screening tool that identifies current family violence and if the child, young person and/or adult victim survivor parent or carer is open to receiving support
  • making and responding to FVISS and CISS requests
  • making referrals to specialist services and collaborating to provide ongoing support to the child, young person or their family
  • working with other staff who suspect a child or young person is experiencing family violence, or who have received a disclosure from a student
  • keeping appropriate records.

More information on available MARAM training, including the process for registration, is on the Training for the information sharing and MARAM reforms webpage under ‘Education workforces’.