Saving lives, saving money: Maracs and high risk domestic abuse

This report was published in March 2010 when SafeLives was Caada (Co-ordinated Action Against Domestic Abuse)

Multi-agency risk assessment conferences (Maracs) are voluntary meetings where information on the highest risk cases is shared between local agencies. By bringing all agencies involved in a case together to share information, a co-ordinated safety plan can be put together more quickly and effectively.

For every £1 spent on Maracs, at least £6 of public money can be saved annually on direct costs to agencies such as the police and health services. Maracs are saving money now and will go on to save more in future if properly resourced¹This analysis was independently verified by New Philanthropy Capital in March 2010..

This report includes information about:

• How Maracs work
• Two case studies on the effectiveness of Maracs for victim/survivors
• The national gross savings by using Maracs
• An exploration on who most benefits from Maracs
• A look into the future of Maracs