When reviewing your Marac’s quarterly data, you should consider the following points.
1. Number of cases discussed
Based on the expected level of 40 cases per 10,000 of the adult female population. This has been established from work carried out by SafeLives, combined with police reporting rates and what we know about the likelihood of high-risk victims of domestic abuse reporting to the police.
2. Recommended number of full time equivalent Idvas
We estimate that the average number of referrals to a full time equivalent (FTE) Idva will be approximately 100 cases per annum. This is likely to translate into a caseload of 60-80 cases a year per FTE Idva. There are 2 recommendations for the Idva capacity. The first is to support the current volume of cases referred to the Marac and the second relates to the FTE Idva capacity required to support the recommended volume of cases to your Marac. This is the recommended capacity to support Marac referrals only therefore if the threshold for referring to the Idva service is lower than the Marac threshold this figure should be increased.
Please note, in calculating these recommendations our methodology is based on the average police reporting rate and prevalence of high-risk domestic abuse nationally. In using these recommendations locally, you will need to consider any local factors which may impact on your Marac’s actual volume and the capacity you would need to support the cases discussed at the meeting.
3. Recommended number of full time equivalent administrators
We estimate that 1 FTE administrator is required to support 400 cases. There are two recommendations for the administration capacity. The first is to support the current volume of cases referred to the Marac and the second relates to the FTE administration capacity required to support the recommended volume of cases to your Marac. This recommendation is specifically for administration of the Marac and does not take into consideration any broader role that administrators may be undertaking.
Please note, in calculating these recommendations our methodology is based on the average police reporting rate and prevalence of high risk domestic abuse nationally. In using these recommendations locally, you will need to consider any local factors which may impact on your Marac’s actual volume and the capacity you would need to support the cases discussed at the meeting.
4. Cases per 10,000 adult female population
The expected level of 40 cases per 10,000 of the adult female population has been established from analysis carried out by SafeLives in analysing the prevalence of high risk victims including both those who report and do not report to the police. When reviewing the different levels across Maracs, local factors such as population density, deprivation and range of referral agencies should be considered.
5. Number of children
This is the total number of children involved in cases referred to your Marac. Reflects the demographic breakdown of the local population as a proportion of the number of cases.
6. Per cent referrals from partner agencies
Expected figures are between 25-40%. Points that could be considered when reviewing these figures include the local level of police reporting (where above 6% is high and below 2.5% is low) effectiveness of the health response of identifying victims of domestic abuse and levels of deprivation.
7. Per cent referrals from police
Expected figures are between 60-75%. Points that could be considered when reviewing these figures include the local level of police reporting (where above 6% is high and below 2.5% is low) effectiveness of the health response of identifying victims of domestic abuse and levels of deprivation.
8. Per cent repeat referrals
There are some concerns that the national average does not reflect the true level of repeats. For an established Marac the expected level would be in the range of 28-40%. We define a ‘repeat’ as any instance of abuse between the same victim and perpetrator(s) within 12 months of the last referral to Marac.
9. Per cent Black, Asian and racially minoritised referrals
This figure reflects the percentage of referrals of victims of domestic abuse who are non-white British. The percentage of the local population for Black, Asian and racially minoritised people is taken from the latest census information and refers to the usual resident population. We would expect referrals to the Marac to be representative of the local population for Black, Asian and racially minoritised people.
10. Per cent LGBT+ referrals
The national average is lower than the expected 2.5 – 5.8% (or above) which is partly due to barriers in reporting. There is variation in estimates about the size of LGB populations, and even less data on transgender populations, but Public Health England’s current estimate for the national LGB population is between 2.5% and 5.8% . The results of research conducted in Scotland and Wales suggest that similar estimates could be made for these areas.
11. Per cent referrals where a victim has a disability
The national average is lower than the expected 23% (or above) which is partly due to barriers in reporting. This figure is based on the Family Resources Survey 2021-22 which identifies that almost 1 in 5 of the working age population (16-64 years) is disabled. SafeLives’ definition of disability is consistent with the core definition of disability under the Equality Act 2010.
12. Per cent referrals with a male victim
Expected to be between the national average and 10%. This reflects the current understanding of the difference experiences of domestic abuse by gender eg Hester, M. (2009) Who Does What to Whom? Gender and Domestic Violence Perpetrators, Bristol: University of Bristol in association with the Northern Rock Foundation. Lower levels may be partly due to barriers in reporting.
13. Number of victims aged 16–17
This figure is the number of victims aged 16 – 17 discussed at the Marac. This data reflects the change to cross-government definition of domestic abuse which took place on the 31st March 2013. This data was first collected in October 2013 by all Marac, so figures will only reflect cases discussed at Marac from the 1st October 2013, and no cases discussed prior to this date.
14. Per cent victims aged 16–17
This figure is the percentage of cases discussed at Marac where the victim was aged 16 – 17 years old. This data was first collected in October 2013 by all Maracs, so figures will only reflect cases discussed at Marac from the 1st October 2013, and no cases discussed prior to this date.
15. Number of young people causing harm
This is the number of people causing harm aged 17 or below in relation to a victim discussed at Marac. This data was first collected in October 2013 by all Maracs, so figures will only reflect cases discussed at Marac from the 1st October 2013, and no cases discussed prior to this date.