MARAC and Safe & Together Integration Pilot (MSTIP): Learning Report 2026

The MARAC and Safe & Together Integration Pilot (MSTIP) Learning Report is an independent evaluation by the Improvement Service of a six-month pilot embedding the Safe & Together™ Model into Scotland’s Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) practice in two Scottish council areas. Delivered by the Safe & Together Institute and SafeLives and funded by the Scottish Government through Delivering Equally Safe, the pilot tested the Perpetrator Pattern Mapping Tool (PPMT) within key stages of the MARAC process as part of the wider integration.

Practitioner surveys, focus groups, and interviews point to a clear and sustained shift in practice—including sharper focus on perpetrator accountability, stronger partnering with survivors, and more comprehensive perpetrator information in referrals—alongside identified enablers, barriers, and recommendations for wider rollout across Scotland.

Recognition of survivors’ protective efforts rose from 65% to 87% of practitioners. Agreement that MARAC action plans include meaningful attempts to engage perpetrators around their abusive behaviour rose from 15% to 61%. Agreement that referrals include comprehensive information about perpetrators’ patterns of behaviour rose from 38% to 70%. By the pilot’s end, 91% of practitioners agreed MARAC information sharing held perpetrators accountable rather than placing responsibility on victims, and 96% agreed MARAC action plans reasonably addressed the barriers affecting a survivor’s ability to access support.