DASH risk assessment scores
Case reference FOI2025/00568
Received 19 March 2025
Published 10 April 2025
Request
I am writing to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act.
Q1) Does your local authority use a specific cut-off DASH (Domestic Abuse, Stalking, and Honour-Based Violence) risk assessment score for:
a) Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) referrals?
b) Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) referrals?
Q2) If a cut-off score is used, has this score changed at any point over the past 10 years? Please provide the cut-off scores for each year, broken down as follows:
a) IDVA Referral Score: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 (latest available data)
b) MARAC Referral Score: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 (latest available data)
Response
I am writing to request the following information under the Freedom of Information Act. Q1) Does your local authority use a specific cut-off DASH (Domestic Abuse, Stalking, and Honour-Based Violence) risk assessment score for: a) Independent Domestic Violence Advocate (IDVA) referrals? b) Multi-Agency Risk Assessment Conference (MARAC) referrals?
A: The Local Authority does not use DASH scoring/rating to define any access to services.
West Mercia Police no longer use the DASH since Oct 2023, instead the tool is that of a DARA (Domestic Abuse Risk Assessment). West Mercia Womens Aid still however use DASH within their assessments and referrals.
Referrals to MARAC have to be considered HIGH risk however this risk is defined by MARAC governance on case by case basis and not solely defined by DASH/DARO score.
DASH score does not define an individual’s access to IDVA.
Q2) If a cut-off score is used, has this score changed at any point over the past 10 years? Please provide the cut-off scores for each year, broken down as follows: a) IDVA Referral Score: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 (latest available data) b) MARAC Referral Score: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 (latest available data)
A: Herefordshire Council does not have this information, this would need to be requested from West Mercia Police as they coordinate MARAC.
Documents
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