MATAC

Multi-Agency Tasking and Coordination protocol or 'MATAC', with regular meetings led by Cleveland Police, along with key partners, assesses and plans a bespoke set of interventions to target and disrupt serial perpetrators and/or support them to address their behaviour.

The core objective of MATAC is to ensure that agencies work in partnership to engage serial domestic abuse perpetrators in support, take enforcement action where required, and protect vulnerable and intimidated victims.

A multi-agency process that will potentially reduce the risk of harm and/or recidivism, ensure the safety of those who are at risk or suffer abuse in their daily lives, and respond to perpetrators in a way that minimises such risks, while also ensuring choice, dignity, and the rights of all are preserved.

• Work together to provide support, a network of services, and, where necessary, enforcement and consequences for identified perpetrators of domestic abuse
• Increase the safety of victims of domestic abuse, their families, and the wider community, and reduce the risk of future harm to other potential victims
• Support identified serial perpetrators of domestic abuse to engage with support services and interventions to positively change their behaviour to reduce reoffending
• Collectively identify and implement action plans for identified perpetrators
• Where an identified perpetrator doesn’t engage with support, consider, agree, and implement actions of disruption and enforcement against that individual. Collectively identify and implement action plans for identified perpetrators.
• MATAC does not replace the requirement for other statutory interventions where applicable.
• Partners will nominate a Single Point of Contact (SPOC) for information sharing purposes and to attend the MATAC meeting     
• Attendees at MATAC meetings will be prepared to engage in discussion of the perpetrator and to contribute to the action plan.
• Partners will manage the MATAC action plan collectively; no one agency will be solely responsible for the perpetrator’s journey through the process.
• All domestic abuse perpetrators or those suspected of abuse - regardless of race, religion, cultural background, age, gender, or physical, sensory, or mental impairment - will have the same opportunity to access services to address their behaviour under the MATAC process.
• Partners will operate the principles and processes in the MATAC protocol and will have the appropriate level of information and training to understand the needs of domestic abuse perpetrators and the enforcement options available to their agency.
• MATAC seeks to complement and not duplicate any other multi-agency forums and process. Where a perpetrator is already active in one of these they will not be considered for MATAC. Examples of other such processes being MARAC and MAPPA.

An individual who is responsible for, or is suspected of being responsible for, committing acts in incidents and/or crimes which are domestic abuse by definition, and there are two or more past or present identified victims of the abuse.

• Subjects into the MATAC process should be considered serial perpetrators of domestic abuse (may not have been reported to police)
• The MATAC referral form must be completed, including the Priority Perpetrator Identification Tool (PPIT) section of the document, and forwarded by secure email to MATAC@cleveland.pnn.police.uk
• Cleveland Police will be responsible for identifying and researching the perpetrators for discussion by partners. This will include application of the Recency, Frequency, Gravity (RFG) matrix and scoring to identify those serial perpetrators who cause the most harm and pose the most risk to future victims
• Cleveland Police will request information from partners before inclusion in the MATAC process is determined, to ensure that the most appropriate subjects are selected for discussion and action

• Agreement of the risk and response level in each case, and whether, and in what form, action may be needed
• Swift and robust response where MATAC subjects do not engage
• Frequently reviewing risk to the victim(s) and family
• Reviewing the Risk, Frequency, Gravity (RFG) score at completion of milestones or in the event of disengagement or non-engagement

The objectives of the MATAC meeting are to ensure effective multi-agency discussion and agreements in response to the identification of a MATAC subject by:

• Exchanging relevant information and clarifying the facts of the (alleged) abuse
• Reaching an agreed assessment of the risk to the victim(s) and any other people
• Agreeing actions and timings
• Identifying the professionals who will undertake those actions
• Planning to provide any emergency protection needed
• Identifying any preventative activity
• Identifying whether any further safeguarding referrals are required and agreeing the professional to undertake those actions

MATAC Coordinator
Allison Pitt
07753277434
Allison.Pitt2@cleveland.pnn.police.uk

MATAC Analyst
Julie Blakey
075451000915
Julie.Blakey@cleveland.pnn.police.uk

The referral form is available on the professionals page, in the MATAC section. Completed referral forms should be sent to MATAC@cleveland.pnn.police.uk.

For more detailed information on process please refer to the Multi Agency Tasking and Coordination (MATAC) operating protocol.