Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs)

Making changes from lessons learned.

What is a Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR)?

A Safeguarding Adults Review is a process for all partner agencies to identify the lessons that can be learned from particularly complex or difficult Safeguarding Adults cases and implement changes to improve services in the light of these lessons.
 
From April 2015, Section 44 of the Care Act 2014 placed a duty on local Safeguarding Adults Boards to arrange SARs.
 
The statutory guidance for The Care Act 2014 states that SABs must arrange a SAR:

  • When an adult, with needs for care and support, (whether or not the local authority was meeting any of those needs) in its area dies as a result of abuse or neglect, whether known or suspected, and there is concern that partner agencies could have worked more effectively to protect the adult
    or

  • If an adult in its area has not died, but the SAB knows or suspects that the adult has experienced serious abuse or neglect and there is concern that partner agencies could have worked more effectively to protect the adult

The aim of the process is to learn lessons and make improvements rather than to blame individual people or organisations. SARs can also be used to explore examples of good practice where it is likely that lessons can be applied to future cases.

Who decides when to hold a SAR?

The Safeguarding Adults Board has a Safeguarding Adults Review Committee that considers referrals for SARs. The group makes recommendations to the Safeguarding Adults Board on whether a SAR should be held or if other steps can be taken to respond to the issues that a case has raised. Anyone can make a referral to the Safeguarding Adults Review Committee.

How is a SAR carried out?

If the decision is to proceed with a Safeguarding Adults Review, the Committee can use this information to determine the type of review to be undertaken and the scope of the review.
 
Once completed the findings of the review will be reported back to the SAB with any action plans identified. The SAB then monitors the implementation of these plans with the help of the Safeguarding Adults Review Committee. The executive summary and agreed action plan is published and made available to the public, which is agreed with the family members or appropriate others.

There is a timetable for all parts of the process based on national guidelines.

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