About Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR)
Safeguarding Adult Boards have a legal duty to coordinate Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SARs) as outlined under the Care Act 2014.
A SAR is a multi-agency review process which seeks to determine what relevant agencies and individuals involved could have done differently that could have prevented harm or a death from taking place.
The purpose of a SAR is not to blame, it is to promote effective learning and improvement to prevent future deaths or serious harm occurring again.
The Knowsley arrangements for the consideration of Safeguarding Adult Review (SAR) referrals are through a collaboration between relevant organisations in the Local Authority areas, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral, called the Merseyside Safeguarding Adult Review Group (MSARG).
Knowsley SAR referrals are directed to MSARG to consider and establish if the referral meets the criteria for a SAR. Recommendations are then made to the relevant Safeguarding Adult Board Chair about whether a SAR or other type of review should be carried out.
Criteria for conducting a Safeguarding Adult Review
Section 44 of the Care Act (2014) states that the Safeguarding Adult Board (SAB) must arrange a SAR when an adult with needs for care and support (even if the local authority has not been meeting any of those needs) if:
- there is reasonable cause for concern about how the SAB, members of it or other persons with relevant functions worked together to safeguard the adult, and
- the adult has died, and
- the SAB knows or suspects that the death resulted from abuse or neglect (whether it knew about or suspected the abuse or neglect before the adult died)
Or
- the adult is still alive, and the SAB knows or suspects that the adult has experienced serious abuse or neglect
Organisations involved
The Merseyside Safeguarding Adults Review Group (MSARG) is a collaboration between organisations in the Local Authority areas of Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral.
When SARs are conducted
A Safeguarding Adults Board (SAB) must arrange a SAR when
- An adult with needs for care and support has died, and the SAB knows or suspects that the death resulted from abuse or neglect, whether or not it knew about or suspected the abuse or neglect before the adult died.
- An adult is still alive, and the SAB knows or suspects that the adult has experienced serious abuse or neglect.
- There is reasonable cause for concern about how the SAB, its members, or other persons with relevant functions worked together to safeguard the adult and one of the above conditions is met.
How SARs work
Once a SAR has been commissioned, a team of independent reviewers will be appointed to carry out the review. The reviewers will gather evidence from a range of sources, such as interviews with people involved in the case, examination of records, and visits to relevant services.
The reviewers will then write a report which sets out their findings and recommendations. The report will be shared with all the agencies involved in the case and with the Safeguarding Adults Board.
The benefits of SARs
SARs help to improve the way that agencies work together to safeguard adults. By learning from what happened in the past, agencies can identify and address any weaknesses in their practice. This can help to prevent similar tragedies from happening again.
Learning from SARs in Knowsley
The Merseyside Safeguarding Adults Board (MSAB) coordinated a voluntary Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR) for Knowsley. The review report and action plan were agreed upon by MSAB, and the newly established Knowsley Safeguarding Adults Board took on the action plan to ensure that the actions were completed and the learning was shared.
SAR referrals
Anyone or any agency can make a referral to The Merseyside Safeguarding Adults Review Group if they believe that the situation meets the criteria.
Please download the referral form below and return it to SAR@Wirral.gov.uk
More information
Visit the Knowsley SAD website for more information.
Referral form download