SAR Protocol

The Care Act 2014 states that Safeguarding Adult Boards (SABs) must arrange a Safeguarding Adult Review (SAR) when an adult 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 together more effectively to protect the adult. This is a statutory responsibility.

The overall purpose of a Safeguarding Adult Review is to promote learning and improve practice, not to re-investigate or to apportion blame. The objectives include establishing:

lessons that can be learnt from how professionals and their agencies work together
how effective the safeguarding procedures are
learning and good practice issues
how to improve local inter-agency practice
service improvement or development needs for one or more service or agency.

A Safeguarding Adult Board (SAB) must arrange for there to be a review of a case involving an adult in its area with needs for care and support (whether or not the local authority has 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 work together to safeguarding the adult, and
Condition 1 or 2 is met

Condition 1 is met if the adult 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 before the adult died)
Condition 2 is met if the adult is still alive and the SAB knows or suspects that the adult has experience serious abuse or neglect.

Whilst only the Warrington Safeguarding Adults Board Chair can commission a SAR for a Warrington case, any agency or individual can refer a case for consideration of whether it meets the criteria for a SAR.

How to make a SAR Referral +

SAR Referrals must be made to the Safeguarding Partnerships Team safeguardingpartnerships@warrington.gov.uk or by telephone 01925 444085. Once the referral has been made the Safeguarding Partnerships Team will support the referrer to complete the attached SAR Referral Form with enough information to inform the screening process.

Access the SAR Referral Form - click here

The Chair of the WSAB Safeguarding Adults Review and Learning (SARL) Group with support from the Safeguarding Partnerships Manager, will review all referrals prior to arranging the screening process.

At this stage, if the referral information does not suggest that the eligibility criteria would be met, following consultation with other statutory members the SARL Group Chair may reach an agreement not to screen the referral. Where this is agreed the referrer and the Independent Chair will be informed of the rationale for not screening the referral by the Safeguarding Partnerships Manager. If it is considered that there is a more appropriate route or process to which the case should be referred such as for a Safeguarding enquiry, or an investigation under a different framework, the referrer will be advised of this.

The full SAR Protocol can be accessed here.

A summary of the process is described in the flowchart below.

SAR Referral form flowchart

Not found what you were looking for?

To view previously published SARs and Learning Briefs in Warrington click here

To access information available to friends, family and carers click here

To Access the National SAR Library click here

For further information on SARs please access the Social Care Institute for Excellence website