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What are Safeguarding Adults Reviews?
Safeguarding Adults Reviews (SARs) provide valuable opportunities for organisations to learn, develop and improve how they work together to help and protect someone from abuse or neglect.
Whilst organisations will often well work well together, sometimes people’s unique circumstances highlight weaknesses in systems or processes that can be addressed through a Safeguarding Adults Review. The review will seek to understand what has happened and how to strengthen these working together arrangements.
Who arranges them?
Safeguarding Adults Boards are responsible for holding these reviews.
The Care Act 2014 sets out criteria for when they must be held and when they can be held. However, each Board is responsible for deciding on the best way to carry out each review.
Why am I being contacted?
If you have been contacted, then concerns will have been raised with the Safeguarding Adults Board about how organisations worked together to help either yourself, a relative or a friend of yours. We would like to hear your views on the help and support received, as we this will help us understand what actions will be needed to improve how organisations work in the future.
We do recognise and understand that the review is likely to involve a particularly difficult and distressing period of your life. If you do not wish or do not feel able to take part, we will of course understand and respect your views.
What is involved?
This is an opportunity to hear from you as to what went well, what didn’t go well and hear any views about how practice could be improved. We can also feedback to you what we learn from this review.
Ideally this would take the form of a discussion with the person writing to you, but you could just respond in writing if that was preferable. You would be welcome to involve the support of a friend or family member. We may be able to arrange for an Independent Advocate to help you to take part, this will depend on your circumstances. We can discuss this with you.
What will be the outcome of the review?
Each review will have a Terms of Reference setting out the areas to be addressed and expected outcomes. A copy can be shared with you.
A report will be produced for the Safeguarding Adults Board setting out our learning and improvements needed. The Board will oversee the completion of any action plan needed.
A summary of learning is often published on the Board website. This would not include any personal details, such as names or addresses. You would be welcome to see the summary in advance if you wish. If you have any concerns about this, we can review what is says.
What a review cannot do
A Safeguarding Adults Review is held solely for the purposes of learning and improvement. It cannot be used investigate an incident or to decide who was to blame. Nor can the review be used to hold any individual or organisation to account for what they have done or not done. This is not their purpose. This is what it says in Statutory guidance.
Further information
The LSAB Safeguarding Adults Review Policy and Framework is available for anyone to read its website (leedssab.org.uk). If you have any questions about this review, or concerns about your participation within it, please do contact the person writing to you. They will be able to explain and discuss any concerns you may have.