Safeguarding Adults Reviews

A Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR) sets out to determine what could have been done differently to prevent serious abuse, neglect or a death.

A SAR aims to promote effective learning and improvement to prevent harm in the future, not to apportion blame. Key objectives include finding out:

• what lessons can be learnt from how professionals and agencies work together
• how effective the safeguarding procedures are
• how to improve local inter-agency practice
• how to improve services

SAR criteria

The Care Act 2014 requires that Safeguarding Adults Boards must arrange a Safeguarding Adults Review when:

• an adult in its area dies either as a result of abuse or neglect, and there is concern that partner agencies could have worked more effectively to protect the adult
• or if an adult has not died, but the Safeguarding Adults Board knows or suspects that the adult has experienced serious abuse or neglect

How to make a referral

If you think your referral meets the criteria above, please speak to your organisation’s Safeguarding Lead.

• Read our SAR policy in full
• Read SAR privacy notice to see how we process and store personal data 

Published SARs

• Briefing note – SAR Colin
• 7-minute briefing – SAR Colin
• Briefing note – SAR Joseph
• Brief summary report – SAR Joseph
• Briefing note – SAR Hazel
• SAR – Hazel
• Briefing note – SAR ‘Mr A’
• Executive summary – SAR ‘Mr A’
• ISAB response to ‘Mr A’ SAR
• Briefing note – DHR/SAR Louise
• Overview report – DHR/SAR Louise
• Executive summary – DHR/SAR Louise
• Briefing note – SAR Paul and James
• SAR – Paul and James
• 7 Minute Briefing – SAR Paul and James
• Executive Summary – SAR June
• Briefing note – SAR June
• 7-minute briefing – SAR June

National SAR library

There is also a National SAR library where Safeguarding Adults Boards are asked to submit all published reviews from 1st April 2019.

Access the national SAR library on scie.org.uk

National SAR analysis: 2019 – 2023

The second national analysis identifies priorities for sector-led improvement as a result of learning from SARs completed between 2019 and 2023, a period that included the COVID-19 pandemic.

The analysis builds on the findings of the first national analysis, published in 2020, which considered learning from SARs completed between 2017 and 2019.

View the second national analysis: April 2019 – March 2023 on local.gov.uk.