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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. You can use the online form below to submit a SAR referral to Liverpool Safeguarding Adults Board.

Submit a SAR referral online now

Published SARs

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

Reviews before April 2019 and completed on or after April 2017 have been analysed in the first ever national SAR analysis, the report for which can be found on the Local Government Association website

View the Analysis of Safeguarding Adult Reviews: April 2017 – March 2019 on local.gov.uk.