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
Findings from SARs are collated into a report and an action plan is written to monitor the changes made as a result of the review.
SAR learning
Health and social care | Knowsley Council
Merseyside Safeguarding Adult’s Board (MSAB) coordinated a voluntary Safeguarding Adults Review for Knowsley. The review report and action plan were agreed by MSAB and the newly established Knowsley Safeguarding Adults Board picked up the action plan to make sure actions were completed and learning was shared.