What is a Safeguarding Adult Review?

A Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR) is a process for all partner agencies to identify the lessons that can be learned from particularly complex or serious safeguarding adult cases, where an adult in vulnerable circumstances has died or been seriously injured, and abuse or neglect has been suspected.  As a result of a detailed review, recommendations are made to change or improve practice and services.

The aim of the process is to learn lessons and make improvements, not to apportion blame to individual people or organisations.

A SAR is about promoting effective learning and improvement to prevent future deaths or serious harm occurring again. It relies on a spirit of openness to learning about what went well, as well as what could be improved. The process is based on national guidelines and has been agreed by all agencies who are members of the Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board (NSAB).

Further information can be found in the Care and Support Statutory Guidance, Chapter 14, paragraphs 14.133 and 14.134.