Procedure for Safeguarding Adult Reviews

The SAR report should highlight key episodes, providing insight into good practice and opportunities to improve practice, systemic risks and multi-agency working. Recommendations should demonstrate where practice needs to improve and should: 

• identify the need for change to prevent re-occurrence
• be written with a view to being published
• be sensitive to the case details and level of information included as judged necessary to illustrate learning, whilst respecting the wishes of the individual or their family

The SAR Delivery Panel has a responsibility to ensure there has been sufficient analysis, scrutiny and evaluation of evidence throughout the process. Recommendations must be of practical value, evidencing the wider outcome focused learning identified about routine barriers and enablers to good practice, systemic risks and/or what has facilitated or obstructed change to date.

The CYSAB Business Unit will make appropriate arrangements for the SAR report and other records collected or created as part of the SAR process, to be held securely and confidentially for an appropriate period in line with CYSAB’s information sharing agreement, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and any other legal requirements.

Once completed the SAR report will be added to the agenda for the next CYSAB meeting. CYSAB are responsible for final sign off of the SAR report and for agreeing a timetable for publication. Where possible the Independent Author will be asked to present the report with findings and recommendations for the approval of SAB members. An extraordinary SAB meeting may be arranged to receive the report if waiting for the planned SAB meeting would add a delay to the report being published.

The true value of a SAR is only realised when the learning leads to demonstrable improvements in safeguarding practice, culture, and outcomes for adults with care and support needs. In addition to completion of the associated SAR action plan, partner organisations will be asked for evidence of impact that the published SARs have had in their respective organisations for inclusion in the SAB Annual Report.