The Care Act 2014 sets out a clear legal framework for how local authorities and other parts of the system should protect adults at risk of abuse or neglect.

The Care Act 2014 created a new legal framework for Adult Safeguarding.  Section 44 of the Act requires Safeguarding Adults Boards (SAB) to undertake a Safeguarding Adult Review (SAR) in specific circumstances and places a duty on all Board members to contribute in undertaking the review, sharing information and applying the lessons learnt.

The law requires local SABs to arrange a SAR when an adult in its area dies or is harmed as a result of abuse or neglect, whether known or suspected, and there is concern that partner agencies could have worked more effectively to protect the person at risk.

The purpose of a SAR is not to hold any individual or organisation to account as there are other processes available for that purpose; they are about learning lessons for the future. SARs ensure that SABs get the full picture of what happened, so that all organisations involved can improve as a result.

Refer a case to the Safeguarding Adults Board

Once this has been received, the SAB Business Unit will issue a Referral Response Form to the agencies involved with the individual to complete and return.
This information will then be reviewed by the members of the SAR Sub-Group.

info icon transparent 1

SARs: Further Information

For more SAR-related resources, visit our Resource Library’s Learning By Experience section:

  • Local Learning Briefs
  • Safeguarding Adults Review Reports
  • Thematic Reviews
  • Link to the National SAR Library
  • Link to Prevention of Future Deaths reports