Make a Safeguarding Adults Review referral

The Safeguarding Adult Review Practice Guidance sets out the process that Gateshead Safeguarding Adults Board will follow, should they be required to undertake a statutory Safeguarding Adults Review. 

The Care Act 2014 sets out the circumstances when a Safeguarding Adults Board will be required to carry out a Safeguarding Adults Review. A Safeguarding Adults Review will only be instigated under very specific circumstances for example, when an adult experiencing abuse or neglect dies; when there has been a serious incident; or when a situation occurs when one or more adults have been abused or neglected. It is not the role of Safeguarding Adult Reviews to apportion blame. The aim is to learn from past experience, to improve future practice and multi-agency working.

If the criteria for a review is not met, but the group feel that there are lessons to be learned from the case, then the Safeguarding Adults Review Group may do a discretionary review. This could either be a single agency inquiry or a multi-agency inquiry.

Safeguarding Adult Review referrals will be considered by the Safeguarding Adult Review and Complex Case Group (SARCC), which is a sub-group of the Safeguarding Adults Board.

SAR Quality Markers

The SAR Quality Markers (opens new window) are utilised throughout the SAR process in Gateshead. The Quality Markers were first launched in 2018 by the Social Care Institute for Excellence (SCIE) and were revised in March 2022. The North East SAR Champions have used the SCIE Quality Markers to develop a regional checklist which the SARCC uses as a benchmarking tool to support the commissioning, conduct and quality of SARs. They cover the whole process with the aim of providing a consistent approach to producing good high-quality SARs.  The Markers assume the principles of Making Safeguarding Personal as well as the Six Principles of Safeguarding that underpin all Adult Safeguarding work: Empowerment, Prevention, Proportionate, Protection, Partnership, Accountability.

SAR Quality Markers Checklist (PDF, 228 KB)(opens new window)

Cross Boundary SARs

The SARCC Group will consider the guidance on Cross Boundary SARs as contained in the ADASS Safeguarding Adults Policy Network Guidance Out-of-Area Safeguarding Adults Arrangements. If a SAR is being considered, the Safeguarding Adults Board of the host authority will be responsible for liaising with all those involved, including the SAB in any placing authorities. Boards and organisations should cooperate across borders and requests for the provision of information should be responded to as a priority. 

ADASS Safeguarding Adults Policy Network Guidance Out-of-Area Safeguarding Adults Arrangements (PDF, 720 KB)

The Interface between SARs and the Coronial Process - Best Practice Guidance

This guidance has been developed by the National Safeguarding Adults Board Manager Network in response to feedback from Safeguarding Adults Boards (SABs) and learning from Safeguarding Adults Reviews (SARs) that the interface between SARs and Coronial Processes can be difficult to navigate. 

This guidance aims to help identify how, when, and why joint working might be requested and/or required and helpful. This guidance can be used locally to:

• provide clarity about roles and responsibilities
• outline any legislative duties and areas of crossover
• create a better understanding of each other's processes
• provide a starting point for developing a local protocol if you do not already have one
• provide useful tools to assist communication
• enhance positive joint working
• reduce duplication

The Interface between SARs and the Coronial Process (September 2024) (PDF, 430 KB)