Introduction
When an adult who needs care and support dies or suffers serious harm or when abuse or neglect is thought to have been a factor, Plymouth Safeguarding Adult Partnership (PSAP) may need to review what has happened. This is called a Safeguarding Adults Review or SAR for short.
These reviews are held where there are concerns about how agencies have worked together to safeguard the adult and to see whether lessons can be learnt.
It is acknowledged to be a very difficult time for families, friends and carers, we wish to learn as much as possible and where concerns are found, make the necessary change.
We would welcome your involvement and the opportunity to discuss concerns you may have, share your thoughts and opinions.
This information explains what happens when a SAR is required to be undertaken, and what you should expect.
What are Safeguarding Adult Reviews?
Safeguarding Adult Reviews are one way to improve our responses to help adults who need care and support, be safe from abuse or neglect and aim to prevent what happened, happening to others.
They will try to ensure that organisations like health and social care services, councils, police and other community based services, understand what happened and identify where responses to the situation could be improved.
From this, the organisations hope to learn the right lessons including those which impact how they work together. These reviews will not seek to lay blame but consider what happened and what could have been done differently. They will also recommend actions to improve responses to keep adults with care and support needs safe from abuse or neglect in the future.
Safeguarding Adult Reviews are undertaken as part of the Care Act 2014. They do not replace, but may be in addition to a Coroner’s inquest or other form of enquiry or review.
How will we undertake the review?
There are different ways in which a SAR can be undertaken, but they involve gathering information from as many sources as possible. We can then try to work out exactly what happened, and why. We will consider whether things could or should have been done differently, and ask how things could be done better in the future.
Your involvement in this review
Family, friends and carers can help us understand what happened. Your contribution will be valuable and may help change the way the community, including public bodies, respond to keeping adults with care and support needs safe from abuse or neglect.
We acknowledge this will have been a very difficult time for you and we do not want to add to your distress, but important we inform you the review is taking place and to give you an opportunity to be involved.
If you agree to take part in the review, we would ask you to share your understanding of what happened and why.
You can give your thoughts and views in a range of ways:
- In person meetings
- Telephone or video calls
- In writing or audio recording or other digital means
What happens to the information you share?
The information you share will help us to build a comprehensive picture of what happened and in turn will help us identify recommendations for change. These recommendations will then be put into an action plan. Your input will be confidential and you will not be named in the final report.
How long will the review process take?
The review should be completed within about six months, but could be longer depending on circumstances and outcomes of other inquiries or reviews.
What does the review produce?
A report identifying the findings will normally be published on the Plymouth Safeguarding Adult Partnership website. The report will be anonymised and will not contain any identifying details. The findings will also be detailed within the PSAP’s annual report, also published on the website.
Next Steps
The decision to take part in this review is entirely yours and if you do not wish to take part, this decision will be respected. We will notify you when the review is completed and the report is available.
If you would like to take part or have any further questions about the review process please contact us either by telephone or email (see below) and will direct you to someone who can answer your questions.
Contact details and links
If you require any further information, please contact the Plymouth Safeguarding Adults Partnership: