1. One Minute Guide to making a SAR Referral
This guidance is intended to help practitioners decide whether a statutory review is required for cases they are managing where they suspect an adult has experienced serious abuse and neglect.
The flowchart below is intended to help guide practitioners decision making around Safeguarding Adult Reviews and Domestic Homicide Reviews as well as signposting towards Section 42 enquiries and other non-statutory review processes. Also set out below are the statutory definitions for these reviews.
FURTHER INFORMATION:
Safeguarding Adult Reviews (SAR) Guidance
Southend, Essex and Thurrock (SET)
Safeguarding Guidelines
Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHR) Guidance
KEY CONTACTS
ESAB Support Team
General Website:
The ESAB does not take safeguarding referrals. If you are concerned about an adult, contact Social Care Direct on or
Has an adult with care and support needs experienced abuse and/or neglect?
Use Domestic Homicide process No No No
Use SAR process
Consider other processes No
SAR or S42 FLOWCHART o
Refer for S42 enquiry No
Domestic Homicide Review (DHR)1
Section 9(1) of the Domestic Violence, Crime and Victims Act 2004, sets out that a domestic homicide review means a review of the circumstances in which the death of a person aged 16 or over has, or appears to have, resulted from violence, abuse or neglect by—
(a) a person to whom he was related or with whom he was or had been in an intimate personal relationship, or
(b) a member of the same household as himself,
Reviews are held with a view to identifying the lessons to be learnt from the death.
It should be noted that an ‘intimate personal relationship’ includes relationships between adults who are or have been intimate partners or family members, regardless of gender or sexual orientation.
Where a victim took their own life (suicide) and the circumstances give rise to concern, for example it emerges that there was coercive controlling behaviour in the relationship, a review should be undertaken, even if a suspect is not charged with an offence or they are tried and acquitted. Reviews are not about who is culpable.
Safeguarding Adults Review (SAR)
The ESAB is responsible for initiating a SAR:
When an adult in its area dies 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 adult.
Where an adult is still alive but has experienced serious neglect or abuse, and there is concern that partner agencies could have worked more effectively to protect them.
In other situations where it feels there is a value in doing so, for example to prevent or reduce abuse or neglect or explore practice
Their purpose is to:
Determine what the relevant agencies and individuals involved in the case might have done differently that could have prevented harm or death
Lessons learnt can be applied to future cases to prevent similar harm occurring in future
It is not to hold any individual or organisation to account
STATUTORY REVIEW CRITERIA
S42 Enquiry
Section 42 of the Care Act 2014, the local authority must make enquiries, or ensure others do so, if it reasonably suspects that an adult who has care and support needs is being abused or neglected and they are unable to protect themselves against the abuse or neglect because of those needs.