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Safeguarding Adults Collection (SAC)

The Safeguarding Adults Collection records details about safeguarding activity for adults aged 18 and over in England, reported to, or identified by, Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities (CASSRs or local authorities).

The standard

Documentation

About this standard

Publisher
NHS England
Reference code
DAPB2172 Amd 45/2026
Publication date
14 July 2026
Status
Active
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Active. Active standards are stable, maintained and have been approved, assured or endorsed for use by qualified bodies.

Deprecated Deprecated standards are available for use and are maintained, but are being phased out, so new functionality will not be added.

Retired standards Retired standards are not being maintained or supported and should not be used.

Standard type
Collections
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Collections. A Collection is a systematic gathering of a specified selection of data or information for a particular stated purpose from existing records held within health and care systems and electronic devices.

Extractions. An extraction is a type of collection that is pulled from an operational system by the data controller and transmitted to the receiver without additional processing or transcription by the sender.

Information standards. Information standards are agreed ways of doing something, written down as a set of precise criteria so they can be used as rules, guidelines, or definitions.

Technical Standards and specifications. Technical standards and specifications specify how to make information available technically including how the data is structured and transported.

Contact point

england.standards.assurance@nhs.net

Using this standard

Applies to
Local Authorities

Topics and care settings

Care setting
Social care

Review Information

Scope
The SAC records details about safeguarding activity for adults aged 18 and over in England, reported to, or identified by, councils with adult social services responsibilities, which throughout this guidance will be referred to as ‘local authorities’.
Approval date
14 July 2026
Technical Committee

Data Assurance Board (DAB)

Legal authority

Section 259 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012

More information

The Safeguarding Adults Collection (SAC) records details about safeguarding activity for adults aged 18 and over in England, reported to, or identified by, Councils with Adult Social Services Responsibilities (CASSRs or local authorities). The collection includes demographic information about the adults at risk and details of the incidents that have been alleged. The SAC is an updated version of the Safeguarding Adults Return (SAR) which collected safeguarding data for the 2013-14 and 2014-15 reporting periods.

Page last updated: 11 September 2026