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The Lizzie Gladwell Crisis Campaign has just launched alongside the release of A Manifesto for Justice and Safeguarding. It is rooted in the true story of Lizzie Gladwell, a young woman with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), whose legal transition into adulthood resulted in exploitation, coercion and the catastrophic failure of statutory bodies to protect her.
This campaign highlights a systemic issue: when young people with cognitive impairments turn 18, they lose critical protections, even though they remain highly vulnerable to grooming and abuse. Lizzie’s story is not an isolated case; it is part of a broader national crisis that exposes a dangerous gap in adult safeguarding policy.
The campaign calls for:
- Legal recognition of the gap between chronological age and cognitive vulnerability
- Mandatory FASD training for professionals
- Greater accountability from safeguarding agencies
We believe this story – and the wider crisis it represents – deserves national attention.
If you’re interested in covering this campaign or speaking with us directly, I’d be happy to provide interviews, background or further information.
For Lizzie. For all.
Jeremy Gladwell
Lizzie’s dad / Campaign Manager
A Manifesto for Justice and Safeguarding: The Lizzie Gladwell Crisis Campaign
A powerful new campaign, The Lizzie Gladwell Crisis Campaign, is calling for urgent reform to adult safeguarding laws following the shocking exploitation of a vulnerable young woman and the systemic failure to protect her. Rooted in lived experience and supported by a growing movement of families, charities, professionals and allies, this campaign marks the public release of “A Manifesto for Justice and Safeguarding.”
The manifesto is born from the story of Lizzie Gladwell, a young woman with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD), whose legal transition into adulthood resulted not in empowerment, but in exposure to manipulation, coercion and isolation. Her family’s attempts to safeguard her were repeatedly dismissed by statutory agencies, revealing a gaping hole in current protections for adults with cognitive impairments.
“We call this The Lizzie Gladwell Crisis not only because of what has happened to our beautiful Lizzie, but because her story exposes a national safeguarding failure,” said Jeremy Gladwell, Lizzie’s dad and Campaign Manager. “We cannot allow this to happen to another young person. This is a preventable tragedy – one that continues across the country.”
The campaign draws on the findings of the Ann Craft Trust’s 2024 report, “Exploitation of Adults With Cognitive Impairment in England,” which warns that: “Too often, our systems and service responses are overlooking cases of adult exploitation, particularly when adults are perceived to have ‘capacity’ for making ‘unwise choices’… coercion limits choice, adults can be groomed and controlled, and we need to look again at systems and powers to understand and effectively safeguard people.”
The Manifesto Calls for:
- Legal Recognition of the Chronological-Functional Gap: Safeguarding must consider cognitive and functional ability, not just age. Protection must not be withdrawn at 18.
- Accountability for Statutory Agencies: A culture of dismissal and deferral must end. Families acting in love must be heard, not vilified.
- Mandatory FASD Awareness and Training: All professionals in education, health, and social care must be trained to understand FASD and identify vulnerability early.
- Solidarity for All Victims: The campaign stands with every young person with cognitive impairment at risk of exploitation due to systemic blind spots.
What happened to Lizzie must not happen again. This campaign is not only about justice for one individual but about driving national awareness and legislative change to prevent similar failures in future.
Join the Movement
The Lizzie Gladwell Crisis Campaign invites journalists, legislators, educators, healthcare professionals and members of the public to engage with the manifesto, listen to the podcast, and add their voices to a growing call for reform.
“Lizzie deserves her freedoms, her rights, her truth. And so does every young person like her. We invite you to stand with us – to insist on a better system, where love is not a liability and safeguarding doesn’t have an expiry date.”
Jeremy Gladwell
Lizzie’s dad / Campaign Manager
Coming Soon