Cognitive impairment and exploitation: an investigation into evidence, responses and policy implications.
At the 2024 Safeguarding Adults Conference in Nottingham, Dr Alison Gardner shared findings from a two-year research project that explored how cognitive impairments can increase risks for adult exploitation. Joining her were Ann Craft Trust Head of Safeguarding Adults Lisa Curtis, and some representatives from CASBA Advocacy, who contributed to the project.
The study explored how people are targeted for exploitation. It also asked why cognitive impairments might make one more at risk of exploitation.
You can read a full report on the project’s findings here.
The Roots of the Project
BBC radio drama The Archers featured a story about exploitation, which affected a character with an implicit learning disability. This prompted a journalist to reach out to Dr Gardner. They wanted more information on how people with learning disabilities are targeted for exploitation.
Dr Gardner found that there was no research or information specifically relating to this issue, and very few people were looking at the intersection between disability and exploitation. She set out to capture information and views about people affected by any form of cognitive impairment, looking beyond rigid medical definitions to include many conditions that affect thinking and processing of information.
Her study looked at a broad range of exploitation, too, going beyond the scope of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 (which has, for example, no definition of “mate crime“).
So, Dr Gardner was working with broad definitions of both “cognitive impairment” and “exploitation”, and explored issues that might apply to lots of different conditions. She hopes that the report will encourage people to explore more specific areas themselves later.
You can download the slides from Dr Gardner’s conference presentation here.
CASBA Advocacy: Hear Our Voice
Members of CASBA Advocacy also discussed their involvement in the project. CASBA realised that the project provided an opportunity for their voices to be heard on a big scale.
Lisa Curtis asked the CASBA panel: “If you had one message to practitioners and social workers, what it would be?”
Below are some of the replies:
- Voices matter.
- Listen to people with learning disabilities.
- Please believe the people who are talking to you. When I tried to report something once, they decided that I didn’t understand what was happening, and so they shouldn’t listened to me.
A video that CASBA made for people who might be affected by exploitation can be found here:
Safeguarding Adults Week Online Webinar – Evidencing Links Between Cognitive Impairment & Exploitation
Dr Gardner also ran an online webinar during Safeguarding Adults Week, in which she discussed this project in greater depth.
You can watch a recording of the session below: