Webinar: Hidden Disabilities in Court: Understanding Fitness to Plead with FASD

📅 Date: Wednesday, 15 July 2026 ⏰ Time: 8:00 PM - 9:15 PM GMT 🎟️ Ticket Price: FREE

Overview

Tania Goddard collaborates with Andrew Keeping, CEO of FASD Awareness, to discuss the impact of FASD on fitness to plead in court. This webinar targets justice, legal and health professionals, families, and advocates.

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is an often hidden disability that is disproportionately present in the criminal justice system but frequently goes unrecognized. This webinar will examine how FASD can influence an individual's capacity to comprehend and engage in criminal proceedings, and its implications for "fitness to plead" in courts in England and Wales.

Utilizing current research, legal practice, and experiences from the FASD community, this session will emphasize the importance of heightened FASD awareness for equitable legal processes.

Speaker Biography

Tania Goddard PhD Researcher, University of Salford | CEO, FASD Awareness | Solicitor (UK) | M.A. Psychology

Tania Goddard is a PhD researcher at the University of Salford and a UK-qualified solicitor with a Masters in Psychology. Her doctoral research centres on Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) and fitness to plead in court in England and Wales, aiming to enhance awareness, knowledge, and understanding of FASD within the legal field.

Tania is part of the FASD Hub at the University of Salford, the leading group in the UK on FASD research and interventions. She is actively engaged in providing training on FASD and the criminal justice system to legal professionals and clinicians, striving to connect research, practice, and policy.

Who Is This Webinar For?

This webinar will be especially beneficial for:

• · Solicitors, barristers, and legal executives

• · Judges, magistrates, and court staff

• · Police, probation, and youth justice professionals

• · Clinicians, psychologists, and allied health professionals

• · Social workers, advocates, and support workers

• · Families, carers, and individuals with FASD

• · Anyone interested in disability rights and criminal justice

No prior knowledge of FASD is necessary.

What You’ll Learn

By the conclusion of this webinar, participants will:

• Understand what Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is and how it manifests, particularly in adolescents and adults.

• Identify how FASD can affect communication, memory, suggestibility, decision-making, and understanding of legal processes.

• Gain an understanding of the legal concept of fitness to plead in England and Wales, and its relevance to FASD.

• Explore the challenges of identifying FASD in criminal justice settings, including misdiagnosis and lack of awareness.

• Consider practical strategies and reasonable adjustments to support individuals with FASD during police interviews and court proceedings.

• Reflect on the implications for fairness, culpability, and access to justice.

There will be a Q&A session, allowing participants to ask questions and discuss real-world scenarios.

Click here to register your place and join a growing network of informed, compassionate supporters for people with FASD.