Mrs Elize Freeman MA Safeguarding Adults: Law, Policy and Practice, (Distinction, awarded Spire Barrister Prize) Keele University. BSc Hons Open - Social Science and Digital Technology

Policy and Practice Director

Dewis Choice - Centre for Age, Gender and Social Justice

Awards: 2024 Audrey Jones Memorial Award for Feminist Scholarship; 2022 Spire Barrister Prize for highest marked dissertation, Safeguarding Programmes, Keele University.      

Accreditations:  Coordinated Community Response Strategic Leader (Standing Together Against Domestic Violence); Gender based Service Manager (SafeLives); Independent Domestic Violence Advisor & Independent Sexual Violence Advisor (IDSVA, SafeLives)    

My research explores the intersections of gendered harm, ageing, and inequality, with a particular focus on older victim-survivors of domestic abuse and sexual violence. Key areas of interest include the co-existence of domestic abuse and dementia, intimate partner and adult family abuse in later life, safeguarding adults, and mental capacity. My work is informed by an intersectional and transdisciplinary approach, integrating insights from social policy, criminology, and health and social care practice.

I have led the design and delivery of national training initiatives, reaching over 26,000 managers and practitioners across the UK, to enhance professional responses to domestic abuse and sexual violence in later life. My research and practice expertise have contributed to the development of policy frameworks, including the Domestic Abuse Act 2021 Statutory Guidance and the Welsh Government’s VAWDASV Blueprint Strategy.

Drawing on my combined practitioner and research experience, I seek to advance understanding of the complexity and intersectionality of domestic abuse in later life and to inform evidence-based policy and practice that improves outcomes for older people experiencing harm.