Christine Cocker is a Professor in Social Work and Head of the School of Social Work at UEA, She joined the Department in September 2013. Prior to this she worked at Middlesex University for 10 years. Christine is a registered social worker (she completed her social work training in New Zealand in the 1980's) and has over 30 years experience as a social worker and manager in child and family social work in Local Authorities and voluntary sector organisations in the UK. Christine maintains strong links in practice as she is currently an independent author of Safeguarding Adult Reviews about care-experienced young people, and chair of a local authority's Children's Academy. Christine researches and writes about Transitional Safeguarding, social work and sexuality, and social work with care-experienced children and young people.

Christine's research publications are predominantly in the area of Transitional Safeguarding, social work with care-experienced children and young people, child protection, and lesbian and gay fostering and adoption. She is particuarly interested in the mental health of care-experienced children and young people, having completed her PhD in this area. Christine has also authored and edited a number of social work text books.

Current and recently completed research projects: External funding

Feb 2024 - Feb 2025: Transitional Safeguarding in Youth Justice and Probation Services: A Scoping Study - funded by His Majesty's Inspectorate of Probation.

Aug 2022 - Aug 2023: Evaluation of Police involvement in the New Roads Project - funded by Norfolk County Council

2019-2021: A review of the impact of introducing two statutory placements for social work students at UEA - funded by the Suffolk and Norfolk Teaching Partnership

2018: Systematic Literature Review - Transparenting through the Lifecourse

2017-2019: Evaluation of AdoptionPlus DDP project 

Investigation of the experiences & identity development of LGBT young people in care & the support they receive (2014-2016)

2012-2014: EU PROJECT:RAINBOW HAS Rights through Alliances: Innovating and networking both Within Homes And Schools. Senior researcher on this project which is investigating homophobia within schools across Europe.  Middlesex University is the lead University in England and UEA is an Associate Partner.

2007-2008:  Evaluation of ‘Option 2’ for the Welsh Assembly (with Brunel University and Birmingham University) (£2000 to Middlesex University): an evaluation of the ‘Option 2’ service in Cardiff, which provides brief and intensive interventions for families in which there is a risk that a child may enter care or the child’s name may be placed on the child protection register.

2001-2003:  PI for a European Union funded research project, 'Mental health of children in care', examining the mental health of children in state care across three EU countries; UK, Belgium (Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) and Greece (Institute of Child Health).  This has involved research in the 3 partner countries.  The UK research saw NCH - The Bridge collaborate with Barnardos in examining what works regarding practice in this area. 

 Internal Funding:

2009-2017: Social Workers views on the use of the SDQ with Looked After Children (PhD)

2009: Sexuality before Ability? The Assessment of Lesbians as Adopters:  A  qualitative research project, looking at the particular issues and challenges adoption assessments raise from the perspective of those lesbians who put themselves forward for an adoption assessment.

2006 - 2007: A useful way to change attitudes? Evaluating a series of one day training courses for social workers on lesbian and gay issues in fostering and adoption: The evaluation considered whether one day courses were an effective vehicle for achieving change in attitudes, acquiring knowledge and developing skills in working with lesbian and gay issues in fostering and adoption.

Child and Family Social Work

Sociology of the family