Dr Laura L. Cook is an Associate Professor in the School of Social Work, Director for the Centre for Research on Children and Families (CRCF) and Research Impact Champion within the School.

Dr Cook has 17 years' experience teaching in the HE sector across a range of disciplines. In 2024, she was short-listed for the UEA Teaching Excellence Award for postgraduate modules. She is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, and currently an external examiner for Royal Holloway. Laura teaches on the qualifying and CPD programmes in social work, including child development, observation and social work theory. Her research on decision-making has led to the development of a specialist home visiting module for experienced social workers.

Dr Cook’s research focuses on workforce wellbeing, retention and decision-making in social work. She has led several high-profile research projects, including a national review of practice education for social work England. Her research on workforce retention has led to the development of a Theory of Change which has been adopted by the Department of Health in Northern Ireland, to be piloted across five Heath and Social Trusts in late 2025. Cook is regularly consulted on workforce development; her strategic briefing informed the Department for Education’s (DfE) retention guidance for local authorities. The DfE guidance also features a key concept from Cook’s research – the  Critical Career Episode. Most recently Dr Cook, along with Dr Mary Baginsky (King’s College London), has secured a £750,000 grant from the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) to examine the nature, extent and implications of hybrid child protection conferences across England. This major new project will run from 2025-27.

Laura is an experienced PhD supervisor and external examiner of doctorates in social work. After guest-editing two successful special issues on social work teams, she was recently appointed as Board member for the  Journal of Social Work Practice. She also serves as a Board member and reviewer for several UKRI funders.

Laura has a first class honours degree in Philosophy and Literature from the University of East Anglia, and an MA in Philosophy and Psychoanalysis from the University of Essex. Laura worked as a lecturer and journalist before returning to the University of East Anglia to study for her MA in Social Work. After qualifying, Laura worked in a children’s centre before joining the school as a research student in 2012 and as a lecturer in 2015. 

Selected grants

Current

The implementation of hybrid child protection conferences in England: a scoping and practice development project. (£747,591) Funded by the NIHR. Grant number: NIHR 207561. Role: Joint PI.

Evaluation of the regional retention project. (£4,600) Funded by the Department of Health, Northern Ireland. Role: Consultant.

Workorce development and retention: creating impact (£10,000) Funded by the PVC Impact Award Fund, University of East Anglia. Role: Principal Investigator.

2023-2025

Developing an intervention to support the retention of health and social care professionals. (£20,000) Funded by the Norfolk Initiative for Rural and Coastal Health Equalities (NICHE). Role: PI.

National review of social work practice education in England (£46,824) Funded by Social Work England. Role: PI.

2021-2023

Final analysis of Serious Case Reviews for the period 2017-19. (£199,346) Funded by the Department for Education. Role: Co-Investigator.

Annual review of Local Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews. (£64,349) Funded by the Department for Education. Role: Co-Investigator.

Young peoples' transition from residential to foster care: an evaluation of Norfolk's Enhanced Fostering Service. (£5,000) Funded by Norfolk County Council. Role: PI.

2019-2021

Professional identity and retention among experienced child and family social workers. (£10,000) Funded by the British Academy and Leverhulme Trust. Role: PI.

Laura is a member of the Emotions at Work Research Group at UEA and is Director of the Centre for Research on Children and Families.