Laura James

Laura currently teaches in a variety of programmes, including the degree apprenticeship in social work and BA Social Work. Laura is the module leader for a CPD module which includes the return to social work course.

Prior to this role, Laura was a Social Work Outreach Educator within the school which involved supporting and assessing social work apprentices and working with employers to ensure opportunities in the workplace were meeting the social work degree apprenticeship standard.

Laura spent twelve years working within the social care sector, primarily with children, young people and their families. Prior to joining the university, Laura held management and supervisory roles within the Early Help sector and has experience working with young people and within domestic abuse services.

Laura is interested in staff development and the delivery of effective quality supervision for those working on the frontline with children, young people and families. Laura has led a number of staff development initiatives during previous roles and trained family support workers on effective assessment, intervention planning and establishing the child's voice within the assessment. Laura developed an emotional literacy programme for school-aged children which saw lots of positive outcomes in relation to improved well-being, resilience, and emotional regulation.

Laura has been a Practice Educator for both BA and MA Social Work students within both Children and Adult focused placements; Laura found this to be a very rewarding role and one that aligns with her interests in work-based learning and social work supervision.