Laura is Research Fellow and PhD Researcher.
Laura is currently working with two centres at the University of Stirling; Improving Adult Care Together (IMPACT), and The Institute for Social Marketing and Health (ISMH).
IMPACT is a UK centre for implementing evidence in adult social care, funded by the ESRC and the Health Foundation. IMPACT works across the four nations and with co-production at its heart. In the centre we aim to improve the lives of people using services and enable practical improvements on the ground, by drawing on insights from research, lived experience, and practice knowledge. More information about IMPACT can be found here: https://impact.bham.ac.uk/
The ISMH is a centre for research in marketing, behaviour change and public policy, with experience of research leading to improvements in population health and wellbeing. More information about ISMH can be found here: https://www.stir.ac.uk/about/faculties/health-sciences-sport/research/research-groups/institute-for-social-marketing/
Laura's research interests centre around child and adult health and social care, including welfare and rights, bereavement and trauma, domestic abuse, and social determinants of health. Methodologically, Laura is interested in using digital and therapeutic approaches in undertaking research.
Laura has also recently worked on CAFADA (Children and Families affected by Domestic Abuse), an ESRC funded project looking at innovations in social care in Scotland and England. Laura’s doctoral research is exploring children’s involvement in Domestic Homicide Reviews, specifically the barriers and enablers to child participation. More information about CAFADA can be found here: https://cafada.stir.ac.uk/about/
Previous research includes:
ARCH (Archiving Residential Children's Homes) project. This was an AHRC funded project being undertaken by researchers at the University of Stirling and the University of Osnabrück, aiming to explore and improve how the everyday group care experiences of children and young people in residential care are captured and preserved.
Life Changes Trust, Creating Better Lives? Project
Needs Rounds: improving end of life care in care homes, an NIHR funded study.
Laura is a social worker with experience of statutory and third sector social work, primarily working with care-experienced children and their carers. Laura has also worked with The Promise Scotland as an independent research consultant.