Rate My Professor Emily Munro

Professor Emily Munro is the Goldberg Professor of Social Work Research at the University of Bedfordshire, where she serves as Director of the Institute of Applied Social Research and Director of the Tilda Goldberg Centre for Social Work and Social Care. She earned her PhD from Loughborough University with a thesis titled 'Balancing looked after children’s protective, provisional and participatory rights in research, policy and practice,' an MA in Social Research and a BSocSc in Social Policy (2.1 Hons) from the University of Birmingham, Certificates in International Child Law and Judicial Review and Social Welfare Law (both Merit) from the University of Leicester, and a Practitioner Diploma in Executive Coaching from the Academy of Executive Coaching. Prior to her appointments as Director of the Tilda Goldberg Centre in May 2016 and the Institute of Applied Social Research the following year, she held academic posts at the Thomas Coram Research Unit, UCL Institute of Education, and the Centre for Child and Family Research, Loughborough University.

An applied researcher with an international reputation in child and family welfare, policy, and practice, Professor Munro has directed over 30 research studies as Principal or Co-Investigator for funders including the Economic and Social Research Council, National Institute for Health Research, Department for Education, and Big Lottery, securing over £8 million in funding. Her research specializations encompass transitions from care to adulthood, comparative child welfare policy and practice, participatory research methods involving young people, and research ethics. She currently leads a programme on safeguarding children and adults with complex needs funded by NHS England through the Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes Integrated Care Research Hub. Key publications include 'Comparing Leaving-Care Policy and Practice Across the Four Nations of the United Kingdom: Exploring Similarities, Differences, and Implementation Gaps' (2024, Journal of Comparative Policy Analysis), 'How to extend pilot innovation in public services: a case of children's social care innovation' (2024, Public Administration), 'Mind the Gap: Extending Outcome Measurement for Accountability and Meaningful Innovation' (2024, British Journal of Social Work), and 'Moving from ‘what we know works’ to ‘what we do in practice’: An evidence overview of implementation and diffusion of innovation in transition to adulthood for care experienced young people' (2023, Child and Family Social Work). She co-edited the first book comparing legal and policy frameworks across 16 countries on transitions from care to adulthood and led the first national evaluation of extended care in England. Findings from her work have informed the Review of the Child Care Proceedings System, the Munro Review of Child Protection, and the Review of the Office of the Children’s Commissioner, contributing to international legislative reforms for care-experienced individuals. Professor Munro was Executive Chair of the International Research Network on Transitions to Adulthood from Care (INTRAC) from 2017 to 2022, currently chairs its UK-Ireland regional chapter, and serves on steering groups for projects funded by the Australian Research Council, Norwegian Research Council, and National Institute for Health Research, as well as the Editorial Board of Youth journal.