Elizabeth Cooke has worked for research in practice for four years and is a qualified social worker. She has worked as a University lecturer, as a Research and Information Officer in a local authority and as a trainer consultant. She recently completed, with a colleague, 'Leading Evidence-Informed Practice' - a handbook that is the result of a research in practice Change Project. Her current professional interests are knowledge management and the implementation of research into practice and policy-making.

research in practice was established in 1996 and is now the largest children and families research implementation project in England and Wales. It is a department of The Dartington Hall Trust run in collaboration with the Association of Directors of Children's Services, The University of Sheffield and our network of almost 100 participating agencies in the UK. One distinguishing feature of our work is that we recognise that research dissemination is only a first step in promoting evidence-informed practice. We put equal, and often more, emphasis on supporting the implementation and adoption of research findings into everyday professional practice. This broader focus is now reflected in the development of all our services, and is underpinned by our website www.rip.org.uk.