Heather Ottaway

Heather Ottaway is a Research Fellow at the University of Strathclyde's Centre For Excellence For Children'S Care And Protection. Her work focuses on child welfare, adoption policy, and compassion fatigue among professional personnel. She has led/co-investigated projects such as the 'Fairer Futures Partnership' with North Ayrshire Council and 'Fairer Futures Pathfinder' with Aberdeen City Council, addressing systemic reforms in children's services.

• Education: Doctorate in relevant field (details not explicitly stated)

Her research interests include modernizing adoption practices in Scotland, evaluating children's services reforms, and supporting foster carer well-being. Recent publications emphasize policy mapping and interagency collaboration.

She has served as a committee member at the Scottish Government (2022–2023) and delivered invited talks on foster carer well-being. Current projects involve knowledge exchange initiatives to bridge academic research with practical policy applications.

Key areas of focus include:

• Adoption policy modernization
• Child protection systems
• Compassion fatigue mitigation
• Public sector reform strategies