Ruth Copson

Ruth Copson is a part-time Associate Tutor and Visiting Researcher in the School of Social Work at the University of East Anglia, where she is also a PhD candidate. She continues to practise as an Independent Social Worker specialising in adoption.

Education:

• MA in Social Work, University of East Anglia (2011)
• MA in Advanced Social Work, University of East Anglia (2018)

Ruth’s research focuses on two inter-locking areas of social-work practice: Early Permanence placements (often called ‘Fostering for Adoption’) and the supervised contact sessions that babies in care have with their birth parents during care proceedings. She employs observational methods to capture infants’ experiences of these encounters and to understand how contact is managed and felt by all participants—most notably birth parents.

Her recent publications form a coherent body of applied, policy-facing work. Between 2020 and 2024 she co-authored national and regional reports evaluating how contact was maintained during COVID-19 lockdowns and assessing the Letter Swap pilot—an intervention designed to improve post-adoption communication. The outputs combine qualitative insights with practical recommendations for adoption agencies and family-justice professionals.

Current Project:

• Changing practice in post-adoption contact: supporting the implementation and evaluation of “Letter Swap” (Regional Adoption Agency, Feb 2022 – Mar 2025)

Ruth’s hybrid role integrates academic tutoring, doctoral study and front-line practice, positioning her to translate research findings directly into adoption and child-welfare services.