A qualified social worker who worked in a variety of children and families settings for 17 years before becoming the training manager in Wandsworth social services. Since 2001 James has been the London co-ordinator for Making Research Count, an innovative national research dissemination project. Now based at the unit, MRC seeks to promote knowledge-based practice through partnerships between universities and local health and social care agencies. James also teaches at other universities on qualifying and post-qualifying programmes. He has recently been involved in a project to work with service user groups on incorporating parental perspectives into social work teaching on poverty and was part of the project team that wrote a training curriculum for CAFCASS. James’ other research interests include how practitioners make use of research and how poverty impacts on parenting.