Laura works as a policy manager with COSLA covering areas including children and young people’s mental health, and has done for around a year, previously covering areas relating to early learning and childcare, children and young people who have additional support needs, or are looked after, and equalities. She previously worked at the National Union of Students in Scotland coordinating campaigns relating to health promotion, mainly mental health and wellbeing, and before that in a local authority supporting policy development across a number of areas. Laura has lived/living experience of mental illness and has been involved in coordinating projects as a volunteer relating to increasing understanding of mental illness. She has an undergraduate degree in human biology, psychology and sociology, and postgraduate in alcohol and drug studies.