Maja Laklija was born in 1980. She graduated from primary school and grammar school in Zagreb. In 2004, she graduated from the University of Zagreb, the Faculty of Law (Study Centre for Social Work). She enrolled in the postgraduate scientific study in theory and methodology of social work in 2005, and in January 2009 defended her dissertation entitled “Psychosocial characteristics of foster parents and the experience of foster care of children” and earned a doctorate in science. In 2013, she completed a postgraduate specialist study in supervision in psychosocial work, and in 2020 she also became a licensed metasupervisor. In 2012, he enrolled in education in Gestalt psychotherapy conducted by the Institute for Integrative Gestalt Therapy in Würzburg, Germany. In 2022, the Education on Crisis Interventions ended.

In the period from 2005 to 2007, she was employed as a collaborator on projects of the UNICEF Office in Croatia. From February 2007 until today, she has been continuously employed at the Study Centre for Social Work of the Faculty of Law of the University of Zagreb. Currently in the scientific teaching profession, as a full professor she leads the teaching in the undergraduate and graduate study of social work and participates in the performance of teaching in the postgraduate specialist study in Psychosocial approach in social work, Children’s rights, Postgraduate specialist study in supervision in psychosocial work and in the doctoral study in Social Work and Social Policy. From the academic years 2011/12 to 2020/21 she participated in the performance of classes in the graduate study of social work at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Mostar.

Since February 2014, she has been engaged in the Faculty of Law Students Counselling Centre.

Since 2014, she has been the executive editor of the journal Social Topics: Journal of Social Work and Related Sciences, and since March 2020 a member of the editorial board of the Annual of Social Work (editor of the field of qualitative research).

She is a member of the Croatian Association of Social Workers (from 2015-2019 a member of the board of directors), Psychological Assistance Society (DPP), Croatian Society for Supervision and Organizational Development (HDSOR, board member) and Parents’ Association Step by Step (board member).

She has participated as a representative of the Faculty of Law in Zagreb in a number of working groups, and has been a member of working groups to develop: reports on the implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2011),  Foster Care Act (2011), National Strategies for the Rights of Children in the Republic of Croatia for the period from 2014 to 2020 (2013/2014), the implementation and monitoring of the Foster Care Development Plan for children in RH (2016), for the drafting of the proposal of the Foster Care Act (2017/2018), Draft proposal of the Law on Amendments to the Law on Foster Care (2021/2022) and the Draft Proposal of the National Plan for the Rights of Children in the Republic of Croatia for the period from 2021 to 2026 (2021/2022).

Areas of her practical, teaching and research work are, among other things, related to the field of social work with the family, and social care for children, with a special focus on children in alternative care.