SOCIAL PEDAGOGY AND ITS IMPLICATIONS FOR THE YOUTH WORKFORCE

Introduction
The DfES White Paper Care Matters (2006) describes social pedagogy1 as ‘a
theoretical and practical framework for understanding children's upbringing, focused
on building relationships through practical engagement’.

It has also been described as holistic education. The Thomas Coram Research Unit,
for example, suggests that pedagogy is "education in the broadest sense of the word
… where care and education meet and which concerns upbringing, child-rearing,
nurturing, socialisation and supporting development”.

The key features of pedagogy are described as (Petrie et al, 2005, p.22):

• “A focus on the child as a whole person, and support for the child’s overall
development;
• The practitioner seeing herself/himself as a person, in relationship with the
child or young person;
• Children and staff are seen as inhabiting the same life space, not as existing
in separate hierarchical domains;
• As professionals, pedagogues are encouraged constantly to reflect on their
practice and to apply both theoretical understandings and self-knowledge to
the sometimes challenging demands with which they are confronted;
• Pedagogues are also practical, so their training prepares them to share in
many aspects of children’s daily lives and activities;
• Children’s associative life is seen as important resources: workers should
foster and make use of the group;
• Pedagogy builds on understanding of children’s rights that is not limited to
procedural matters or legislated requirements;
• There is an emphasis on team work and on valuing the contribution of others
in ‘bringing up’ children; other professionals, members of the local community
and especially parents;
• The centrality of relationship and, allied to this, the importance of listening and
communicating.”

Social pedagogues are trained to have regard for all aspects of children and young
people’s well-being, including their social, emotional, health and educational
development. The emphasis is on the development of professional skills in working
with individuals and groups; on practical and creative skills and using practical
placements to develop experience of the field of young people’s welfare in its
broadest sense as well as opportunities for developing reflective skills.

Daniel Eichsteller says that all social pedagogy is “underpinned by a belief in the …
(young person), in their competence and their resourcefulness.” He goes on to say,

1
References to “pedagogy” and “pedagogue” in the quotations and references below should
be taken to mean “social pedagogy” and “social pedagogue” respectively as the literature
often interchanges the terms.

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"You use your head - including your knowledge - and try being reflective. You also
use your heart - being empathetic - and you use your hands to do practical work."

Social pedagogues place a strong focus on activities undertaken with, rather than by,
young people. These should allow both parties to develop their skills: Eichsteller
argues that activities have broad educational values which give young people the
chance to learn about themselves and the society in which they live.

Different approaches across Europe

Although the theoretical models of social pedagogy are similar across Europe, there
are clear differences in practice between the English and continental European
approaches. Much of this arises from the fact that historically whilst many English
qualifications have involved study in social policy, group work and reflective practice,
it is more accurate to describe them in terms of a social pedagogical approach,
rather than full blown qualifications in social pedagogy. The other difference is in the
job roles and job titles developed by employers from these qualifications. In
continental Europe the job title of social pedagogue is understood and well
developed, whilst in England employers have used a range of alternative titles such
as social educator, personal adviser, youth worker, etc to describe roles which are
social pedagogical in style.

Integrated working and social pedagogy

As Petrie et al [2005] point out, until relatively recently, local and national policy in
England has been mostly based on clear boundaries between the fields of
education, child care and social care and these divisions have been apparent at
many levels – conceptual, professional, organisational and in relation to training and
education. This has clearly contributed to the diverse range of job roles and titles
described earlier.

In recent years, however, there has been significant reorganisation of responsibility

for young people’s services and greater emphasis on a person-centred approach
and integrated working.

The role of social pedagogue is sufficiently broad-based to sit comfortably with the
ambitions for this more integrated approach to service delivery. An internal report by
CPEA for the DfES (2007), on which some of the workforce thinking in Aiming High
was based, emphasised the potential benefits of a social pedagogical approach in
relation to work with young people in England, e.g.:

• in helping to develop a more holistic approach to work with young people

• in helping to establish a common framework for the different professional
groups currently involved in work with young people – ‘it would encourage us
all to look at the whole child (and young person)’.

Kornbeck (2002) argues that there are potential difficulties in introducing the
European approach to social pedagogy to the youth workforce in England, e.g. the
lack of familiarity with the language of social pedagogy; different interpretations of
what it means; no tradition of social pedagogy with clear links between policy, theory,
education/training and practice.

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However, others believe that adopting a more social pedagogical approach should
not be challenging for the professional groups currently working with young people.
The CPEA paper reported that the principles of youth work and social pedagogy
‘broadly overlap’ and that ‘any good youth work in the sense of being community
based, centred on voluntary engagement, association and relationship, starting
where young people are, informed choice, etc’ is consistent with a social
pedagogical approach. Much youth work training also has a strong focus on enabling
practitioners to critically reflect on their practice, and on developing skills in relating
to and communicating with young people.

The Central London Connexions Partnership [2005] has also drawn parallels
between social pedagogy and the role of the Connexions Personal Adviser.

Similarly, Cruddas [2005] argues that the learning mentor role has close
occupational links with the European tradition of social pedagogy.

A way forward
Paragraph 7.37 of Building Brighter Futures includes a commitment to ‘ensure that
the children’s (and young people’s) workforce unites around a common purpose,
language and identity, while keeping the strong and distinctive professional ethos of
different practitioners in the workforce’.

To this end the Children’s Workforce Network has agreed that the youth workforce
reform programme should be underpinned by a skill set that is based on a social
pedagogical model of skills and training. In implementing this, we wish to consult
with acknowledged experts in the field as well as more broadly with the workforce
itself.

The programme itself aims to ensure that new training and qualifications which it
may develop are based on such a framework. For the existing workforce, guidance
and training materials could be developed, based on the theoretical and practical
social pedagogical framework suggested by Care Matters (2006), for dissemination
through existing employer-based CPD programmes.

Any refocusing of professional training and qualifications will inevitably take a little
longer to happen and will be driven as much by sector demand as by any central
policy development. There are a number of training providers looking to develop
professional qualifications in integrated working at foundation and honours degree
level, and with sector encouragement and guidance these could be encouraged to
develop their programmes using a social pedagogical theoretical and practical
framework - some may be looking into this already.

In terms of the existing professional qualifications, many already have a strong focus
on social education policy and the development of the reflective practitioner, and it
should therefore be relatively easy over time for them to adopt a stronger social
pedagogical curriculum model.

Conclusion
There is much to be gained in terms of unifying the youth workforce from a common
theoretical framework. For many, social pedagogy is the obvious way forward,

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bringing as it does a commitment to the empowerment and personal and social
development of young people required by the new integrated services.

This paper is intended to encourage discussion on the development of a social

pedagogical approach within integrated youth services. Formal and informal
consultations from April 2009 to progress the ideas. If you are interested in joining
the debate please email CWDC’s youth workforce team on
youthconsultation@cwdcouncil.org.uk with your contact details.

References
Boddy J., Cameron, C., Moss, P., Mooney, A., Petrie, P. and Statham, J. [2005]
Introducing Pedagogy into the Children’s Workforce: Children’s Workforce Strategy -
a response to the Consultation Document.

Central London Connexions [2005] Pedagogues and Support to Young People

within Children’s Trusts, June 2005

CPEA Ltd (2007), a report for the Department for Children, Schools and Families on
Social Pedagogy and the Young People’s Workforce,
http://www.gbyoc.org.uk/docs/social_pedagogy_and_young_people.pdf.

Cruddas, L. [2005] Response to ‘a pedagogical approach to education and care:

discussion paper’, December 2005, DfES

Eichsteller, G. (2006). Treasure Hunt – Searching for Pedagogic Ideas within Youth
Work in Portsmouth. BA Dissertation – University of Portsmouth.

Kornbeck, J. [2002] Reflections on the Exportability of Social Pedagogy and its

Possible Limits, Social Work in Europe, 9 [2] pp 37 - 49

Petrie, P., Boddy, J., Cameron, C., Heptinstall, E., McQuail S., Simon, A. and V.
Wigfall [2005] Pedagogy – a holistic, personal approach to work with children and
young people across services, Briefing Paper, June 2005, Thomas Coram Research
Unit.

Department for Education and Skills [2006] Care Matters: Transforming the Lives of
Children and Young People in Care.