International Focus: Social pedagogy in Denmark

Practitioners are encouraged to see themselves as a person in a relationship with the child in order to best nurture their development and creativity, and build their capacity to cultivate strong relationships with others. It occurs in care and education settings as well as health, family support and related occupational areas. Pedagogy is thus about bringing up children, with "social pedagogy" reflecting the fact that this is a shared responsibility of society, requiring the involvement of trained professionals.

POLICY AND PRACTICE

In Denmark, people qualified in social pedagogy are known as social pedagogues. Their work shares a similar function and purpose to childcare workers in nurseries, playworkers in out-of-school settings, or social workers for children in care.

On the latter, the Thomas Coram Research Unit suggests that social pedagogy "provides the policy and professional education framework for residential care in Denmark, where young people ‘do better' than in similar institutions in England, and the major factors in accounting for outcomes were characteristics of the staff and their approach to practice".

There are also significant differences in the Danish approach to the care system, which is oriented more towards supporting families instead of a focus on child protection. Social pedagogy is a major factor in this approach.

CULTURE AND TRAINING

Social pedagogues train for three to five years to gain their qualification. They undertake practice placements and study different theories to help them make sense of their work.

The practising of social pedagogy in Denmark is usually characterised by high levels of staffing; few rules; and a belief in treating each child as an individual.

The Danish social services and education systems are imbued with social pedagogy. Attention to the individual, the significant investment in highly qualified staff, and the focus on developing strong relationships are key principles.

In contrast to the UK, most, if not all, staff at Danish residential children's homes will be trained as pedagogues through a three-and-a-half year degree course.

At Copenhagen's Frøbelseminariet there are facilities for gaining skills in drama, art, craft and music. Instead of social work qualifications being about the acquisition of knowledge on the law, social policy and theory, the focus is on developing practical relationship skills.

Danish social pedagogues usually qualify at Seminariets, which offer courses that include three placements in different pedagogic settings. Further studies at MA level often combine social pedagogy with interlinked disciplines, such as social work, sociology or psychology.

TWO MODELS OF PRACTICE

The Common Third is about using an activity to strengthen the relationship between the practitioner and a child and to develop new skills. This could be any activity, such as cooking or playing football together. The approach is about creating a commonly shared situation - a third element - that becomes a symbol of the relationship between the professional and the child. The Common Third requires the child to have full involvement on equal terms in all project phases, from planning the activity to evaluating it afterwards. Learning together is a core feature.

Another relationship-based approach is the 3 Ps: the professional, the personal and the private self of the social pedagogue. It is thought that through forging strong relationships, professionals can show they care about a child and help their development. Exploring hidden talents and recognising what makes them happy and sad is an important part of the practitioner understanding who the child is, and for the child to develop a sense of self. This can cause challenges for practitioners about where the line is drawn between the professional and personal life.

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE UK

By Pat Petrie, Professor Emeritus, Centre for Understanding Social Pedagogy, Institute of Education, UCL

In the UK, social pedagogy first gained attention following scandals surrounding residential care and led to the funding of a research programme at the Thomas Coram Research Unit. Various pilots and demonstration projects followed. Since 2008, the organisations Thempra and Jacaranda have been influential in developing social pedagogy in the UK, and involved in creating the Social Pedagogy Development Network, which has brought interested people together.

In 2009, the Centre for Understanding Social Pedagogy was established at the Institute of Education, University College London, and now hosts (until 2019) the Social Pedagogy Professional Association.

Until now, the only social pedagogues working in the UK are those who have trained overseas and taken up positions in social work, social care or related fields. Most focus in the UK has been on the potential for social pedagogy in work with looked-after children but this has been extended to youth work, family support, people with disabilities, some practice in schools and early childhood settings. There are now master's and batchelor's degrees in the UK. Qualifications at Level 3 have launched, with a Level 5 to be launched later in 2017.