Social pedagogy is about viewing the child's life as a whole, looking at a range of issues such as health, social care and education, according to Dr Claire Cameron, senior researcher at the Thomas Coram Research Unit (TCRU), which has been commissioned by the government to help pilot the concept in the UK.
But social pedagogues, who are commonplace across Europe, are no mere generalists. They are usually trained to degree level, have more than a year's placement experience before starting work and focus on building close relationships with children.
Pragmatism is also part of the role. They constantly review working practices and are ready to swiftly alter them to meet the changing needs of each child. Pedagogues are also actively encouraged to form strong, long-lasting relationships with the children and young people with whom they work. On the Continent, it is not unusual for young adults who left the care system many years ago to still be in regular contact with their pedagogue and their relationship is so strong that they view them almost as part of their family.
The government is clearly impressed by the use of the role across Europe, particularly in improving outcomes for children in care, and this autumn a three-year pilot is to launch to examine whether social pedagogy can be integrated into UK children's services.
First revealed in the Care Matters white paper, the pilot will take place in 30 residential care homes, 18 of which will have social pedagogues in place by October. A further 12 without social pedagogues will act as comparison sites.
The TCRU is supporting the homes throughout the pilot and Jacaranda Recruitment has been hired to find the social pedagogues.
Abby Ladbrooke, managing director of Jacaranda, says there are already hundreds of social pedagogues working in the UK, from countries such as Germany, Denmark and Sweden.
"Some are hired specifically as social pedagogues but a lot are in other roles such as outreach work and general social work," she adds.
- Here, we ask a range of senior professionals for their views:
How does social pedagogy differ from existing ways of working?
According to the British Association of Social Workers (BASW), social pedagogy offers little radically different and elements such as forming close relationships with children are already commonplace across UK social care, it argues.
"What I don't want to see is social pedagogues duplicate the expertise of teachers and social workers," says Ian Johnston, outgoing chief executive of BASW.
But, according to Maureen Caton, Essex County Council's head of residential and placement provision, the differences between social pedagogy and UK children's services cannot be underestimated. Last September, Essex launched a three-year social pedagogy course, where social pedagogues offer 72 staff training in areas such as group therapy and reflecting on the role.
"We are very tick-box orientated and have forgotten the core basics of practical social work," says Caton. "Social pedagogues have a far greater focus on reflecting on the work and practical skills."
TCRU's Cameron adds that this focus on practical skills such as arts and crafts also marks out pedagogues from UK children's professionals. "They don't get bogged down by procedure as we can do in the UK. If an activity cannot be run for whatever reason, a social pedagogue's first reaction is to look around and use whatever is at hand, for example pick up a football and organise a game."
A social pedagogue is also a key worker who acts as an advocate and works directly with the child, whereas in the UK the key worker "is not so hands on," says Cameron.
Is it appropriate for professionals to enter into such close relationships with children in their care?
"Social pedagogy starts from the premise that building a relationship is a good thing, rather than looking at it in terms of the challenges it presents," says Cameron.
But this does not mean that they cross barriers of acceptable behaviour, says Sylvia Holthoff, director of social pedagogy training body ThemPra, adding: "They are not a substitute for a child's parent."
A typical training model used in pedagogy, which addresses relationship issues, is known as the "three Ps". This involves social pedagogues looking at their life in three sections. The private self, which stays private; the personal self, which is areas they can share with young people; and finally their professional self, which involves information about the job which they pass on.
"By using the 'three Ps', the boundaries are clear. Personal information about a social pedagogues' life can be processed and put into one of these areas. It ensures relationships can be close as well as professional," adds Holthoff.
What training do social pedagogues require?
"In the UK, we often put unqualified workers in front of extremely damaged and challenging children and expect them to learn on the job," says Ladbrooke. "With social pedagogy, the training comes first and starts with the premise that you should only put highly qualified staff in such a position."
Most social pedagogy courses across Europe are degree level and last between three and four years. However, no such courses exist in the UK at the moment. In Denmark, the three-and-a-half-year degree course involves three practice placements totalling 15 months. "During this time they study creative arts, social care, psychology, social anthropology, childhood development and multi-disciplinary working," says Cameron.
Group work is another key aspect of training. Holthoff says that a common principle in social pedagogy models across Europe is the importance of group therapy sessions. "If a young person cannot handle the little world of a group, how are they expected to handle what happens in the wider world?" she asks.
Ladbrooke adds that this depth of training highlights deficiencies in the education of UK residential care workers. "UK residential care just does not have such a tradition of high-quality training," she says.
What is the potential for social pedagogy?
Although the government pilot is focusing on social pedagogy within residential care, in Europe it is used across children's services.
"There is no reason why it can't be used across such a range of services in the UK as well," says Holthoff, who makes a particular case for social pedagogues within nurseries.
"In Germany, most kindergartens have a social pedagogue. They can look at the child as a whole in terms of health and education. Also, they have training in anthropology and child development. This is a benefit in terms of group dynamics and engaging these younger children."
The TCRU concedes social pedagogy ideals such as building relationships and holistic care are already in place in some children's settings across the UK. "But it is not everywhere and skills tend to be spread out into specialist areas."
Would having more pedagogues make a difference?
Social pedagogues have the potential to transform support for children, but only if widespread cultural change takes place across UK social care, argues Chris Hoddy, director of care at Norfolk care charity Break. The charity is one of those taking part in the government pilot, and last autumn took on six pedagogues. But while five remain, one has since left due to difficulties fitting her high skill level into UK social care's "hierarchical system", says Hoddy.
"It became apparent that she was better qualified than her seniors, which created some tension. If social pedagogy is to work here we need a different mindset," he adds.
UK society's attitude to children also needs to change if social pedagogy is to be effectively adopted, says Ian Johnston. "Social pedagogy is born out of different cultures from ours. Could a social pedagogue really work in a society that still allows physical punishment of children, for example?
"The danger here is that the government is cherry-picking ideas from Europe without thinking it through," he adds.
QUALIFIED IN GERMANY, BUT CONSTRAINED HERE IN ENGLAND
"I do feel constrained in the UK. The legislation and rules here mean I have to refer on when I could do the work myself," says England-based social pedagogue Kristina Rossmeissl.
After completing a four-year degree in social pedagogy in her native Germany, she wanted to work abroad and accepted a field social work role in England.
But after spending years training in areas such as group work, arts and craft, social care, education and health, she is unable to use her skills to the full extent because of the confines of her job specification.
"For example, I have some health training and often find that I am able to spot symptoms and can help with issues such as mental health problems. But here I have to pass this over to someone else and that's where my involvement ends. In Germany, I would consult a health specialist but I'd still be part of the process," she says.
The lack of opportunity to carry out group work and therapy is something Rossmeissl particularly misses. "I wasn't hired in a pedagogue role but I would still like to be able to use some of that training," she says. "Sometimes group work would be more appropriate but the emphasis here is on one-to-one sessions," she adds.
One of the few areas where her social pedagogy training has been put to good use is with the emphasis on creating a life book for looked-after children, giving them a chance to reflect on their past, consider their present and lay out goals for the future.
"Because my training has an emphasis on practical skills, I can adapt this concept of a book and say perhaps a video diary would be better for this child, or perhaps a photo story would be better," she says.
