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What social pedagogy means

Social Pedagogy offers a values-led approach to relationship-centred practice that aims to holistically support people's well-being, learning and social inclusion. At the heart of Social Pedagogy lies a belief that each person deserves to be treated with human dignity and possesses unique inner resources and potential, which we can help them unfold. To do so requires meaningful and authentic relationships that enable us to recognise a person's potential, their qualities, strengths and interests, and to create learning situations in which people can experience their resourcefulness and develop new abilities. This is why Social Pedagogy is often translated as education in the broadest sense of the term, with a focus on learning in the 'everyday'.

In much of continental Europe, and across Latin America, there is a strong tradition of Social Pedagogy as an academic discipline and field of practice across a variety of educational and care settings: from the early years, through to schools, residential child care, play and youth work, community and family support, social work, employment support, addiction work, prisons, support for people with disabilities, and care for the elderly. At first sight, some of these settings may not seem to have much in common. Yet, there is a shared ethical underpinning, an understanding that in any of those settings we can make a positive difference not just for the individuals, but indeed for society as a whole if we create an environment that enhances well-being, supports learning, human growth and social inclusion through empowering relationships. In this sense, Social Pedagogy seeks to find educational solutions to social issues by connecting individuals to society and promoting social justice.

The value of Social Pedagogy lies in the fact that it is more than just an approach to social care and social work practice; it offers a coherent conceptual framework and ethical orientation that strengthens existing practice and enables professionals to navigate challenging and complex situations with a clear sense of purpose and direction. Whilst it can provide professionals with a broad range of methods to use, it ensures that their focus is on the deeper purpose of supporting well-being, learning and social inclusion - and selecting or developing methods that contribute to these aims and seem meaningful within a given practice situation. This is why Social Pedagogy can enhance other current approaches frequently used in UK practice, such as systemic practice, strengths-based, person-centred and risk-sensible models. It is the guiding principle and foundation on which 'everyday' practice is built on and influences how professionals then understand and use the approaches mentioned above.

Origins

The term 'pedagogy' stems from the Greek terms país (child) and ágõ (to lead, to guide). 'Social' pedagogy has grown organically out of a longstanding tradition of educational philosophers, social thinkers and practitioners who were concerned with creating a more just society through educational means. Social pedagogy therefore aims to connect each person to society, with society supporting its most disadvantaged members and each individual taking responsibility for wider society. It aims to create the conditions in which each person can grow and become both more independence and integrated. As this is a lifelong process, social pedagogues work within a range of different settings, from early years through adolescence to working with disadvantaged adult groups as well as older people. Consequently, what exactly social pedagogy means depends very much on the context or setting. Social pedagogues who are working with marginalised adults will draw on other specialisms and theories than social pedagogues working with very young children, but they will be connected through a shared ethos and principles underpinning their social pedagogical orientation.

Social pedagogy is very closely related to society and reflects cultural attitudes and traditions in many ways. It provides clues about how a given society thinks about children's upbringing, the relationship between the individual and society, and how society supports its disadvantaged or marginalised members. This is why social pedagogy has developed in somewhat different ways across different countries over time - and why a Spanish social pedagogue might explain it in slightly different ways than a Swedish social pedagogue.

Irrespective of the cultural contexts and the different settings in which social pedagogues can work, there are shared underpinning principles: What connects all social pedagogies is the way of thinking, the philosophy and (congruence between values and actions) with which different methods are used. What characterizes social pedagogy in practice depends not so much on what is done but on how it is done and with what rationale. This means that social pedagogy is both a science and an art form - it's not just a skill to learn but needs to be brought to life through the social pedagogue's Haltung.

This perspective of social pedagogy means that it is dynamic, creative, and process-orientated rather than mechanical, procedural, and automated. It demands from social pedagogues to be a whole person, not just a pair of hands. It also offers an insight into how we can develop social pedagogy in the UK: following the same principles, we need to put people at the heart and connect to their Haltung. And we can only construct a social pedagogy for the UK together, in dialogue with each other. Only then can it offer a holistic overarching conceptual framework that can guide professional practice in a meaningful way. And only then can we capture the spirit of social pedagogy which makes it an art, not a method.

Social Pedagogy Standards

Over the last decade, much effort has gone into developing a clearer understanding of what the principles and practices of social pedagogues and social pedagogy practitioners in the UK are. In 2016, as part of a UCL Institute of Education-led project called Scaling Up Social Pedagogy, we consulted widely with professionals engaged in social pedagogy as practitioners, students, managers, academics or policy-makers to compile social pedagogy standards. These standards are held by the Social Pedagogy Professional Association.

Standards - Philosophy and Haltung

These threshold standards address the philosophy underpinning of Social Pedagogy and the Haltung we expect Social Pedagogy Practitioners and Social Pedagogues to develop and maintain in their practice. These standards should be held in a person's heart and guide their way of living and working.

As a Social Pedagogy Practitioner / Social Pedagogue, I agree to:

1. Develop and nurture an attitude of empathy and regard for people and cultures and the world of which we are a part

2. Foster relationships that respect human dignity and promote human rights, mutuality and well-being

3. Recognise the inherent resourcefulness and potential of human beings to bring about change

4. Appreciate that human relationships, in all their complexity, are intrinsically valuable and therefore central to Social Pedagogy

5. Enable people to use their voices and effect change within their own lives and wider society

6. Understand and work with the tensions inherent in valuing individual autonomy and social interdependence

7. Engage with social and political aspects of human development, childhood and community

8. Educate for community through community

9. Develop an attitude of professional curiosity and critical self-reflection

10. Be open to and informed of new theory, research and good practice relevant to social pedagogical practice

11. Use situated professional judgment and maintain appropriate confidentiality

12. Understand issues relating to the protection of vulnerable individuals, groups and communities and address social inequalities

13. Recognise the value of creativity, playfulness and adventure

14. Be accountable for my practice, engage in meaning-making and know when to seek advice

Standards - Practice

These standards represent the threshold level of practice for Social Pedagogy Practitioners and Social Pedagogues. We expect their employing organisations to provide a working culture and support that enables Social Pedagogy Practitioners and Social Pedagogues to apply these standards within their practice.

As a Social Pedagogy Practitioner / Social Pedagogue, I agree to:

1. Engage with others in ways that respect their equal value and human dignity, understanding the part played by personal communication in supporting this

2. Make decisions with a high degree of situation awareness, recognising the complex factors involved in different circumstances

3. Recognise and respect that personal histories, characteristics and social and political contexts have brought each person and group to their current understanding of the world

4. Invite, consider and integrate multiple perspectives in decision making as a means of deepening social justice, community and well-being

5. Create opportunities and contexts for people to actively participate in society, express their own views and listen to those of others

6. Hold my relationship with the people I work with and support in the foreground in all my practice

7. Value the opportunities that everyday activities provide for developing relationships

8. Facilitate learning processes that enhance well-being and enable individuals to find meaning and purpose in their everyday lives

9. Work collaboratively and be willing to both support and challenge colleagues

10. Use theory and research in my everyday practice

11. Support the individuals, groups and communities I work with to realise their hopes and aspirations by identifying, with them, the steps required to meet their goals

12. Adapt my practice to take account of the physical, intellectual, emotional, spiritual, social and cultural needs and strengths of individuals, groups and communities, in keeping with the principles of social pedagogy

13. Practice safely and competently within the legal and ethical boundaries of my profession

14. Take into account relevant social policy and at the same time bring critical awareness to any tensions existing between our values and such policies.

15. Support community development by encouraging networking and connections through participatory processes that draw on the community's resourcefulness.

16. Promote inter-professional dialogue and co-operation across settings and agencies.

You can find these as a downloadable document here.

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Social Pedagogy - ThemPra Social Pedagogy

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Social pedagogy is based on principles around holistic learning and well-being. Here we provide more details.

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Scope Policy Team

23 May 2018

Our new report, The Disability Perception Gap, reveals the extent of the negative attitudes that are held towards disabled people - and how many non-disabled people don't realise the scale of the problem.

The way other people act towards us can have a huge impact on how we view ourselves and our role in society. An occasional moment of rudeness or being ignored may be a minor inconvenience or annoyance. But the more it happens, the more the impact adds up.

For many disabled people, this will sound all too familiar. Whether it's outright hostility, or seemingly minor incidents that add up to a hostile atmosphere, prejudice remains a common occurrence. Negative attitudes from others can be one of the biggest barrier to disabled people living life the way they want, and more needs to be done to tackle them.

The research in this report was carried out on behalf of Scope by the National Centre for Social Research as part of the annual British Social Attitudes Survey.

What is the Perception Gap?

According to our new research released today, one in three disabled people still feel that there's a lot of prejudice against disabled people. But only one in five non-disabled people think the same. This is what we're calling the disability perception gap.

It may seem self-evident that disabled people face prejudice, but many non-disabled people do not understand the scale of the negative attitudes towards disability.

Some difference wouldn't be surprising - disabled people have to live with this prejudice every day, whereas non-disabled people may only ever know about it second hand.

But this gap is growing. In 2000, there was only a slight difference between the views of disabled and non-disabled people when it came to disability prejudice. Over the last 20 years, however, the gap has trebled.

There is now a real danger that many non-disabled people think that disability prejudice has been tackled long before it has been, which could block further attempts to improve the situation. Instead of this complacency, we need to make sure that the experiences of disabled people are listened to and put at the heart of any programme designed to address negative and harmful attitudes.

Being close to disability can help

When it comes to improving understanding, it seems that nothing beats personal contact with a disabled person. Whether it's a colleague, a friend or a family member, having a relationship with a disabled person makes a real difference to non-disabled people's attitudes.

For example, 10 percent of people who claim not to know any disabled people think of disabled people as 'getting in the way' some of the time - an opinion held by only 3 percent of people with a disabled colleague.

However, a third of the population claim not to know a single disabled person. This means that their views on disability are far more likely to be based on stereotypes than any knowledge of what life is like for a disabled person.

Any attempt to improve attitudes will have to increase people's understanding of what it means to be disabled, and the challenges that disabled people face on a daily basis.

Driving change

To do this requires a concerted effort across society to tackle prejudice and negative attitudes towards disabled people. This should include a variety of spaces; from the classroom to the boardroom, and all points in between.

This is why we are calling for efforts to get more disabled people into work to be amplified. With only 7 percent of people saying they have a disabled colleague, a million more disabled people in work could make a real difference to people's views of disability and disabled people.

It's why we're calling on the media to do more to ensure that disabled people and their experiences are properly represented on screen. By supporting disabled talent, they can show what it means to be disabled in 2018.

Such efforts on their own will help, but they won't be sufficient. We need a coherent approach to improving attitudes across all areas of life. Earlier this week the Government announced a new working group to look at the issues facing disabled people.

We're calling on this group, and the rest of Government, to take prejudice seriously and launch a new cross-departmental disability strategy, focussed on improving attitudes and reducing prejudice towards disabled people.

What comes next?

This report is the start of something, not the end. We will be working to better understand how negative attitudes impact on disabled people, and how these can best be tackled.

There's no single fix for this problem, and as part of our campaign for everyday equality for disabled people, we'd like to hear about your experiences and what you would like to see change.

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Disabled people still face negative attitudes | Disability charity Scope UK

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Scope Policy Team 23 May 2018 Our new report, The Disability Perception Gap, reveals the extent of the negative attitudes that are held towards disabled people - and how many non-disabled people don't realise the scale of the problem. The way other people act towards us can have a huge impact on how we view ourselves and our role in society.

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Learning Disability - Autism - Down's Syndrome

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Mencap is a UK charity for people with a learning disability. We support their families and carers, too. Find out more about our services and get involved.

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Warwick Davis Introduces Awkward Disability Stories - #EndTheAwkward - Scope

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Inside I'm Dancing(Rory O'Shea Was Here) trailer

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