The document discusses social pedagogy, which is an approach to caring for children that combines education and care. It is being introduced in foster care programs in the UK through a demonstration program. Social pedagogy focuses on holistic development of children's head, heart and hands. It aims to enable children to reach their potential through building relationships and providing learning opportunities. The document outlines the foundations, aims and pathways of social pedagogy as well as challenges to its adoption in the UK foster care system. It also discusses developments and pilot programs using social pedagogy in Scotland and elsewhere in the UK.

1. SOCIAL PEDAGOGY
-Irn Bru and Haggis-

2. Todays Programme
• The programme “Head, Heart, Hands- introducing social
pedagogy into foster care”.
• Social Pedagogy a developing field in Scotland
• Aberlour Fostering and Social Pedagogy
• What is Social Pedagogy?
• Core models of Social Pedagogy
• Open questions

3. The Fostering Network
HHH Programme aims
“This programme will demonstrate the impact that
introducing a social pedagogic approach can make to
foster carers and the lives of the children they foster”
The long term aim is to encourage/embed this approach
across the UK and enable far more children in care to fulfil
their potential

4. Demonstration sites
• City of Edinburgh Council
• Orkney Islands Council and
Aberlour Fostering
• Staffordshire County
Council
• Capstone Foster Care
• Hackney Borough Council
• Surrey County Council

5. Challenges
•While Social Pedagogy is well established in mainland Europe, there is low
awareness and understanding in the UK
•The mixed success of the England residential care pilots will influence
people’s views on this programme and Social Pedagogy in general
•Critics have argued that Social Pedagogy is what good quality foster care
should be anyway, so what’s different?
•The Social Pedagogy approach challenges the prevailing risk-averse culture
and procedure- based practice within social care
•While government and the social care sector are open to new ways of
working to improve outcomes for children, there is little money to invest

7. Social Pedagogy
- a developing field
Developments in UK
• Aware of our own history and
situation
• Learning from and with European
neighbours
• Developments in last 12 years:
• Academic research (20 years +)
• Pilot projects in RCC
• Recruitment of social
pedagogues
• Training courses and
organisational development
Developments in Scotland
• Demand for transformational
change (21st
Century Review of
Social Work, Changing Lives,
GIRFEC)
• BA run by The University of
Aberdeen in conjunction with
Camphill Schools
• Scottish Practice Forum
• Children in Scotland (supported
by the Scottish Government)

8. Social Pedagogy and outcomes
“Children’s Trust partnerships should consider adopting a consistent and
holistic approach to underpin the commissioning and provision of support for
children and young people across the age range, and their families. One
option might be to adopt a system-wide social pedagogical approach to every
aspect of intervention and service provision in children’s services including in
the professional development of the children’s services workforce. Social
Pedagogy is not an evidence-based programme but a conceptual model
which can be used as a way of thinking and working across complex
systems which in turn could help to further integrate local services - from
schools, to healthcare, to specialist care provision - with a common outcomes
focus”.
ADCS (Association of Directors of Children’s Services) POSITION STATEMENT
WHAT IS CARE FOR: ALTERNATIVE MODELS OF CARE FOR ADOLESCENTS
(April 2013)

9. Practice Model Aberlour Fostering
“Social Pedagogy Social pedagogy is an approach to caring for children
which combines education and care to help children achieve their
potential. This is particularly appropriate within the context of foster
care and the Head Heart Hands demonstration programme has been
introduced within the Fostering Team to enhance foster carers ability to
integrate theory and knowledge from research into their practical daily
care of their fostered child. The approach enhances the role of the foster
carer and supports their emotional well being and their relationship with
the child. It supports the foster carer to create learning opportunities for
children within their care and to enable children to fulfil their potential”.

10. Developing Modern Social Pedagogy
Badry &
Knapp, 2003

11. Social Pedagogy
© The Fostering Network, Jacaranda Development, ThemPra Social Pedagogy C.I.C and Pat Petrie (the Owners) 2013
Where care and education meet …
Nurturance…
Socialisation…
Upbringing…
Supporting development…
Education-in-its-broadest-sense

12. © The Fostering Network, Jacaranda Recruitment Limited, ThemPra Social Pedagogy C.I.C and Pat Petrie (the Owners) 2013
Roots of
Social Pedagogy

13. John Amos Comenius (1592—1670):
– The pedagogue as a gardener as opposed to a sculptor
“The proper education of the young does not consist in stuffing their heads with a mass
of words, sentences, and ideas dragged together out of various authors, but in opening up
their understanding to the outer world, so that a living stream may flow from their
own minds, just as leaves, flowers, and fruit spring from the bud on a tree.”
© The Fostering Network, Jacaranda Development, ThemPra Social Pedagogy C.I.C and Pat Petrie (the Owners) 2013
Social Pedagogy
A Long Philosophical Tradition

14. FOUNDATIONSFOUNDATIONS
PATHWAYSPATHWAYS
AIMSAIMS
© The Fostering Network, Jacaranda Recruitment Limited, ThemPra Social Pedagogy C.I.C and Pat Petrie (the Owners) 2013
What is Social Pedagogy?

15. What is Social Pedagogy?
Foundations:Foundations:
Humanistic value base, e.g. respect, trust, empathyHumanistic value base, e.g. respect, trust, empathy
Fundamental concept of children as equal human beings with richFundamental concept of children as equal human beings with rich
and extraordinary potential, as competent, resourceful and activeand extraordinary potential, as competent, resourceful and active
agents in their own livesagents in their own lives
Inter-disciplinary theory combining concepts and models fromInter-disciplinary theory combining concepts and models from
sociology, psychology, education, philosophy, medical sciences andsociology, psychology, education, philosophy, medical sciences and
social worksocial work
Origin:Origin: Pedagogy – GreekPedagogy – Greek paispais (child), and(child), and ageinagein (to lead, bring up)(to lead, bring up)
© The Fostering Network, Jacaranda Recruitment Limited, ThemPra Social Pedagogy C.I.C and Pat Petrie (the Owners) 2013

16. What is Social Pedagogy?
Aims:Aims:
– Holistic education – education of headHolistic education – education of head (cognitive knowledge)(cognitive knowledge), heart, heart
(emotional and spiritual learning)(emotional and spiritual learning), and hands, and hands (practical and physical skills)(practical and physical skills)
– Holistic well-being – strengthening health-sustaining factorsHolistic well-being – strengthening health-sustaining factors
– To enable children to grow up as self-responsible persons who takeTo enable children to grow up as self-responsible persons who take
responsibility for their societyresponsibility for their society
– To promote human welfare and prevent or ease social problemsTo promote human welfare and prevent or ease social problems
© The Fostering Network, Jacaranda Recruitment Limited, ThemPra Social Pedagogy C.I.C and Pat Petrie (the Owners) 2013

17. What is Social Pedagogy?
Pathways:Pathways:
– Through providing opportunities for learningThrough providing opportunities for learning
– Building strong and positive, authentic relationships which are not basedBuilding strong and positive, authentic relationships which are not based
on hierarchyon hierarchy
– Enabling children to empower themselvesEnabling children to empower themselves
– Creating positive experiences in the everyday, focussing on the here andCreating positive experiences in the everyday, focussing on the here and
now, and being constantly reflectivenow, and being constantly reflective
– Being aware of the cultural impact on what is possible in practice –Being aware of the cultural impact on what is possible in practice –
understanding social images of children, policy-contexts, regulations,understanding social images of children, policy-contexts, regulations,
qualificationsqualifications
© The Fostering Network, Jacaranda Recruitment Limited, ThemPra Social Pedagogy C.I.C and Pat Petrie (the Owners) 2013

18. The 3P’s
PP
PROFESSIONAL
PERSONAL
PRIVATE

19. The Common Third
http://www.thempra.org.uk/concepts_c
3.htm
Thempra

20. Copyright notice
© The Fostering Network, Jacaranda Development Limited, Pat Petrie (the Owners) and ThemPra Social Pedagogy C.I.C 2013
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