Social Pedagogy Research
April 2010
Why study social pedagogy and its implications for youth work?
This study was produced in a response to the fact that social pedagogy is now being taken up with greater interest in the UK, and is featuring more in discussions on workforce reform. Social pedagogy is a concept commonly used in European countries in relation to youth work. One of the main principles of social pedagogy is that it
can promote shared values and skills across different fields which were (until recent developments in integrated services) disparate. Current emphasis on improved and
better integrated services for children and young people means that social pedagogy is likely to be introduced, to a greater or lesser extent, into the UK.
The Regional Youth Work Unit North East has been involved in workforce issues for a number of years, and has been particularly interested in the development of new
approaches to youth work training. When social pedagogy was highlighted in the Children’s Workforce Strategy in 2005, it was clear that new ideas for workforce reform
were being considered by both central and local government. The Unit used the opportunity of a six month internship from the University of Sunderland to allocate
resources and time to exploring, in more depth, the concept of social pedagogy and its implications for youth work.
