The Implementation of Social Pedagogy from the Perspectives of Practitioners

In recent years the exploration of social pedagogy has increased considerably within services for children
and young people, especially for children in care. Connected to this is a widespread interest in and
curiosity about how ‘frontline’ practitioners could make use of a holistic and overarching concept that
defies definitions and does not come with a ‘how-to guide’. So how have UK professionals who have
participated in our social pedagogy development courses actually embraced and integrated social
pedagogy into their practice? This paper aims to give a short insight into the professional and personal
development of some of these participants, who went on a further learning path and submitted
assignments which were in turn assessed through ThemPra and the University of Lincoln. To establish an
ongoing process of reflection and to enable them to trace their learning, it was a requirement for all course
participants to keep a reflective diary.