Funder
Department of Children, Schools and Families
Timescale
September 2008 - March 2011
Research team
Downloads
Social pedagogy in children's residential care: DCSF pilot programme
Research summary
Inspired by the social pedagogic approach in continental children's homes, this pilot programme aims to develop and implement similar methods in residential children's homes in England. The evaluation of the approach will be the subject of a separate project. In association with Jacaranda Recruitment and advised by a group of national and international experts, it will build on existing knowledge of staffing and practice in residential care, and existing knowledge of introducing social pedagogy into children's services in England and the UK. The study will utilize international professional networks to recruit and support around 60 Danish and German pedagogues to work in England, as well as taking account of pedagogues already employed in this country. In two contrasting regions of England, around 30 children's homes will be studied, representing different kinds of homes and the demographic contexts in which they are located.
The children's homes will fall into one of four categories: i) they already have social pedagogues working in them; ii) they recruit at least two social pedagogues from abroad to fill vacancies; iii) they recruit two social pedagogues to work as social pedagogues and in a practice development and networking capacity; or iv) they are comparison homes, which are happy to be evaluated alongside the children's homes in the other three groups. Two project workers, also social pedagogues, have been appointed to the team who will provide support to the pedagogues recruited.
Methods
Data will be gathered at the beginning of the placements of the social pedagogues and again, at the end of the project, approximately two years later. A comparison of the approaches represented in the four groups will enable conclusions to be drawn about the most effective method for introducing social pedagogues into England.
The final report of the project has been completed and can be downloaded from the box at the right.