Debate on social pedagogues

We asked:- Should social pedagogues be introduced in
children’s services in the UK?

Here are some of the comments we received:-

“I used to run a drop-in centre for young people and we
had a Danish social pedagogue student here on placement. It was
interesting to see the way she approached the work and transcended
some of the artificial boundaries we have in place in this
country.

We should certainly look at the content of training of these
students to see how they can aid the proposals for children’s
workforce reform.”

Richard Taylor
Gateshead Children’s Fund

“I successfully completed my Social Pedagogue degree at the
Fachhochschule in Kiel in 1982. The following year I returned to
England hoping to work in a children and families team. I was
dismayed to learn that my German degree was not considered equal to
the English CQSW and as a result was only able to apply for
unqualified jobs in residential social work.

The only concession that was made was that I was advised I would
only need to do a one-year post-graduate course in social work to
gain the CQSW. I find it ironic that over 20 years later the
positive values of my German degree are being hailed as a new
discovery and perhaps a way forward for social workers in this
country.”

Irena Lyczkowska,
Senior social worker