Variations in duty arrangements to respond to concerns about children's welfare

Historians and philosophers of mathematics share an interest in the nature of mathematics: what it is, what features affect its growth, how it informs other disciplines. But much of the work done in history and philosophy of mathematics suggests that the two groups largely work in isolation. A reconsideration of the history of mathematical analysis in the 19th Century suggests that history and philosophy of mathematics can be done together to the advantage of both, and also how legitimately different enquiries need not drive them apart

Implementing the social pedagogic approach for workforce training and education in England: a preliminary study

Implementing the Social Pedagogic Approach for Workforce Training and Education in England is a study that was developed in conjunction with DfES and the Social Exclusion Task Force. It focuses on the potential for introducing training for social pedagogy in England, with special reference to children in care. The report covers (i) care leavers’ perspectives on their carers, including the carers’ need for training; (ii) summaries of 4 studies of social pedagogy conducted at TCRU; (iii) the perspectives of stakeholders from children's services and training institutions on the introduction of social pedagogy and on other proposals advanced in Care Matter; (iv) differences between Danish qualifications in social pedagogy and English social care NVQs and social work degrees and (v) a framework for introducing pedagogy education, in England, and a discussion of costs

Pedagogía social en el Reino Unido hoy: Resultados de análisis de formación e iniciativas de desarrollo

En el Reino Unido, las intervenciones de la pedagogía social aplicadas al lugar de trabajo se han venido desarrollando desde 2007, pero hasta entonces, la pedagogía social ha sido en general desconocida en cuanto a la formación o el entrenamiento en los servicios orientados a la asistencia infantil. Este artículo sintetiza los resultados de diez estudios de evaluación que examinaron intervenciones de pedagogía social en materia de formación y actividades de desarrollo en el cuidado residencial de niños, acogida y otros servicios relacionados. Los descubrimientos se presentan en relación a cuatro tipos de efectos: en la formación de los profesionales, en la organización del aprendizaje, en los niños y en un contexto más amplio. Los resultados son positivos en los cuatro tipos, pero aún de manera más especial en cuanto a los trabajadores y a los niños. La pedagogía social parece validar y redefinir la práctica como reflexiva, relacional y divertida, lo que ayuda a los niños a madurar en centros de atención pública. Un factor clave en el impacto positivo de la formación de la pedagogía social puede ser el estilo de aprendizaje experimental adoptado por los formadores

Final report of the social pedagogy pilot programme: development and implementation

In 2008, the government commissioned Thomas Coram Research Unit, Institute of Education University of London to develop and implement a pilot programme in order to determine the impact of, and best method for, introducing a social pedagogic approach in residential children’s homes in line with the Care Matters White Paper’s commitment (DCSF 2007). The intentions were modest - to make some ‘ripples’ in the world of residential childcare. This report is of the development and implementation part of the pilot programme. There are around 2,000 children’s homes in England, run by private for profit, independent and public sector employers and around 6,500 young people are in residence at any one time (SFR 2009). Since 2002, children’s homes, as with other services for children, have been regulated by, and inspected against, national minimum standards, which, although not intended to be a benchmark of practice, or representing standardisation of provision (DH 2002), arguably implied just that. Clough, Bullock and Ward (2006) viewed the requirement to meet bureaucratic standards as risking the undervaluing of important and complex issues of quality and process. It was in this context that the pilot programme took place. As an established tradition in continental Europe, social pedagogy is often understood as ‘education in its broadest sense’ (Petrie et al. 2009) - an educational approach to social issues. Its breadth can be seen in its concern for the whole person as emotional, thinking and physical beings, promoting their active engagement in decisions about their own lives and as members of society. It is a discipline that takes account of the complexity of different social contexts. In continental European countries social pedagogues typically have a bachelor’s degree, combining academic knowledge, with practical, organisational and communication skills and often, the expressive arts and/or outdoor adventure/ environmental activities. Social pedagogues working in residential care in continental European countries expect to exercise a range of responsibilities both inward looking to the home itself and outward looking to the interface between the children’s home and the wider society to which the young person belongs. The pilot programme was designed around three groups of children’s homes or ‘pilot sites’ with differing social pedagogic input, ranging from social pedagogues trained overseas but working to residential care worker job titles, to social pedagogues working to social pedagogue job titles with, in addition, part of their time devoted to training and awareness raising activities. Children’s homes were selected for their stated support of the programme objectives and their willingness to learn about social pedagogy from the social pedagogues. Forty eight social pedagogues were recruited through employer’s recruitment procedures although some left before the end of the programme period