The roots of social pedagogy reach deep into the past. They draw on ideas of what it is to be a human being living in society and how, through our social institutions, we can support each other in our life-long development. In fact, a way of thinking about social pedagogy is as ‘education in the broadest sense’, alongside formal education and other social policies. In the UK we have had, over the centuries, our own social pedagogy pioneers: thinkers, advocates and people of action who have looked for broadly educational answers to social problems – although until recently we have not named this approach as social pedagogy.

Social pedagogy was first defined in 19^th century Germany when, for those with the vision to see, the industrial revolution threw into high relief the deprivation of people who came into the towns to find work in the factories. In much of Europe, social pedagogy has developed as a field for policy, practice and theory, and is a recognised graduate profession. Social pedagogy is a relationship-based approach to working with people, and is applicable across a range of human services professions. Social pedagogues can work in different settings and across a wide age range, from fostering services to child and adult residential care, community outreach and youth work.

In the late 1990s, the British Government began to show an active interest in social pedagogy following study trips to Denmark, France, Germany and the Netherlands. This interest was an active response to concerns and scandals surrounding children’s residential care. As a result of this, the Department of Health, and later the Department for Education commissioned a series of studies into social pedagogy at the Institute of Education – now a part of University College London – where there was considerable experience of research into European social and educational provision.

Since the 1990s, there has been increasing interest in social pedagogy in the UK. Initially, interest arose from professional and academic interchange with colleagues in continental Europe. This did not focus directly on social pedagogy but was concerned with service provision in Europe, for example for children and adults living in challenging circumstances. A result of this interchange was that the word ‘pedagogue’ became somewhat more familiar.

In the late 1990s, a British government department began to show an active interest in social pedagogy, which arose out of concerns and scandals surrounding children’s residential care. The Department of Health, and later the Department for Education, commissioned a series of studies of social pedagogy (1999 – 2008) at the Institute of Education, University of London (now University College London), where there was considerable experience in researching European social and educational provision. Government funds for a pilot scheme introducing social pedagogy into children’s residential care followed the research.

These activities led, in 2009, to establishing the Centre for Understanding Social Pedagogy (CUSP), as an international forum promoting research and teaching in social pedagogy, and the first University of London PhD in social pedagogy was awarded in 2015. This led to the formation of the International Journal for Social Pedagogy, which is an open-access journal focused on social pedagogy articles.

Social pedagogic practice in the UK has grown substantially since 2010, in a major way through The Fostering Network’s Head, Heart, Hands programme. Over four years (2011-16) and across seven fostering services in England and Scotland, the Head, Heart, Hands programme evaluated how a social pedagogic approach to fostering would impact on the experiences of foster carers, fostering services and fostered children and young people. The Head, Heart, Hands end of programme report highlights social pedagogy as a valuable tool in providing an ‘ethical and theoretical framework’ for developing improved relationships, and helping fostered children and young people feel ‘more confident, empowered, and valued’.

SPPA became a registered charity with the Charity Commission in June 2019. As a registered charity, SPPA now operates independently from UCL.

How the need for SPPA arose

The network of individuals and organisations involved with the Social Pedagogy Development Network (SPDN) gradually realised that social pedagogy needed some formal structures to flourish in the UK, and to hold the standards for social pedagogy in the UK. It was felt that without this, there was the danger that organisations might describe their services and courses as ‘social pedagogy’ when, in fact, they fell short of the standards we have come to expect.

The creation of the Social Pedagogy Development Network in 2009, was a far-sighted initiative from ThemPra, a response to the interest in, and enthusiasm for, social pedagogy arising from practitioners, providers in the public and private sectors, and academics.

SPDN makes a unique contribution to our field in two ways; first, it is a network of interested parties who can be informed, consulted about, and take part in current developments. Secondly, the meets twice yearly, with meetings intending to bring people together – both newcomers to social pedagogy and old hands.

The different functions of SPPA and the SPDN

The Social Pedagogy Professional Association and the Social Pedagogy Development Network both serve different functions.