Public Administration & LegalISCO 2635
Social pedagogue
A social pedagogue is a person who provides care, support and education to children and young people from a range of backgrounds and with a range of capabilities. The pedagogue designs educational processes that let young people direct their own experience, using a multidisciplinary approach to what is being learned.
Check yourself in a minute: social pedagogue
Rate 5 of the 44 essential skills of this occupation (European ESCO data). No account needed.
use pedagogic strategies for creativity
assess the development of youth
apply quality standards in social services
empower individuals, families and groups
support the positiveness of youths
About social pedagogue
The aim is self-reliance. The pedagogue contributes to a young person's learning, their wellbeing and their social integration, with the emphasis on building the capacity to manage without support rather than on providing it indefinitely. Preparing young people for adult life is the practical form of this: the decisions, the documents, the money and the relationships that adulthood requires.
The work is person-centred rather than programme-centred. The pedagogue provides person-centred care, applies counselling methods, and supports children who have experienced trauma. Promoting the safeguarding of young people is a standing duty.
Nobody does this work alone. The pedagogue cooperates with other professionals and communicates with colleagues from other fields on professional matters. Managing stress in the workplace is also part of the role. Stress management covers the pedagogue's own stress and helping colleagues avoid burnout.
European Skills Framework
Skills and knowledge areas required for this occupation based on European classification.
Essential (44)
counselling methodscounselling methodsCounselling techniques used in different settings and with various groups and individuals, especially concerning methods of supervision and mediation in the counselling process.legal requirements in the social sectorlegal requirements in the social sectorThe prescribed legislative and regulatory requirements in the social sector.supervision of personssupervision of personsThe act of directing one individual or a group of individuals in a certain activity.social sciencessocial sciencesThe development and characteristics of sociological, anthropological, psychological, political, and social policy theories.social developmentsocial developmentThe learning process of a child through social interaction. Among the various activities that it encompasses, social development supports children in obtaining and fortifying learning skills and havin...social pedagogysocial pedagogyDiscipline combining the theory and practice of both education and care, seen from a holistic perspective.health educationhealth educationThe factors affecting health and of the educational approach to assisting people to make healthy life choices.adolescent psychological developmentadolescent psychological developmentThe developments needs of children and young persons, their behaviour and the attachment relationships and the possible signs of developmental delay.pedagogypedagogyThe discipline that concerns the theory and practice of education including the various instructional methods for educating individuals or groups.psychologypsychologyThe human behaviour and performance with individual differences in ability, personality, interests, learning, and motivation.social justicesocial justiceThe development and principles of human rights and social justice and the way they should be applied on a case by case basis.psychological theoriespsychological theoriesThe historical development of counselling and psychological theories, as well as the perspectives, applications, and interviewing and counselling strategies.use pedagogic strategies for creativityuse pedagogic strategies for creativityCommunicate to others on devising and facilitating creative processes through the use of a range of tasks and activities appropriate to the target group.assess the development of youthassess the development of youthEvaluate the different aspects of development needs of children and young people.apply quality standards in social servicesapply quality standards in social servicesApply quality standards in social services while upholding social work values and principles.empower individuals, families and groupsempower individuals, families and groupsEmpower individuals, families and groups towards healthy lifestyles and self-care.support the positiveness of youthssupport the positiveness of youthsHelp children and young people to assess their social, emotional and identity needs and to develop a positive self image, enhance their self esteem and improve their self reliance.deliver social services in diverse cultural communitiesdeliver social services in diverse cultural communitiesDeliver services which are mindful of different cultural and language traditions, showing respect and validation for communities and being consistent with policies regarding human rights and equality ...demonstrate leadership in social service casesdemonstrate leadership in social service casesTake the lead in the practical handling of social work cases and activities.communicate professionally with colleagues in other fieldscommunicate professionally with colleagues in other fieldsCommunicate professionally and cooperate with members of the other professions in the health and social services sector.follow health and safety precautions in social care practicesfollow health and safety precautions in social care practicesEnsure hygienic work practice, respecting the safety of the environment at day care, residential care settings and care at home.promote social changepromote social changePromote changes in relationships between individuals, families, groups, organisations and communities by taking into consideration and coping with unpredictable changes, at the micro, macro and mezzo ...prepare youths for adulthoodprepare youths for adulthoodWork with children and young people to identify the skills and abilities they will need for their transition to become independent and self-sufficient adults.support traumatised childrensupport traumatised childrenSupport children who have experienced trauma, identifying their needs and working in ways that promote their rights, inclusion and well being.apply person-centred careapply person-centred careTreat individuals as partners in planning, developing and assessing care, to make sure it is appropriate for their needs. Put them and their caregivers at the heart of all decisions.conduct educational activitiesconduct educational activitiesPlan, perform and supervise educational activities for a variety of audiences, such as for school children, university students, specialist groups, or members of the public.assess social service users' situationassess social service users' situationAssess the social situation of service users situation balancing curiosity and respect in the dialogue, considering their families, organisations and communities and the associated risks and identifyi...support social service users to live at homesupport social service users to live at homeSupport social service users to develop their own personal resources and work with them to access additional resources, services and facilities.promote the safeguarding of young peoplepromote the safeguarding of young peopleUnderstand safeguarding and what should be done in cases of actual or potential harm or abuse.relate empatheticallyrelate empatheticallyRecognise, understand and share emotions and insights experienced by another.listen activelylisten activelyGive attention to what other people say, patiently understand points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times; able to listen carefully the needs of cus...manage social crisismanage social crisisIdentify, respond and motivate individuals in social crisis situations, in a timely manner, making use of all resources.support children's wellbeingsupport children's wellbeingProvide an environment that supports and values children and helps them to manage their own feelings and relationships with others.apply holistic approach within social servicesapply holistic approach within social servicesConsider the social service user in any situation, recognising the connections between micro-dimension, meso-dimension, and macro-dimension of social problems, social development and social policies.communicate with youthcommunicate with youthUse verbal and non-verbal communication and communicate through writing, electronic means, or drawing. Adapt your communication to children and young people`s age, needs, characteristics, abilities, p...apply socially just working principlesapply socially just working principlesWork in accordance with management and organisational principles and values focusing on human rights and social justice.maintain records of work with service usersmaintain records of work with service usersMaintain accurate, concise, up-to-date and timely records of the work with service users while complying with legislation and policies related to privacy and security.report on social developmentreport on social developmentReport results and conclusions on society's social development in an intelligible way, presenting these orally and in written form to a range of audiences from non-experts to experts.undertake continuous professional development in social workundertake continuous professional development in social workUndertake continuous professional development (CPD) to continuously update and develop knowledge, skills and competences within one`s scope of practice in social work.determine child welfaredetermine child welfareEvaluate whether the child needs to be taken out of his home situation and assess child`s placement in foster care. Make home visits to assess allegations of child abuse or neglect.communicate with social service userscommunicate with social service usersUse verbal, non-verbal, written, and electronic communication. Pay attention to the specific social service users' needs, characteristics, abilities, preferences, age, developmental stage, and culture...cooperate at inter-professional levelcooperate at inter-professional levelCooperate with people in other sectors in relation to social service work.accept own accountabilityaccept own accountabilityAccept accountability for one`s own professional activities and recognise the limits of one`s own scope of practice and competencies.manage stress in the work placemanage stress in the work placeCope with sources of stress and cross-pressure in one's own professional life, such as occupational, managerial, institutional and personal stress, and help others do the same so as to promote the wel...
Optional (16) — show
social mediationsocial mediationThe non-violent way of resolving and preventing social conflicts between two parties through the use of a neutral third party who organises and mediates discussions between the two conflicting parties...theatre pedagogytheatre pedagogyDiscipline combining theatrical means with educational elements in order to enforce learning, creativity and social awareness.community educationcommunity educationPrograms targeting the social development and learning of individuals in their own community, through a variety of formal or informal education methods.disability caredisability careThe specific methods and practices used in providing care to people with physical, intellectual and learning disabilities.disability typesdisability typesThe nature and types of disabilities affecting the human beings such as physical, cognitive, mental, sensory, emotional or developmental and the specific needs and access requirements of disabled peop...special needs educationspecial needs educationThe teaching methods, equipment and settings used to support students with special needs in achieving succes in school or community.plan youth activitiesplan youth activitiesRun projects organised for young people such as arts-based activities, outdoor education and sporting activities.work for public inclusionwork for public inclusionWork on an educational level with specific groups for public inclusion, like prisoners, youth, children.communicate about youth's well-beingcommunicate about youth's well-beingCommunicate about youth's behaviour and welfare with parents, schools and other people in charge of the youth's upbringing and education.monitor children's physical developmentmonitor children's physical developmentRecognise and describe the development of children, observing the following criteria: weight, length, and head size, nutritional requirements, renal function, hormonal influences on development, respo...apply foreign languages in social servicesapply foreign languages in social servicesCommunicate with social service users and social services providers in foreign languages, according to their needs.use learning strategiesuse learning strategiesUse different channels of perception, learning styles, strategies and methods to acquire knowledge, know-how, skills and competences.cooperate with professionalscooperate with professionalsCommunicate with professionals of other organisations that support young people such as social care, health, police, education and local authorities in order to identify needs and areas of improvement...assist children with special needs in education settingsassist children with special needs in education settingsAssist children with special needs, identifying their needs, modifying classroom equipment to accommodate them and helping them participate in school activities.communicate by use of interpretation servicescommunicate by use of interpretation servicesCommunicate through the help of an interpreter to facilitate verbal communication and cultural mediation.support sport activities in educationsupport sport activities in educationSupport sport and physical activity in an education context. Analyse the educational community in which the sport organisation will be working, establish effective working relationships with key stake...
Related Occupations
Occupations that need many of the same essential skills, so the move between them is shortest.
child care social worker30 shared essential skillschild day care worker30 shared essential skillschild welfare worker30 shared essential skillsconsultant social worker30 shared essential skillseducation welfare officer30 shared essential skillsfamily social worker30 shared essential skillsfoster care support worker30 shared essential skillsresidential childcare worker30 shared essential skills
Frequently asked questions
What does a social pedagogue do?
Social pedagogues provide care, support, and education to children and young persons with different backgrounds or capabilities. They develop educational processes for young persons to be in charge of their own experiences, using a multi-disciplinary approach set to the learning experience. Social pedagogues contribute to the individuals' learning, welfare, and societal inclusion, and put an emphasis on building self-reliance.
What skills does a social pedagogue need?
A social pedagogue needs 44 essential skills, including counselling methods, legal requirements in the social sector, supervision of persons, social sciences, social development.
Will AI replace social pedagogue jobs?
The AI disruption score for social pedagogue is 10/100 (very low risk). Skills most exposed to automation: report on social development, maintain records of work with service users, legal requirements in the social sector. Most resilient: support traumatised children, apply person-centred care, relate empathetically.
AI Replacement Risk
10/ 100
Very Low Risk
Low riskHigh risk
Quick Facts
ISCO GroupLegal, social and cultural professionals
Essential Skills44
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