I had been working as a residential care worker for 5 years when my employer chose me to take part in a trip to Copenhagen, for 17 days’ work experience funded by the EU Leonardo Mobility programme. This was to be the beginning of my journey with social pedagogy. With a focus on to learning more about social pedagogical practice with children with disabilities and challenging behaviour, I was very keen to make the most of my experience and placements. The first of my two placements was at a kindergarten, where I learnt that social pedagogical practice is clearly embedded in the first stages of education and childcare. In my second placement, I saw social pedagogy in motion. The abstract idea I had of social pedagogy now became something tangible and, for me, the penny dropped.
How to conduct good quality research on violence against children with disabilities: key ethical, measurement, and research principles