Latest Publications

How have decades of neoliberal reform shaped children’s services in the UK, and what can social pedagogy offer as a relational, ethical counterbalance to support children, young people, and those who work alongside them?

(2026) Kemp, R. The evolving landscape of social education in the UK: legacy of neoliberalism affecting UK children and those who support them, and the considerable value of its potential counterbalance – social pedagogy, Journal of Social Care, Vol 5 Issue 2, FESET conference 2025

Reflecting on more than a decade of the International Journal of Social Pedagogy, the editors explore how social pedagogy is growing as a global, interdisciplinary movement that is shaping research, practice and policy through ethical, relational and socially just approaches.

(2023) Cameron, C., Eichsteller, G. & Kemp, R., “Into the future: growing understandings of social pedagogy”, International Journal of SocialPedagogy 12(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.14324/111.444.IJSP.2023.v12.x.018

Drawing on the UK’s early experience of introducing social pedagogy into residential care, this chapter explores how a relational, values-based approach can enrich children’s everyday lives while highlighting the opportunities and challenges of embedding social pedagogy within existing care systems.

(2023), Petrie, P., Cameron, C., Jones, H., and Kemp, R.,  Introducing social pedagogy for children in care in the UK: from policy to research and from research to policy?, in Social Research for our Times: Thomas Coram Research Unit past, present and future, edited by Cameron, C., Koslowski, A., Lamont, A. and Moss P., London, UCL Press pp.65-84

This article explores the tensions between highly manualised interventions and social pedagogical practice, arguing that meaningful change depends not on rigidly following programmes but on practitioners using professional judgement, relationships and ethical principles to respond to the realities of everyday life.

(2020) Kemp R., and Harbo, L., Social pedagogical perspectives on fidelity to a manual: professional principles and dilemmas in everyday expertise, International Journal of Social Pedagogy 9(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.14324/111.444.ijsp.2020.v9.x.012.

Why do children’s services continue to prioritise behaviour management, compliance and performance measures over relationships, and what might change if social pedagogy’s ethics of empathy, recognition and authentic connection became the foundation of care instead?

(2015) Kemp, R., Treasuring the social in social pedagogy, Children Australia, Vol. 40, Issue 04, pp 348-350 

(2013) Kemp, R., A passion for children in care, in ‘Becoming a social worker’ (2nd edition), Prof Viv Cree (editor), London: Routledge

(2012) Kemp, R., Johansen, T., Eichsteller, G., Head Heart Hands Reference Tool, London: the Fostering Network and Social Pedagogy Consortium

(2010) Kemp, R., London Pledge Practice Prompts, NCERCC, National Children’s Bureau, London accessible from http://www.ncb.org.uk/ncercc/london_pledge/practice_prompts.aspx;

(2008) Kemp, R., Self Harm Practice Reference Guide, NCERCC, London: National Children’s Bureau, London retrievable from http://www.ncb.org.uk/ncercc/ncercc%20practice%20documents/ncercc_SelfHarmPracticeReference.pdf;