Social pedagogy is the discipline underpinning work with children and youth across most of Europe. The concept has struggled to find a place within social work in the English-speaking world, partly because of difficulties in translation and partly as a result of different welfare traditions. In particular there is a limited conception of education within the Anglo Saxon tradition and a consequent bifurcation of education and care. This article argues that ideas enshrined within social pedagogy have a resonance with Scottish approaches to social welfare, which culminate in the proposals for social education departments contained in the Kilbrandon Report of 1964. We argue that there are recurrent themes in the Scottish tradition with roots in the Reformation and the Scottish Enlightenment. Foremost amongst these is the focus on education as a vehicle for both individual improvement and social cohesion. Social pedagogy or social education offers an integrating conceptual base from which to develop models of social work practice which promote social wellbeing through socio-educational strategies. The current Review of social work in Scotland offers opportunities to reclaim a socio-educational tradition.

Scotland is undertaking one of its biggest penal reforms in a generation and is seeking a fundamental change to its approach to punishment, which is characterised by the use of very short prison sentences. This article discusses some findings from phase one of an ongoing evaluation study of Routes out of Prison (RooP) which uses Life Coaches, many of whom are themselves former prisoners, to support the transition and resettlement of large numbers of short‐term prisoners back to the community. The article examines the way in which these Life Coaches were recruited and managed, how they were viewed by their clients, and the added value that peer or mentor support can offer.

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The establishment of new bodies to replace the Central Council for Training and Education in Social Work (CCETSW) and to regulate the social work profession provides the opportunity to establish an improved progressive system of qualifications and continued professional development in the coming years. With the current pressure on social work agency budgets it is imperative that precious training resources-staff and money-are used to make the maximum impact on service delivery. Our involvement in the provision of a range of training programmes leads us to believe that much of the staff development and training effort invested by agencies in their staff often seem to have a limited impact on effectiveness. A change in approach is needed so that learning is placed at the heart of organisational processes to maximise the benefits of affirmation and growing professional confidence. This is essential if we are to continue to 'nurture' valuable professional staff and ensure that services remain flexible, creative and responsive in meeting ever-rising public expectations.This paper examines some of the challenges of evidence-based practice and the demands for routine evaluation and objective-setting. The advantages and disadvantages of a competence specification approach within the development of service and occupational standards as the basis for professional education are discussed. The paper argues that strategies for practice learning require the development of learning organisations and a better academic and agency partnership to support more effective professional education and continued professional development.

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