In this episode of Care Visions: Professional Talk, host Humphrey Hawksley is joined by Claire Cameron, the UK’s first Professor of Social Pedagogy, for a rich and reflective conversation about care, relationships, and professional practice.
Claire is based at the Thomas Coram Research Unit, part of the UCL Social Research Institute at University College London. Her career spans residential care, frontline social work, research, and policy, giving her a uniquely grounded perspective on how care systems function and how they can do better.
Together, Humphrey and Claire explore:
What social pedagogy is and why it is increasingly relevant in today’s care landscape
The role of relationships, ethics, and everyday practice in supporting children and families
How care systems can move beyond procedures and compliance towards more human, relational approaches
What practitioners, leaders, and organisations can learn from pedagogical thinking
Drawing on her early career in residential care and social work, Claire reflects on how care has evolved over time, where it risks losing its relational core, and how social pedagogy offers a hopeful and practical framework for the future.
This episode will be of particular interest to professionals working in care, social work, fostering, residential settings, education, and policy, as well as anyone interested in how we support people with dignity, compassion, and purpose.