The social pedagogy model in the Irish childcare system: exploring stakeholders’ experience of the compass child and family service

The aim of this study is to explore stakeholders’ experiences of the Compass Service and their perception of the social pedagogy model in the Irish childcare system. This qualitative investigation addresses two research questions: What are stakeholders perceptions of the social pedagogy model applied to the Irish childcare system? What are stakeholders’ experiences of the Compass Service? Participants were comprised of eleven professionals who were involved with the Compass Service. They each completed semi-structured qualitative interviews which were analysed according to the conventions of thematic analysis. The themes identified in the analysis can be categorised into two groups. In the first group; the themes relate to the social pedagogy model in the Irish childcare system, both in terms of where it fits, and challenges to implementing it in the system. The second group of themes relates to the key features of the Compass Service; encompassing the positive and negative aspects of the service. The findings are discussed in the context of current research and outlines implications of the current findings for clinical practice, theory, policy and research.