Las necesidades de formación de las educadoras y los educadores sociales en el ámbito de la infancia y la adolescencia vulnerable

The current role of social education professionals is the result of a long process to de- fine a profession. Historically, this profession has been practised by professionals from different scientific disciplines and with different levels of training, factors which directly influence the processes involved in professional specialization. Undergraduate Social Education programmes have experienced this diversity but continue to face the challenge of developing training itineraries that respond to specific areas of intervention. In this study we identify the training needs of social educators who work with children and vulnerable adolescents. To do so, we conducted a quantitative analysis based on a large sample of professionals working with a wide range of resources. Our results show that professionals express a need for training in issues related to disruptive beha- viours, especially among adolescents, and request that dimensions such as behavioural problems, violence and conflict resolution play an important role in available training programmes. However, undergraduate Social Education programmes are still of a general nature while specific master’s or postgraduate degrees in Social Education remain under development. We detect an emerging need for specialized training in social care for children and vulnerable adolescents. This training should be provided from the professional as well as the university environment.