School Preventive Socio-Educational Work of Social Pedagogues in the Slovak Republic and an Outline of Their Activities in the Other V4 Countries

The profession of social pedagogue is classified as a helping profession. Social pedagogues can prove their worth in various sectors and work with various target groups. The study analyses legislative possibilities and actual activities of social pedagogues in schools in Slovakia. Social pedagogues working in Slovak elementary and secondary schools carry out primary and secondary prevention, deal with pupils’ problem behaviour, screen for threatened pupils, provide counselling, actively work with pupils from socially disadvantaged environments, co-operate with pupils’ parents and with specialists. The author also briefly elucidates school preventive socio-educational work of social pedagogues in the other V4 countries comparable geographically, historically and culturally.