Social, economic and cultural factors

Describe the social, economic and cultural factors that will impact on the lives of There are many social, economic and cultural factors that will impact on the lives of the children and young people that we may work with. Personal choice – Some families decide that they do not wish to live or act in a way in which is viewed from the outside the ‘ social norm for example being a travelling family or a child having same genders parents.
If a Child is from a travelling family here is a possibility that their development at school may be delayed due to being transferred from school to school. Children also make personal choices. The choices they make can have a significant impact on their life and development. If children don’t have support from carers they won’t have rules set and may be able to do what they want such as drugs, smoking and drinking. This will hugely impact on their life.
Children need to be encouraged or be given guidance on their life, it is very important for children to have good role models in their life Poverty – People are poor for many reasons, it could be down to drug and alcohol ependency, family breakdown, poor parenting, or a culture of worklessness. Growing up in poverty means being cold, going hungry, not being able to Join in activities with friends or being able to afford after school clubs etc. Families living in poverty are almost twice as likely to live in bad housing which has significant effects on both their physical and mental health, as well as educational achievement.

Families that live in poverty are more likely to suffer mental and physical problems. Housing and community – Children that live in Overcrowded, low quality and poor housing situations, i. e. that’s damp, has mould and/or infested can have a negative impact on a child or young person’s development but especially their health. Children living in these conditions are more likely to have respiratory problems, to be at risk of infections, and have mental health problems.
Living in these conditions also affects a child’s ability to learn, which can have a lasting impact on a child’s chances of succeeding in life. “Poor housing conditions increase the risk of severe ill-health or disability by up to 25% during childhood and early adulthood. ” (Shelter leaflet) In areas where children and young people are xposed to challenging and anti-social behavior, this too can have a negative effect themselves to keep themselves away from the challenging and anti-social behaviour, this can affect social development.
Some families that display offending or challenging anti-social behaviour, may end up with their children being taken into care or going into prison. Educational environment – A non-regulated educational facility may create an environment for a child that does not meet a child’s needs, thus stunting a child’s developmental potential. Having an engaging environment will make a child want to ork. If an environment is dull and boring a child won’t want to learn and will lose interest.
Health status – Children that are unwell may spend a lot of time in hospital or attending hospital appointments, this will have an impact on the child’s development because they miss school or pre-school, this can affect education on all aspects of development such as emotional and social aspects, making friendships etc. Having asthma may mean you can’t play outside for as long as other children- meaning you may be picked on for being ‘lazy. Being on medication can make you drowsy and so ffect on your school work and concentration.
Having time off school can also affect their social skills as they aren’t spending much time around children their own age. There are some older children that look after parents that are ill, this is a huge impact on the young person social life and a lot of responsibility at such a young age. Disability – if there is a parent or a child in the family that has a disability, this could affect the family especially if the child is used as a carer for their parents.
In some cases respite care may be needed for families with family members that are disabled nd this can cause family disruptions and inconsistency in a young person’s care especially if the respite care is for overnight visits away from home. Whilst a child or family member is receiving support for a health issue this could possibly affect continuity of care, education, development and income. Addictions – Children that live with adults that are addicts may be relied upon by the adults at times to be their main carer.
At times these young people may feel isolated and unable to tell people what they are experiencing at home, they may experience stressful situations and may be living in the poverty that the adults that are upposed to be caring for them have caused. In some situation where a young child is suffering abuse or neglect they would be taken into care. Bereavement and loss – If a family loses a member of the family or a close friend this could affect the mental and in turn physical health of a family.
Adults that have lost their partners may find the emotional strain difficult to cope with and may then find it more difficult to care for other children in the family. Family expectations and encouragement – Many parents have different parenting styles and can offer different levels of support to their children. Many of these parenting styles tend to vary between different cultures. If a child is subject to inconsistency and a lack of support this in turn could lead to a child suffering low support their children they can have low confidence and low self-esteem and sometimes a change in behaviour, seeking for attention.
When too much pressure is put on someone to do well this can result in them getting stressed and afraid of failure. Families may have conflict between parents and children. This will impact on their lives as they have to spend a lot of time around family and if they don’t like them it will be hard. With divorced families, children may spend time travelling between parents and so don’t have time to concentrate on their school work. The parent they live with may also take out all their stress on the child.
If a parents has died the child may feel very depressed and not concentrate on their school work. Religious beliefs and customs – Has the potential to influence many aspects of development, as it effects a child’s (and adults) way of thinking, dietary needs, clothing, how often they are taken to obey their beliefs, which may result in them missing out at school, pre-school, clubs etc. A religious way of life can be transmitted between generations and grandparents maintain a significant influence. Some parents see passing on their faith as an important part of parenting.
A religious identity at home can most certainly cause confliction with other pressures on their children, including negative portrayals of religion in the media. Ethnic beliefs and customs – Ethnic belies and customs can also affect a child’s clothing, customs, dietary needs, education and other areas of their lives. Many adolescents from non-English speaking backgrounds face the challenge of dealing ith the tasks of adolescence while growing up between two cultures – with not only two languages but often very different behavioral and social expectations.
There may be great variation in cultural values and norms regarding the central tasks of adolescence – such as developing a sense of identity and independence. Young people may have different forms of attire, causing them to be teased or bullied. Their culture may view interaction between men and women in a different way and the young person will struggle to recognise what is acceptable at school as it differs to ome. This could cause them to come into conflict with school rules or to be perceived as a trouble maker.
Marginalisation and exclusion – marginalisation and exclusion can happen for a variety of reasons like, being poor, unemployed, family status, discriminated against, or being disabled by a society that won’t work around the problems of impairment; they all bring with them the risk of exclusion. Being excluded from economic, social and political means of promoting one’s self-determination can have adverse effects for individuals and communities alike.