If a child’s parent because that ill to the extent where they cannot support their child and the child is not given good care, they have to become looked after. For example if the parent has an
Some other possible impacts of social, economic and cultural factors that will impact on the lives of children and young people can be as follows: Personal choice: A family may decide to live in a way that differs from others such as communal living or same gender parents. A travelling community child may have their schooling affected if they leave and join new schools as they travel. Housing and community: There can be a negative affect on children’s development if they have poor quality housing or cramped conditions. Families can become isolated if they live in a community where children have challenging anti-social behaviours, this can make them unwilling to let their child play in the community. Health facilities and education can be tricky to access if transport is limited.
Emotional needs of children need to be met ‘neglect can occur when parents abandon the child, or simply have no time to spend with the child, in essence leaving the child to raise himself’ (http://www.minddisorders.com/Kau-Nu/Neglect.html) see appendix …. Neglect can affect the child’s development. An example of how neglect can affect a child’s health is poor nutrition, if the correct nutrients are not are not available to children the child’s growth development will not follow the normal pattern and developmental stages will be delayed. ‘Common physical and psychological reactions to neglect include stunted growth, chronic medical problems, inadequate bone and muscle growth, and lack of neurological development that negatively affects normal brain functioning and information processing.’ (http://www.minddisorders.com/Kau-Nu/Neglect.html#ixzz2HxRH2n98) see appendix …. This negativity affecting the brain can make processing problems difficult for the child understand social relationships or harder for the child to complete academic tasks without assistance or intervention from others.
This could lead to a child being repeatedly moved from family to family, preventing it from forming an attachment to one specific carer. Bowlby would have thought that all of the above scenarios would cause harm to a child’s social and emotional development, and would cause difficulties in the child’s future, relationship wise and it’s mental health, as he believed ‘mother love in infants is as important for mental health as vitamins are for physical health, and if an infant is separated from the mother, it might be at risk of behavioural disorder. Much research has gone into privation and children under institutional care, with Hodges and Tizard’s being the leading one. Their aim was to investigate the effects of early privation, by studying 65 children who had either come from dysfunctional families (where the child had been subjected to abuse or neglect) or had never had parents, and had therefore been institutionalised at a very early age (less than 4 months old). While in the
The majority of “looked after” children are looked after for their own care and protection. For example; o Some may have experienced physical, sexual or emotional abuse o Some parents are unable to look after their children due to substance misuse or poor parenting skills o Some children have complex disabilities and need to be placed in certain residential schools o Some may have experienced neglect o Some children or young people may need time away from their family and/or their community while a package of support is put in place to try to rebuild family relationships Children and young people are individuals with their own personalities, needs and experiences. Every child will need to be looked after for a different period of time, some return home, some are put into foster homes and are adopted and some simply remain looked after until they reach adulthood and can fend for themselves. (http://www.celcis.org/looked_after_children/why_do_some_children_and_young_people_become_looked_after/) A child or young person may become “looked after” could be due to bereavement,
UNDERSTAND THE FACTORS THAT INFLUENCE CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE’S DEVELOPMENT AND HOW THESE AFFECT PRACTICE 2.1 How children and young people’s development is influenced by a range of personal factors Health status - Health problems and medical conditions can influence a child’s development e.g. asthma, this may restrict what they can do like sports and games, they may feel left out because they can’t join in with games. Also if the child has a medical condition they may have to take a lot of time of school and find it harder to make friends. Disability - A child that may be wheelchair bound may not be able to physically join in with some games and sports. However we should adapt activities for them to joint in.
Some families may move house a few times throughout live. This can affect the child as they have to make new friendship and get use to a new area they have moved too. Children and young people can not do anything to their transition and can be daunting like: first day that school, first exam, first sexual experience, most of these are navigated. The experience they gain can help them learn to deal with the challenges of life ahead. The range of transitions faced by children and young people includes: Moving schools or class Puberty Bereavement Parents splitting up Illness (Parents or siblings) Changing friend Groups:
Some people cringe of just the thought while others embrace it. As we explore these questions we will find that there are some advantages to the foster care system, but we will also find that there are some disadvantages. How is the effectiveness of Foster Care often inhibited? Foster care is often a traumatic time due to the separation of children from their parent. This can cause conflicts and resistance.
WHEN CHILDREN EXPERIENCE TRAUMA: AGUIDE FOR PARENTS AND FAMILIES All parents and caregivers try to protect their children from experiences that cause trauma, but unfortunately, in today’s world this can be difficult to do. Whether on the television, in the schoolyard, or at home, children are likely to be exposed to some level of violence and other kinds of trauma in their early years. However there are many things that parents and families can do to lessen the impact of such experiences. How does trauma affect children? What can parents and families do to lessen the impact of such experiences?
Ass 1 Task 4; Explain how children and young people`s development is influenced by a range of external factors. Some external factors that could influence children are; childcare arrangements, family, poverty previous education and where they live. If a child has been taken into care or has been moved around a lot this child could be unsettled and they might misbehave as they are afraid of rejection. This could also happen if a child`s parents separate the child would feel under pressure to choose a parent or that a parent might leave. Family can have a big effect on a child’s development for example if the child is an only child he / she will not know how to socialise with other children.