Understand how the social, economic and cultural environment can impact on the outcomes and life chances of children and young people.

When working with children you should be aware of all possible social, economic and cultural factors which may impact on the upbringing of children and young people attending the school setting. These factors are issues within society which will or can affect children or young people’s lives at some point. The social factors that can impact on a child’s upbringing are;

• Poor parental supervision/neglect.
Without guidance children do not learn the correct ways to behave. This will cause them to come into conflict at school because they do not know or understand acceptable boundaries. They may be unaware of the dangers they can face in life, if there is a steady stream of strangers coming in and out of their home and life they will not recognise the danger of strangers. They may have a distorted view of their own abilities and may believe that they are allowed to do what they want because they are never prevented. They may believe they are unloved, unimportant and unvalued and as they grow older this could lead to depression and self-harm. The lack of boundaries could result in them becoming involved in crime and anti-social behaviour. Neglect could lead to health problems through malnutrition, recurrent bouts of head lice and skin conditions, a lack of sleep can massively impact a child’s health. They may struggle to form social relationships because of their lack of personal hygiene. Poor clothing could lead to bullying and teasing, causing them to withdraw and become isolated. Poor parental skills also impact a child’s development as they may not be able to feed themselves in a sociable manner they may eat with their hands and are likely to enter school requiring additional personal needs.