The background of a child is extremely important to their development and in some cases can have a negative impact.
A child growing up in poverty is more likely to have poor physical and mental health and less likely to achieve their potential at school (The Children’s Society, nov,2018, https://www.childrenssociety.org.uk/what-we-do) which could then lead into difficulties getting into the world of employment. A child from a poor background may suffer with their physical development as their parents may not have the money to buy healthy food or food at all leaving them underweight, weak and tired. In turn this malnutrition could lead to a delay in their cognitive development as due to their fatigue they may not be able to concentrate in lessons and take in the lesson being taught, as they find difficulty taking in the information this could lead them to display disruptive behaviour. Other areas of development that could be majorly effected is their social and emotional development. Children from a family that don’t have money may not be able to join in with certain activities such as school trips leaving the child feeling very isolated and left out, which may affect their confidence and leave them feeling vulnerable. The child may not be able to wear new clothes and wear the latest brands going around the playground which sadly could lead to the child being left out again and in some cases being bullied.
All of this could be a driver for mental health issues in later life.
