Child Development - influences

Influences on child development

Family background

Open Ended

Thinking about 'family background' as an influence on children's development, what could this mean?

Background - definition

Your background is the kind of family you come from and the kind of education you have had. It can also refer to such things as your social and racial origins, your financial status, or the type of work experience that you have.

Open Ended

What family 'types' do you know about?

Some Family Types

Nuclear Family. With two parents and one or more children.

Single Parent Family. One parent raising one or more children on their own.

Extended Family. Children live with parents and or other relatives in the family home e.g. Grandparents, aunts and uncles, cousins etc.

Step (or blended) Family. At least one parent has children that are not biologically or adoptive related to the other spouse or partner. Either parent, or both, may have children from previous relationships.

Childless family, this is two partners living together with no children.

Multiple Choice

What do you think is the most common family type in the UK?

• nuclear

• blended

• single parent

• extended

Nuclear family

According to 2019 data a nuclear family with married or civil partner couples remain the most common family type in 2019, they represent two-thirds of families in the UK.

Open Ended

Households containing multiple families is the fastest growing family type in the UK. Why might this be?

Open Ended

London has the highest number of single parent families whilst the South West of England has the lowest number. Why might this be?

You will have your own ideas about family types and the impact on children.

Does a blended or extended family life mean lots of social interaction and positive relationships? Or does it mean no time to be quiet and a lack of privacy? There are positives and challenges in all families!

Open Ended

When we look at how different family types can impact on child development there are lots of studies and data.

The biggest impact is whether or not a family is disadvantaged. What does disadvantaged mean?

Disadvantaged definition

Lacking in the basic resources or conditions such as standard housing, medical and educational facilities, and civil rights believed to be necessary for an equal position in society.

Open Ended

What could be the impacts on a child growing up in a 'disadvantaged family'?

Data and studies

Children eligible for free school meals and living in a 'deprived neighbourhood' are 2.3 times more likely to be diagnosed with a speech and language difficulty. In some areas more than 50% of children start school with delayed language skills.

Open Ended

Why might children in lower income families be slower to learn to talk?

Why?

Limited access to resources and materials that can support and encourage speech, language and communication development – books and engaging toys, for example. 

Evidence shows that the way parents talk to children and the way they give children opportunities to talk influences children’s early language development - and that the levels of stimulation tend to be lower in more disadvantaged families.

Parental expectations of typical development also play a role, which in turn is influenced by levels of parental education.

Additionally, families who experience social disadvantage often have to contend with a multitude of stresses which impact on their ability to interact with their children

The Social Mobility Commission

Social mobility means moving social status, so if a child from a 'disadvantaged' family has a good education and health and grows up to get a good job and has a secure life then they would no longer be 'disadvantaged' and would have improved their social status.

Social mobility commission study

The study found the areas with the worst social mobility include Chiltern, Bradford, Thanet, Bolton, Wolverhampton, Kingston-upon-Hull, Fenland, Mansfield, Walsall, Gateshead, Kirklees, St Helens, Dudley, Bolton and Wigan.

Mobility in these areas

The study found that in these areas, those from disadvantaged backgrounds and who were entitled to free school meals had little chance of making a better life for themselves or their families and earned much less than their more affluent peers.

Opportunities for Children

“Not only do children from disadvantaged backgrounds have considerably lower school attainment and lower adult earnings than their peers from more affluent backgrounds, we also find large differences in the outcomes of children from disadvantaged backgrounds across the country.

“This highlights that children’s opportunities in England are still defined by both the family they were born into and the area they grew up in.”

Open Ended

What interventions are successful in supporting children and families?