It is a recognised fact that poverty has a detrimental impact on many areas of a young person’s life. As a child, growing up in an impoverished family, many opportunities for development and growth will be unobtainable. The educational performance of children is affected by financial status. Parents who are working but low income may feel the pressures of financial stress, debt, long working hours, overtime pressures, tiredness and stress or poor health, along with the disadvantages of inadequate housing. All of these factors add up to a very negative home learning environment for a child or young person. Without a healthy and effective learning environment, a child will struggle to develop cognitive and physical skills. …show more content…
This limits opportunities for physical, social and emotional development and reduces life chances. Similarly, restricted access to transport will also result in reduced abilities for inclusion in activities outside of the home.
Lack of clothing, including fashionable clothing or sports kits, will create self-esteem issues and contribute to exclusion from social opportunities. Children rarely want to be viewed as different from their peers and the stigma of poverty has a clear detrimental impact on inclusion and opportunity. Mental health problems and anxiety are also found in higher proportions in low income families than in more affluent areas of society. A child with a mental health condition, or who has a parent with a mental health condition, will not be motivated or be able to access opportunities to improve outcomes.
Reduced levels of education, combined with poorer social skills and lower motivation lead to decreased chances of employment in later life, thus continuing the cycle of low income and