Outcome 1.1
In this outcome, I will be describing the social, economic and cultural factors that will impact on the lives of children and young people.
Many issues in the wider society will affect the lives of the young children that people work with. People may work with children whose parents are unemployed and find it difficult to find money to buy clothes for their children or pay bills. Some children may suffer from a condition that affects their health or have a cultural background that excludes them from certain activities in the setting. As a practitioner, part of this role will be to be aware of the issues that can have a positive or negative influence on children’s lives. People should ensure that this understanding is at the centre of their work and then people will be following the child. (Meggitt, 2011)
Table 1 in the appendix will show all the different factors that will affect the social, economic and cultural factors which has an impact on the lives of children and young people.
Outcome 1.2
In this outcome I will be explaining the importance and impact of poverty on the outcomes and life chances for children and young people.
Poverty is on agenda of the Every Child Matters framework, with one of the five outcomes stating that every child should be ‘achieve wealth and economic well-being.’ This means it is important to ensure that children experiencing poverty have the same opportunities as their peers.
This is because parents, carers, families and the local community have an important role in reducing the effects of poverty on children and improving their outcomes. The government’s Children’s Plan, required by ECM and developed by each local authority, aims to develop and integrate services that can support children and their families. There are many reasons why a child lives in poverty although there is a clear link between poverty and employment. Even if one parent is working, a family can still be in a low income bracket. Lone parents often live in poverty as they are the only adult in the household earning an income and they may also have to pay for childcare in order to work. (Meggitt, 2011)
Outcome 1.3
In this outcome I will be explaining the role of children and young people’s personal choices and experiences on their outcomes and life chances.
To ensure that children have the best outcomes there is evidence to show that they need to share in determining their future and should be given a voice to make choices and contribution their experience. In order that children’s services reflect the needs of the children in their care, they need to participate in these services.
This is because in early years children can be given personal choices in their environment. The EYFS clearly states that a curriculum for children under 5 year should be a balance of adult-led and child-initiated activities; an environment needs to be rich in resources and displayed play. Children can be involved in observations, setting their own expectations of behaviour and goal setting. It is common to see agreed targets for behaviour in a setting created by adults and children. The experiences provided will contribute towards each child’s outcomes. (Meggitt, 2011)
Outcome 2.1
In this outcome I will be identifying the positive outcomes for children and young people that practitioners should be striving to achieve.
As a practitioner working with children, people will be aware that the support people give to children to achieve based upon the best practice outlined in the framework of ECM (Every Chid Matters). The five outcomes which are based upon in the framework is being healthier, staying safe, enjoy and achieve their goals, making a positive contribution and achieve economic well-being.
In the area of the setting, they will have a Children’s Trust, ensuring that all people who are working with children and young people improve the lives of the children across all five of the ECM outcomes. All Children’s Trusts will