Children, Young people and family

Children, Young People and
Family
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Table of contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................3
MAIN BODY..................................................................................................................................3
CONCLUSION................................................................................................................................9
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................10
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INTRODUCTION
Children, young people and family are important part of culture and society which helps in
reflecting different cultures (Shonkoff, 2017).
The essay will analyze definitions of childhood to be provided along with key elements
of family life and childhood. Understanding of development of social construction of childhood
will be explained. Knowledge of changes will be seen in lives of children and their families from
historic to present times. Policies and legislations which have influenced changes in social
construction of childhood and families will be explained. Impact of factors on lives of children,
young people and families will be evaluated along with reducing inequalities in health and social
care service provision. Range of approaches and interventions will be described which will
support vulnerable children, young people and families. Along with this, effectiveness in
reducing inequalities will also be described. Potential impact and benefit for children, young
people and families will also be explained.
MAIN BODY
Definitions of childhood
Childhood is defined by the period or state of being a child and it can be defined in different
ways from different perspective. From the perspectives of law child is a human being which is
under the age of 18. From the biological definition child is a human from the birth until the age
of puberty. From the perspective of social policy, child is an individual who is vulnerable and
needs protection (Kamal, 2017). These are the three aspects which help in comparing the
definitions of child. Childhood is the stage which helps in knowing the different stages through
which the child grows. There are different life stages where the child grows till death. Along
with this, there are various socio – economic aspects, different families and cultures in which the
children are brought up.
Key Elements of Family Life and Childhood
Socially construction of childhood is the understanding that childhood is not a natural
process rather the society decides whether the child is an adult or child is a child. Family is
ongoing changing concept which in UK. There are various factors which influences the needs
and experiences of children. It is the responsibility of family to take care of the child. The idea of
family is changing on a continuous basis. Mothers in the family go to work. Families in UK are
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changing their pattern of living as mothers are going to work, there are more number of single
parents and they have build their family by keeping their child by being parents without
marriage. The aspect of divorce is also being there which is convenient for the couple or the
parents and they raise their children single handily (Barassi, 2017).
Different families follow different concept of living in UK and this is seen through the
scale of how the families are changing their patterns of living life in significant and positive
manner. There are three factors which vary accordingly and through that it is being analyzed that
how sociological, religion and cultural factors bind by the beliefs and systems that are practiced
effectively and efficiently. Family diversity in UK is explained into various categories which are
adopted child, grandparents, single parents, father and children, same sex couple, mother etc.
With the help of these categories it is evaluated and analyzed that they play major role in taking
care of the children which helps in understanding how the children are grown and how they
behave at a certain age (Moore and et.al., 2017). Thus, this is the major thing which is being
developed and observed through these factors as how UK as a country is taking the initiative of
taking care of the children on positive aspects and how this helping the children and their
families while they live with the society and follow all the norms and culture on large scale.
Thus, the support of the families to the children helps them to live in the society and this beholds
them to the very scale of knowing what the importance of living in the society is by following all
the rules and regulations on large scale. Thus, the children are to be taken care of while all other
aspects are concerned with the family which helps in indicating the effectiveness of living life
peacefully.
Development of Social Construction of Childhood from historical times to current times
The lives of children in Europe and UK have changed. John Locke said that through
education child helps in learning the socialization for the perspective of child development skills
and behaviour. Locke provides the idea that children are not bad or good. They reflect what they
learn from the environment on expanded scale (Montaño-Peña, 2019). During 16th and 17th
century Puritans predicted their view that children are evil which was described in the form of
Christian view point. There were differences in the lives of children in Victorian time, industrial
revolution etc. There were no major changes which were undertaken for the concept of
childhood in the ancient times but in the current times, families of UK are taking initiatives for
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