1. Economic diversity

2. Activity
Compare your lifestyle with the lifestyle of the Beckhams. What differences might there be and why?

3. Socio-economic factors
The amount of income you have can affect many aspects of your social life and your health e.g.
Housing and area you live in
School / education
Diet
Holidays and hobbies
Medical treatment
Support such as childcare, care for elderly

4. Poverty
There are two ways of looking at poverty: ‘Absolute poverty’ and ‘Relative Poverty’
Absolute poverty is not having enough money to meet basic needs such as food, water, shelter
Relative poverty is used to describe people who are poor in relation to others e.g. those living on less than 50% of the median income

5. Absolute Poverty
A quarter of children around the world live in absolute poverty. Poor children are more likely to die early or suffer from disease, hunger and malnutrition.
They have less chance of living in adequate housing and getting access to basic services like healthcare and education, and they're more likely to suffer from social discrimination and exclusion. (

6. Relative Poverty
There is no official definition of poverty, but the two that are often used are:
Claiming the benefit of income support usually because of unemployment.
Having an income of less than 50% of the national average income after housing costs are met.

7. Key Facts
The proportion of children living in poverty has doubled in the past generation.
The UK has proportionally more poor children than most rich countries.
In 1999, the Prime Minister committed to ending child poverty by 2020.
In 2005, 3.4 million children were living in poverty.
700,000 children have been lifted out of poverty between 1998 and 2005.
This is a reduction of 17%. The target was 25%.
Source

8. Affects of Poverty
Our health is affected by our circumstances. Well-being, a sense of control over your life, and optimism about the future is good for health.
Low income can make it hard to afford to keep your house warm or protect yourself and your family from fire and accidents in the home, such as buying smoke alarms or replacing faulty wiring.
Low income, deprivation and social exclusion all influence smoking levels. It’s harder to stop smoking when you’re worrying about making ends meet.
If the nearest supermarket is miles away or the bus doesn’t go there it can be difficult to buy food that is cheap and healthy.
If the street outside your home is busy with traffic or there are drug dealers in the park it is safer to keep the children in front of the television than to let them play outside.

9. Cycle of Disadvantage Children can be disadvantaged whatever their ethnic background, religion, language, social class or gender; but for those who are members of social or cultural groups which are marginalised by society it is harder to break out of this cycle (Green, 2002 p64).

10. Nutrition
Eating habits that are developed in childhood are likely to be continued in adult life. There are various conditions which may occur in childhood that are directly related to poor or unbalanced nutrition:
Failure to thrive
Dental problems or tooth decay
Obesity
Malnutrition such as anaemia which is due to insufficient intake of iron etc.
Increased susceptibility to infections.

11. Activity
Think about your placement and consider how much poverty might affect the children you care for.
What problems might the setting have if it is in an area where families live in or near the poverty line?
How might you overcome this?