ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines some of the effects of poverty on childhood and future life chances. In 2015 child poverty was a dominant characteristic of 28 per cent of British children's lives. This relative poverty measure takes into account the economic and social situation that the British child is living within. The 'microsystems' of the developing child involve the immediate settings that they engage with, for instance the home, care-givers and friendship groups. Economic deprivation can also have a significant effect upon the processes that take place within other significant 'microsystems' that the developing child is a part of, including friendship groups and the school environment. The Birkenhead Foundation Years Project supports a number of community-based interventions that seek to work with families living in poverty. Research has shown that the majority of parents living in poverty have at least three individuals in their social network that they can rely on for informal social support.
