The paper has focused on investigation of the physical and mental experiences of homeless young children and homelessness impact on their wellbeing in the United Kingdom. It is widely known that social policy, budgets, standards of housing policies, and experience of parents commonly affect the child’s life. These variables influence the condition of homelessness in the UK. Interest was developed due to the lack of reliable data and investigations on the topic. Subsequent reading within the framework of studies related to the degree of social and community development further improved this attention. In particular, the methodology part has been developed using the Northampton Electronic Learning Search Online (NELSON) database. Consequently, the primary aspects were research specifics, date of publication, and specific subjects in targeted areas like the young children experiencing homelessness impact.
Eventually, this thesis considered the degree and nature of psychopathology among homeless young people with a series of interconnected studies. This study showed an overestimated degree of mental disorders among homeless youth, scientific access to the mental well-being, identified subgroups and assessed the change in psychological well-being observed in the direction of the alleged longitudinal study. Nowadays, homelessness has become a remarkable issue along with overpopulation and unemployment. Eventually, homelessness has the potential to increase despite the intensive housing construction.
Keywords: homelessness, UK, social policy, children, psychopathology.
CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION
This thesis will investigate how homelessness has affected the well-being of young children (0-18 years) in the United Kingdom. Protection of children's welfare is of vital importance (Children Act 2004, section10(2)); thus, this dissertation is motivated by the children and their experiences of homelessness. Emphasis will be put on analyses examining homelessness experiences caused by housing policy and welfare reforms; and explore how they have impacted children's physical/mental/ emotional wellbeing, education, and life chances. Moreover, this research study acknowledges that budgets, social policies, housing policies, standards in social housing and the experiences of homeless parents directly affect children. According to reports, homelessness has been on the rise in the UK; this coupled with a personal interest in social welfare and community development has dramatically influenced the selection of the research variables and studies reviewed. Furthermore, the adverse effects on the psychological, emotional and physical development of children should be investigated to help raise awareness on the subject. The latter statement has motivated the selection of the research variables and the research topic as the issue is urgent and contemporary. The ongoing study aims to support available research on the effect of homelessness on children to help to adopt preventive and curative measures for those affected by the predicament. Moreover, the ongoing analysis will help to identify children at risk of homeless and recommend measures that can adopted to alleviate the situation. The ongoing study investigates homelessness with a specific focus on children through pieces of literature published on the subject. The research studies investigated in the current analysis are selected through a carefully laid down procedure to allow for repeatability and consistency of the analysis. Besides, the factors used to select the relevant pieces of literature are aligned to the interests and the research aims and objectives of the current analysis.
The definition of homelessness varies depending on different contexts and among different jurisdictions. Naturally, homelessness is a condition characterized by lack of permanent dwelling. Homelessness is defined as:
“A perennial problem in an unequal society in which people unable to pay for accommodation, or who lack the mental, emotional, or financial resources to maintain a dwelling to provide them with shelter, are forced to rely on charitable hostels for shelter or live on the street.” (Oxford Index, 2018).
In the UK, and in most developed countries such as the USA, several variables contribute to homelessness. The issue is serious in the UK and researchers argue that lacking an appropriate living setting has tremendous effects on the livelihood of a person (Power et al., 2017, p.1854). Consequently, the negative impacts are worse in children due to their vulnerable nature.
Homelessness is deeply rooted in history; it is viewed as a social pathology caused by a combination of personality factors and complex economic and social policies. Researchers' interest in the subject developed by a marginal group, viewed as a separate social group; thus it became an independent object of study in the practice of social work. Although homelessness and its impact on children have been studied and analyzed extensively for the last two decades in the UK, the available policies still do not adequately address the concerns (Fitzpatrick, Quilgars, and Pleace, 2009). In fact, earlier studies focused on investigating the prevalence of developmental issues and behaviors among children.
There are three main categories of homelessness. Primary homelessness is a category that connects all individuals without dwelling in the form of their home, autonomously from the one where their families live. Thus, the group consists of people living in the streets and parks. Secondary homelessness group is a category of people who often move from one shelter to another. Most of them in this category include people who live in homeless service centres, such as dormitories, family farms that do not have unchanged apartments and those who find themselves in boarding schools in the direction of 12 months or less (MacKenzie and Chamberlain, 2003, p. 182). Tertiary homelessness is considered a category that refers to people living in boarding houses, or on a medium-term or long-term basis; the stage is longer than 13 months or the placement in rooms without autonomous premises (p.182). This group of people is called homeless based on such precedent, in fact, that their accommodation facilities do not meet the claims made to those who are in the same family criteria.
Most people realize what it is to be a homeless person; however, a significant majority fails in determining how one becomes homeless. From an in-depth analysis of the various circumstances under which one becomes homeless, it is evident that a combination of factors contributes to each scenario (O’Sullivan et al., 2018 p. 96). The limitation of how people respond to personal problems and tragedies is one aspect that profoundly influences an individual towards becoming homeless (MacKenzie and Chamberlain 2003, p. 122). Recent investigations primarily focus on the importance of human, social, and economic factors as the primary drivers in establishing capabilities in dealing with various unfortunate situations. Besides, an individual’s background could also trigger the state of becoming homeless (Anderson & Christian, 2003, p. 22). With little solutions towards addressing their circumstances, most people usually find themselves slowly sliding into the unfortunate state of homelessness.
Recently, researchers viewed homelessness from the point of social policy. In addition, social work was a tool that solved the problems. For economic reasons, the "new type” of homeless has emerged. A person has lost a home and a job due to his/her vulnerable position in the labour market. Consequently, the researches on homelessness concentrated on social connections. Thus, understanding of the homelessness nature and the roots for were associated with the correlation between social policy, the behaviour and material well-being of a person.
In research focused on a topic, presented in the framework of this thesis, there is a detailed report on the psychopathology that young homeless people feel. The study focuses on the vulnerability and shows an image of the diversity that can be utilized to forecast the outcomes. Ignoring the conclusions, there is a plenty of ways that allow future studies to benefit from the results represented in this thesis, embracing the study of the cognitive abilities of homeless children and researching the perception of apartments and their impact on psychological well-being. Some of these studies started. The cognitive capacity of the young homeless people is examined in an experimental study that contains the potential for developing, within the framework of the future general intent of studies in the Cardiff Institute. As noted in this thesis and other scientific papers, young people who became homeless often encountered traumatic events in early childhood.
In addition to the outcome, conclusions were drawn from relatively political figures and practitioners at the local level, the study has broader results for policy-makers in the field of mental well-being and homelessness. Work is essential for intervention; this is most appropriately, the most significant, the results demonstrate that professional proposals for homeless children or at risk of homelessness have a deliberate meaning. The study revealed numerous defects and weakness of this population group and stressed that the mental illnesses between this groups are often saved after that, for example, homelessness was solved. The ability of young people, who were homeless, is characterized by the highest level of ferocious appeal and victimization. Studies that examine the "multiple homelessness of homeless adults" have practically justified, in fact, that homelessness is not the very task of an apartment for some, but it has the potential to be conceptualized as a model of a complex and chaotic factual experience. This everyday experience often involves the problems of mental well-being, drug abuse and alcohol, institutional care (prison system), and the ability to severely appeal (Fitzpatrick et al., 2013). Almost all these experiments turned out to be normal in the sample.
Great social outcomes of homelessness have been reflected in the state's adverse employment and labour resources dynamics as well as overall economic life, social policies, and public health.However, the aim of overcoming homelessness and its societal consequences requires applied research as well as the development of targeted programs regarding the social policy of the UK. Moreover, homelessness affects children from negatively right from their conception as homeless expectant mothers may be exposed to stress and poor prenatal care that may affect the development of the foetus negatively.When children reach the schooling age, homelessness could impact their cognitive and psychological skills negatively Recently, the chief attention of researchers is given to a comprehensive study of the factors that lead to the reduction of homelessness. Despite the aforementioned implications of homelessness on children, the current analysis hopes to identify solution-based approaches that can prevent, cure and even reverse the effects of homelessness on children. The review of relevant literature will help to identify the key variables involved in homelessness to guide researchers on the areas to focus on to help alienate homelessness, especially in cases where children are involved. The present study acknowledges that there is a vast amount of literature on the interventions that can be used to model homelessness in children and provide practical procedures to help mitigate its effects.
CHAPTER 2: METHODOLOGY
The ongoing dissertation is guided by the introduction of the necessary periodic literary, educational program. According to Aveyard (2011), the regular layout to the end of the review of the literature contains a weighty sense, if the comprehensive, objective conclusion must be made. To efficiently research the literature, several research databases were selected from the leading list of databases. The primary database used for the methodology of the ongoing investigation is the Northampton Electronic Learning Search Online(NELSON) database. The primary variables of consideration during the selection process were: the date of publication; the study specifics (research areas); and literature aimed at investigating homelessness concerning children. Additionally, government reports and primary data were considered as well due to their credibility for research.
Additional secondary quantitative data on the UK homelessness topic were used. While all data sets have strong and weak attributes to be used in the current analysis, they allowed studying the results of a wide range of probable cause-and-effect points. Specifically, in the literature review, it covered the moments of personal significance; for example, personality vulnerability (e.g., mental or bodily disease); demographic properties, and behavioural difficulties (like the substance misuse and a role within the criminal justice system); public moments (for example, home and home structure); and structural moments (for example, district circumstances of labour and housing market. However, still, poverty is at the level of districts. In the study, a short description of any set of data is given as it assists the analysis. In data sets, data informants made it possible to carry out weighty research work on the above research issues, without claiming this boundary, to have the ability to provide final answers to all of them. It will require advanced longitudinal data covering all areas of interest, covering homelessness, from a large-scale government compilation offering a periodic association between data at the individual level and areas (Johnson et al., 2015). However, based on the data, firm findings on the questions can be retrieved, while preliminary indications and pointers for future research are on the remainder.
The critical evaluation tool was used to organize and evaluate the literature found within the framework of the review. This dissertation is an evaluation test of literature and studies optimal for the conclusion of the discourse. The thesis evaluates the secondary research informants due to ethical limitations. To harvest the merits of an absolute evaluation of the available literature, the mixed way of the study was adopted (Curry & Nunez-Smith., 2014, pp. 52). Qualitative and quantitative methods were used in the framework of the dissertation. A high-quality study is usually not a conducted assessment or interested in recognizing the trends, faster; he wants to show skills and accounts. The quantitative research is distinguished by the fact that it assesses the leading measurable data to prove a hypothesis or introduce trends (Carey, 2013, pp.2-3). Tracing sources was periodic beginning with the research of academic library catalogue and online databases related to discipline. Thus, several reports and academic sources were turned through the regular study.
In general, the empirical work was based on three data sets that were gathered from the young homeless during a two-year period. From the very start, all members were legally defined as homeless. Such a study has not been conducted in the UK. Thus, it represents a particular value for the overall scientific findings in this field, and it is vital because highlights the reasons of such condition and the long-term influence of homelessness.
Eventually, the issues arising in the population social structure rightfully become the most significant area of modern sociological science. One of its purposes is to outline the dynamics and relationships between the separate social communities. The scientific and social information received in such research studies serves as a proper social management basis for specific programs of social and economic policy. The programs are directed at preventing the losses of public resources as well as timely resolution of social conflicts. In addition, a full realization of human potential is also at the centre of the programs. As a social phenomenon, homelessness is seen in social, political, cultural, legal, economic, and psychological conflicts in modern society. Due to these conflicts, a significant part of the whole population becomes deprived of the needed housing conditions considered as a social policy of the contemporary states an integral part of civilized society.
An exclusion criterion of studies on homelessness was established. Studies that discussed homelessness concerning natural disasters were ignored as they do not fit in the context analysed in the ongoing investigation. Furthermore, research studies that investigated homelessness but failed to examine how it affects children are also excluded as they do not reflect the primary aim of the ongoing investigation. All studies that were included in the current analysis were selected upon meeting the relevant publication dates for contemporary research. Besides, since the present investigation focuses on children all the pieces of literature chosen for review ought to have an adequate empirical study to compensate for its absence in the ongoing analysis. The selection of the literature was also guided by the exclusion and inclusion functions of the NELSON database. The literature search excluded all pieces of research from 1999 backward. Additionally, significant prints books and fiction related books were also excluded in the search.
CHAPTER 3: LITERATURE REVIEW
This chapter of the dissertation aims to provide a summary of the most relevant issues surrounding homelessness and how it affects the well-being of young children in the United Kingdom. There is an overview of the secondary data on the topic, which has been systematically determined in the methodology and separated into themes afterward.
It is a wide known fact that children are the most vulnerable part of society due to their unformed personality and mental perception. Therefore, parents and the conditions, in which a child lives, impact its further development (Clarke et al., 2015). Such elements have either a direct or indirect influence on a child's life, depending on how each influences the circumstances relating to the child. In fact, there is no surprise that family and the atmosphere within it are the key factors influencing a child and its future wellbeing (Homelessness in England, 2012). Children from families of greater material resources live under better conditions, with a vast array of opportunities. Given the importance of earlier years in a child’s development, it is important that young children get the best upbringing as an establishment of their future. As such, homelessness for young children becomes a critical aspect that affects the children from childhood and throughout the rest of their lives.
The experience of homelessness affects young children until adulthood. It can be explained by the fact that the only parent cannot ensure everything a child commonly wants and needs. In the case of an expectant woman who is homeless, any exposure of the mother to unfavourable environmental conditions endangers the health of the child. The latter situation is further worsened due to the lack of access by homeless families to proper healthcare facilities; thus, the unborn child fails to get the necessary protection and immunization after they are born.
The state of homelessness is often attributed to the status of extreme poverty. The effects thereof culminate after accumulated exposure to environmental risks over an extended period (Ravenhill, 2016, p.150). A study on homelessness amongst women reveals that women's lives are characterized by a constant stream of distressing encounters that begin early in their lives as an attribute to instances of poverty, parental negligence, childhood abuse, and exposure to domestic-related violence (Fountain & Howes 2001, p. 18). Women often begin their families while living in the streets, thereby exposing future generations to the debilitating effects thereof. Homelessness portrays specific unique risk factors that make parenting a problematic task for mothers.
A United Kingdom’s survey of homelessness revealed that women who find themselves in such conditions are in most cases less educated and lack the necessary skills and abilities for employment (Finfgeld-Connett 2010, p. 451). Homelessness for mothers has an equal, direct impact on children cared for by the same mothers. For the children, homelessness encompasses more than just the aspect of accommodation (p. 451). For some children, living on the streets or in temporary accommodation facilities does not equate to homelessness as safety and security under the protection of the parents remains the most important aspect of consideration to them (Kim et al., 2010, p. 39). Indeed, for such group of children, homelessness does not provide that connection and support from family. Homelessness in their perspective is, therefore, the absence of the above critical factors, especially the aspects of safety, security and family connection.
The experience of homelessness in children reveals several themes, including safety and security, transience, stigma and shame, and unique relationships (Homelessness in England, 2012). It is evident that a reflection of varied circumstances, backgrounds, and accommodation situations with homeless children brings about different results in attribute to the experience of homelessness. Despite children experiencing similar conditions during a state of homelessness, a variance exists in the experiences, depending on other factors such as age, relationships with family, and the information available to them. Transience as a theme in homelessness status is the expression of sadness, worry, and anxiety of frequent movements in different temporary settings with a desire for stability and permanent housing (Finfgeld-Connett 2010, p. 453). Such an occurrence has a significant impact on children until more extended periods past homelessness status. Safety and security remain the most vital elements that have a substantive effect on young children from the experience of homelessness.
Most homeless children are aware of the insecurity and lack of protection in the streets. Besides, exposure to violence within the family before the state of homelessness and during its actual occurrence remains a common occurrence for such a population (Ravenhill 2016, p. 18). The case in the United Kingdom, where homelessness is attributed to domestic violence is enough justification for children that find themselves in such circumstances to exhibit a feeling of being scared and unsafe (Ravenhill 2016, p. 19). For most children, the situation escalates whenever they live in temporary settings, where many people in their environment are strangers.
Homelessness affects the quality of the home environment significantly as provided by the parents. In most instances, parents in states of homelessness experience an increase in stress, isolation, and depression, which limits their ability to cater the needs of their offspring (Farrugia 2016, p. 12). Therefore, various situations can motivate the development of mental disorders (Fitzpatrick, Quilgars, and Pleace, 2009). Without appropriate remedies, the children’s adult lives are to be affected, even if they were able to access shelter later on in life.
Besides, homelessness comes with additional costs associated with moving from one location to another, and, which in turn strains the available cash for expenditure by parents who opt to forego specific essential needs such as education, which is necessary for the active development of children (Smith & Ravenhill 2007, p. 74). Similarly, young people experiencing homelessness are in a vulnerable state as they are exposed to health risks and the ability to access drugs marketed on the streets, which can cause complex and compounding challenges (Farrugia 2016, p. 12). Broken relations are quite frequent through the lifespan of a homeless child (Fitzpatrick, Quilgars, and Pleace, 2009). Notably, it can be a reason for homelessness as well and a struggle throughout their youth. The young people often find themselves lacking proper relationships as well as independent living skills. Such an occurrence is a clear indication that the experience of homelessness for young children has an impact that goes beyond the period in which they lack shelter. Moreover, the likelihood of exposure to trauma and other adverse experiences persists in the long term. Besides, such individuals are often absent or excluded from school; thus, the possibility of lacking education and employment skills is rampant amongst homeless families (Finfgeld-Connett 2010, p. 456). Mental health problems, drug and substance abuses are often reported. The helpless state in which such individuals find themselves as an attribute of homelessness increases their risk of exploitation and violence, as well as involvement in the criminal activities.
In a majority of UK families, the men are usually the breadwinners, an aspect that limits the ability of women to care for the family in the absence of the men (O’Sullivan, 2018, p. 102). Therefore, inequality, poverty, lack of accessibility, and unemployment can become the main reasons for homelessness. From various research studies conducted, homelessness has been found to outline multiple uncertainties of any meaningful life to the affected individuals with children being the worst affected (Tosi 2004, p. 58).
Since the number of women registered as homeless is increasing, the number of children affected in the UK is still growing. By the statistics of 2012 on the state of homelessness in England, the results have been proven. In fact, that up to 12% of the victims are issued by women; however, there is a high chance that the number is greater as women's homelessness is usually ignored by most agency groups conducting such studies (Anderson 2003, p. 27). Regardless, with the available statistics on women, it is evident that the situation could be worse for young children who are their dependents. Although it can be hard to understand the difficulties of homelessness, there is an impact that affected individuals necessitates and the development of appropriate remedies.
The adverse effects that homelessness has on children have a significant impact on the life chances of such children because childhood experiences play a vital in the outcome and well-being of an adult. The onset of life requires access to healthcare, shelter, provision of nutrition and food as well as education (Tosi 2004, p. 75). The situation is worsened for young children as their need for health services such as immunization is higher, and failure to access them increases their chances of illness and long-term complications.
On the contrary, children are prone to minor disturbances whenever they are exposed to unpleasant situations like sleeping in the streets, an aspect that in turn has an effect on the developmental status during adulthood (Fitzpatrick et al., 2015). Stress and anxiety are common occurrences associated with young children who are homeless, with the effects thereof including depression and behavioural issues. Besides, domestic violence against women and children in the streets is prevalent in the United Kingdom. However, determining the extent to which domestic and family violence amongst homeless families is difficult (MacKenzie and Chamberlain 2003, p. 122).
Homelessness affects all the nuances of a child’s life - from conception to adult life. A well-sanctioned study on the issue of child homelessness speaks of the deepest and accumulative bad impact on the formation of children, in fact, which leads many to repetition of the cycle of homelessness as mature. Homelessness interferes with the physiological, sensual, cognitive, social and behavioural development of children.
In general, homeless kids each day show more problems with well-being than kids who live with the poor. Moments around the environment contribute to the adverse health of homeless children, while kids are at the highest risk of infection. Homeless kids are most at risk for asthma and intestinal contamination with lead, often with more severe symptoms than kids with children. A lousy table still contributes to the ill-health of neglected children, in fact, which leads to an increase in the frequency of stunted recovery and anaemia (Fitzpatrick et al., 2015). Not paying attention to these widely known difficulties with the state of health, homeless children, as a rule, do not have access to unchanged medical services, and this inaccessibility to medical support has the opportunity to increase the burden of the disease.
Homeless children face stressful and stressful events, which they are often very young to realize, in fact, which leads to severe sensory stress. Homeless kids feel stress through unchanging configurations that accumulate in future. These stressful configurations lead to a higher prevalence of psychological disorders that appear in the behaviour of homeless children. Not paying attention to the vital percentage of mental illnesses, less than thirty percent of these children receive professional support.
Homeless children's successes are hampered by the cumbersome development, for example, and by the vital circumstances of their homelessness (MacKenzie and Chamberlain, 2003). Homeless kids with a more significant opportunity will become ill at ease with arithmetic, reading, spelling and lexical research and with more opening will be held back a year back at school (MacKenzie and Chamberlain, 2003). As with physiological and psychiatric services, the higher the need for homeless children does not lead to the most significant access to specialized services. By the time when homeless kids are reaching school age, their homelessness affects their social, physiological and academic life. In any of the leading surveyed areas - physiological well-being, development, and learning - the studies demonstrate, in fact, that the homeless kids are not at risk; the bulk of them suffer from physiological, mental and sensual harm due to events that accompany episodes of homelessness.
In general, homeless kids show more tasks every day with well-being, including those of unfortunate children, who have a home. Homeless kids face numerous and serious risks to their well-being and with a higher ability feel the acquired difficulties with their well-being than the kids. They are four times more often in need of extended medical care immediately after birth. Sixteen percent of the old homeless children, in contrast to 9 percent of the children who find themselves in the home, have 1 or a certain number of acquired problems with well-being, such as heart disease, peripheral vascular disease, endocrine dysfunctional or neurological disorders (MacKenzie and Chamberlain, 2003). Homeless children have an even higher risk of infection. Compared with the guys who survived, homeless kids suffer in one of the frequency of diarrheal infections, in that number of children; it is a significant, potentially deadly disease. Homeless kids suffer from a multitude of respiratory infections twice as often as in children, and they double as often have a flattering skin test showing the effect of tuberculosis.
Homeless youth faces traumatic and stressful activities but is often too young to realize what leads to severe sensory disorders. Thus, the homeless are worried about the shelter for each night. Nevertheless, when they have a place for sleep, they are concerned about the possibility to lose it. The homeless people worry
