EPQ Presentation
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EPQ Presentation
Introduction
My EPQ title is :
‘To what extent do factors such as drug abuse and alcoholism, in the home, affect the development of children under the age of five?’
Introduction
Title
My EPQ title
‘To what extent do factors such as drug abuse and alcoholism, in the home, affect the development of children under the age of five?’
I chose this topic as I find child development very interesting. Additionally, I wanted to discover whether certain factors such as alcoholism affect the way the child grows into an adult and their behavior as an adult.
Intro
Introduction
I chose the subject area of child development, as I was really interested in the different reasons and causes for child development in children under five years. I have briefly studied similar topic areas in my sociology lessons, which spiked an interest for me to discover and research more. Also the implications that effect or stunt a child’s development is a hugely important issue and further research needs to be carried out to gain more support and help.
Chapters
Alcohol and Drug Abuse
Alcohol and drug abuse
- Parental drug and alcohol misuse can have a huge impact on a child’s development, causing long term damage through neglect and abuse.
- Misuse can compromise a parents’ capability to effectively look after a child and provide them with what they need, such as a safe and loving home environment.
- Parents who misuse may have disruptive lifestyles and can cause the child to have physical or mental illnesses.
- A parent or carer who drinks excessive alcohol has higher chances of increased criminal activity, domestic abuse and an increase rate of significant mental and physical health problems
Solutions
- To help combat the issue of drug misuse the PHE (Public Health England) have launched an opioid treatment quality improvement program.
- The aim of this program is to support people with a strong dependence on drugs and is also implementing guidelines and improving treatment from drug services.
- This program will help to alleviate pressure from the NHS, social care and also lower crime rates.
Single Parent Families
- Conflicting information and even controversy as to whether being born into a single parent household has a negative effect on children
- Children from single parent families are more likely to dropout of school, and more likely to become involved in drug abuse and excessive alcohol consumption.
- Children thrive on stability and consistency
- Economic restraints on the family
- Research also shows children are able to develop a stronger bond when living with one parent.
Postnatal depression / mental health
Postnatal depression
- A type of depression that many parents experience after having a baby.
- A common problem and can affect more than 1 in 10 women
- Also affects fathers and partners.
- Some symptoms include feelings of guilt, sleep disturbances and loss of interest in daily activities.
- The mother may feel a constant sadness, lack of energy and difficulty bonding with the baby.
Solutions
- The NHS have put in place free listening services.
- They offer confidential support from trained volunteers to speak to people struggling at any time day or night.
- MIND - mental health charity offering information and help if anyone is struggling and also have specific information for dealing with the challenges that come with having a baby.
Abuse
- Mental health issues, drug or alcohol addiction or poverty, can increase the risk of abuse.
- 1 in 7 children will have lived with some sort of domestic abuse.
- Can be physical and / or emotional harm on the child
- 'Cycle of Violence'
Physical Abuse
Solutions
There are many charities and support networks to address the huge issue of abuse.
- Women's Aid
- NHS website
Solutions
Religion
- When a family has strong religious beliefs it has the possibility to have a profound effect on a child.
- There are both positive and negative sides to it.
- Mostly affected after age of five
- 'Indoctrination' - neglect or isolation from the parents can occur
Research
Research and sources
Before I began writing my EPQ essay, I undertook research to allow me to be fully informed on the topic and be certain I wanted to carry out an EPQ on this subject area. This included looking into many websites, videos and TED talks.
I created a Coggle to make sure I researched each topic individually. This helped me to plan out each chapter for my report.
Coggle
Sources
Successful sources
- NHS - This website was a very successful source as it was straight to the point and contained clear facts. However, there was not lots of information.
Successful
Unsuccessful source
Statista
This was not a very successful source as it did not provide an explanation to the statistics or provide any extra information except from the number statistics.
Unsuccessful
Skills
- My time management skills have definitely improved since carrying out this EPQ project.
- I have developed my research skills and I am now able to select a range of sources.
- I have leant how to present a report and presentation.
Reflection
What I would change?
- Alter my question to be more specific
- Carry out more planning in to the topic
- Gather as much information as possible spend more time writing the report
What would I change?
Key Challenges
- Other deadlines in college
- Time keeping skills
- Learning how to create a report
- Lack of knowledge in the subject area