Hope Starts Here: Security

In Maslow's hierarchy of needs, a commonly used psychological theory for childhood development, it's clear that children have several key needs to be met before they can progress towards the overall goal of success in life. The first is physical needs: food, warmth, shelter. Things many children in poverty have limited access too. For those who are not homeless, many council houses are mould ridden and outdated, while private rent is insecure. This first basic need is not definitively met for children in poverty.

It's worth noting that if the first tier isn't fully met, none of the other tiers can be fully met either, it's like building on an uneven surface. The second tier on the hierarchy of needs is safety. As well as physical safety from harm, such as abuse or crime, it means access to safe and accurate health care, it covers financial security and not having to worry about money, or watch parents worry about money. The amount of stress that puts on a child, no matter how hard the parent tries to minimise their awareness of their situation, negatively impacts their physical and mental well being. So tier two is also not fully met for children in poverty.

Then we move on to tier three: love and social needs. Now on the surface this seems like an easy tier, after all most parents love their kids and most kids feel that love. But this is why the two other tiers are so important, without them it's harder to feel and share love. This tier also includes social needs, meaning that of peers and friends. Children from low income homes have less access to extracurricular activities that support their social needs outside of school. And they're less likely to feel safe amongst their peers if they're "othered" due to their poverty or insecurities that not having these three tiers in Maslow's hierarchy covered.

The three most basic needs are needed to enable others: esteem; cognitive; aesthetic; and ultimately self-actualisation which is the ultimate goal, the mark of psychological success as a child develops into adulthood. This is when a person grows to realise and live their full potential.

That is why preventing poverty in childhood is so important. Just imagine how powerful our workforce would be on the global scale if all of our children, the future workforce, are able to reach their full potential. How many mini Einsteins are hidden in the crowds of lower income schools? How many potential Marie Curies are slipping through the gaps of preventative care opportunities? How many children are missing out on becoming, that could be the next superstar in mathematics, sciences, the arts. By investing in our children we are in turn investing in this country.