Family Functions and Structures in Britain Today

Family Functions and Structures in Britain Today

What is a family? A family is a group of people who are related by

kinship ties: relations of blood, marriage or adoption. The family

unit is one of the most important social institutions, which is found

in some form in nearly all known societies. It is basic unit of social

organisation and plays a key role in socialising children into the

culture of their society.

HobartC 1999 'the group of people, generally related but may include

friends, who are significant and important to a child'.

One of the most important functions of a family is to provide for a

child's needs, because children are unable to care for themselves.

These needs include: food, shelter, warmth, clothing, love and

companionship, protection and support, care and training, a secure

environment in which they can develop into young adults.

Even when child / children have become adults, many of the items in

the list above continues to be provided by the family.

The members of a family usually feel that they have a special

relationship with each other based on some or all of the following -

* Blood - knowing that they have the same ancestors

* Affection

* Duty - due to traditional sense of obligation

* Shared experiences

* Common interests

The experience of living as a part of a family is something that most

people will have at sometime in their life. The family is a very

important social unit both for the individual and for the society as a

whole. It is the main focus of many people's lives. It would not be

correct to think of 'the family' as referring to one particular form

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...training. This is very hard work, and continues for

many years until the children have grown up.

One-parent families can vary as widely as two-parent families in terms

of health, wealth, happiness and security. The family situation can

also change with one-parent family becoming two-parent family or the

other way round.

Moonie N 1995 'a family consisting of one parent and children'

Ethnic Minority Family - an ethnic minority family can have a

structure of any of the previously noted families but are made up with

individuals of a minority race. If this is an Asian family there are

more likely to be a nuclear family as divorce is not accepted as

commonly as it is amongst British families.

As early years professionals we have to be aware of the diversity of

family structures and respect them all equally.