MASLOW’S HIERARCHY OF NEEDS - SAFETY
WHAT ARE NEEDS?
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs is a psychological theory proposing that human motivation stems from a hierarchy of five fundamental categories: physiological, safety, love, esteem, and self-actualisation, with basic needs needing to be met before moving to higher-level needs. In reality we need to feel safe, feel protection, and have confidence in our abilities to be able to learn and progress. We will break down safety needs in more detail to understand how we must all get our safety needs met to allow our children to flourish. This is not about neglect, though still important to be aware of, more to examine how everyday pressures can get in the way of reaching our self-esteem goals.
This blog follows physiological needs and starts to unpick our safety needs.
After reading this article you feel any areas covered are missing for your child, we can offer a basic needs check-in across home and school to engage support in these areas.
SAFETY - PROTECTION FROM VIOLENCE
What is it?
For our basic survival we need to feel safe. To allow our nervous system time to reset. Allowing our bodily functions, hormones and emotions space to balance. We need a space of safety to not be fearing the outside world, or to be harmed.
What does this mean day to day?
Whilst the wild sabre tooth tigers are no longer around, we still perceive and receive violence from others. From younger siblings who are still using their bodies to communicate all of their feelings, including frustration to harsh words from strangers, bullying at school, and potentially violent actions of others out of our control.
We know we are always doing the best for our children, but being realistic about these unmet needs will help us find our voice for them, to allow their minds and bodies to keep reaching their full potential they deserve.
SAFETY - HEALTH THREATS
What is it?
We need to be strong and healthy to survive the challenges the world presents to us. As caregivers we need to be strong and healthy to hunt and forage food and source clean water. We need to know the skills to repair our shelter. Cuts can lead to infection which can lead to death.
What does this mean day to day?
Today we have supermarkets, delivery services and skilled professionals to help repair our homes. But threats to the child’s health - mental and physical will play an important role in how they see themselves and an impact on their self esteem, sense of belonging and how much school they miss from being unable to attend school due to illness or the extra medical appointments needed. If a child's vision or hearing is affected it will be easy for them to fall behind in busy classroom environments.
If the child's care givers have any mental or physical health risks this will also impact the child, despite often trying to hide things from our children. Fluctuating capacity, anxiety, fatigue or pain can cause unpredictability in the child to caregiver response putting extra pressure on the parent to meet need in an unstable environment.
Children can become extremely stressed if their caregivers are poorly.
SAFETY - ECONOMIC INSTABILITY
What is it?
Beyond basic survival, part of building long term safety, we would look to grow crops, manage animals and have a method to trade with others. Having the ability to trade will mean you have access to skills, tools and foods that you are unable to produce yourself. If you are unstable in your trade offers, you will struggle to be part of the community and meet your own needs.
What does this mean day to day?
Whilst skill swaps and knowledge sharing is still as vital as ever, we have lost a huge part of our community spirit, our village needed to raise a child. All of this has been replaced with money, having money to buy foods, provide shelter, clothes, heat and hygiene.
Without money we start to feel anxious, how will we make ends meet? How can we source food, heat our house, fuel our car? It even costs to work - uniform, travel, childcare, equipment and hygiene products to meet societal norms, fit in with your new co-workers and form connections.
Currently in the midst of the energy crisis, all of us are feeling the pinch. Schools haven’t received any further funding despite rising costs and budgets are stretched further to try and meet the ever increasing needs of children. Despite legal frameworks like Educational Health Care Plans, the Local Authorities are receiving less money to spend on education so our children are becoming victims of economic instability even out of their families control.
SAFETY - STABLE HOME LIFE
What is it?
We refer to this as ‘a port of safety’ where children have some access to safety in their lives. We need to return home, with reassurance that we will be met with stability from those at home.
What does this mean day to day?
That the children's daily routine (either at home or school) is as stable as possible. It doesn’t have to be rigid and inflexible in its approach, but reassurance and knowledge around change. Including visitors, holidays and shared parenting arrangements.
School also need to be aware of this, with some classes experiencing high staff turnover rates, children's personalities clashing, bullying, and the vast array of learning and communication skills across a class of different cultures, socio-economic backgrounds, abilities, and support the families have.
