•Describe how you will define your chosen public health issue and how you think you will prepare for the grant application process.

When children are removed from the home they are immediately placed in a foster home upon availability. When availability is limited, they are placed in institutions where beds are available. The question asked is what happens when children aren’t placed in a foster home or a facility? Children are placed in residential programs based on the specific needs of the child. Some children are placed in the juvenile justice system and mental health facilities based on the behavior they exhibit.

Most programs are operated by public or private agencies. These agencies through funding is equipped to provide services to children and their families. Services include educational and medical. Placement of adolescents is based on their strengths and needs. It is also based on the skills of caretakers and facilities available as well as permanent placement of adolescents. Many studies have pointed to the deleterious impact of foster care on children's physical health, cognitive and academic functioning, and social-emotional wellbeing (Harden, 2004, para 3). Determining the best placement for adolescents depend on many factors. The health and development of children placed in the system is questionable.

Children in the system have a higher rate of morbidity than children who have not been exposed to foster care placement. Depending on the stability of placement and the type of placement children are exposed to determine outcome. The plan to create a place where children can feel safe and secure while awaiting placement is my goal. I would like to create a home-like environment that gives a feeling of belongingness as well as an environment that will monitor the safety, health and well-being of children placed in my care.

For many, children placed in the system fall victim to neglect not only because of the amount of children in the system but because of how they are treated. Many foster parents take in children for the money. The health of the child is not the number one priority. I understand that there are many facilities and foster homes open to receive children. Group homes as well as residential facilities are in place too. Somewhere in all that, adolescents are still forgotten and left to endure harsh conditions placed on them.

Creating a facility that will target the need and focus on the need of the children is my goal. Creating a home like environment with an abundance of resources at their fingertips is ideal. Some children in the system have a hard time fitting in at school. Providing a homeschool environment with all the amenities will ease the tension. Children need to feel safe and loved. Most facilities and residential homes have an institutional feel. How a child is treated and cared for determines their outcome. Studies show that children in the system struggle more on test and perform less and have a higher rate of being retained. Social and emotionally, they struggle to make friends and have a hard time building trusting relationships. Creating a healthy nurturing environment can help children build healthy relationships, build self-esteem, and prepare them for success. Already vulnerable from the experiences of maltreatment and other environmental risk factors (for example, poverty and its associated stressors), the development of foster children is further compromised if they experience more trauma and instability while in care (Harden, 2004b, para 69). Placing children in a caring environment is key to building the whole child.

The goal is to work on creating a safe place away from home that will allow children to grow and learn as well as receive high-quality care that will build them up and prepare them for a successful transition. Child welfare want the best for our children but with the increasing number of children placed in their care, it is almost impossible to monitor and provide the best care for them.

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