This document discusses challenges in the foster care system and proposes creating a new type of facility to help foster children. It notes that the large number of children in foster care makes it difficult for the system to properly care for and monitor them all. As a result, many foster children face abuse, neglect, instability and poor health outcomes. The proposed facility would aim to provide a safe, nurturing home-like environment with educational and medical resources to help foster children thrive while in the system until permanent placement can be found. It seeks to address shortcomings like multiple placements, lack of individual attention and institutional feeling of existing foster homes and group facilities. The goal is improving foster children's well-being, development and preparation for future success.

1. Prof Mac.Queen,
You did this forum a couple of weeks ago. Please use this a
template to the assignment for this week.
Leading a group of individuals, organization or a society is a
challenging task when the leader lacks sufficient qualities and a
defined approach to his/her duties (Dimovski, 2010). People
have different perceptions of leadership in the society. Thus,
they would want their leaders to behave as per their individual
preferences. For instance, they will want their leader to reason
and act in a similar way to their conceptions. This is wrong as it
could lead to leadership failures in the society. I believe that
every individual leader must have his/her individual approach to
leadership. It all lies in his/her individual beliefs, values,
priorities and perceptions. This paper will discuss government
successes/failures, which originate from leadership issues.
The purpose of leadership is to provide direction while
protecting the values and interests of a given society (Dimovski,
2010). It takes adequate practical knowledge and sufficient
decision-making skills for an individual to lead a group or team
towards the desired direction. In the processes, the leader will
rely on research to gain necessary knowledge or feedback that
will form the foundation of decision-making. This implies that a
leader needs the support of a particular set of people around
him/her in order to stay on the right leadership track. When the
people around a leader start behaving strange and offering
distorted information, then his/her leadership regime becomes
vulnerable to failure.
Personal interests can strongly influence a leadership
regime in the society. Middlehurst once reasoned that individual
factors like “the need to demonstrate individual superiority,
generate fear, show control and exercise physical power are
examples of primal leadership” (Middlehurst, 2010, p.8). Such
factors point to an individual’s level of emotional intelligence.
They entail his/her mood, behavior and attitudes towards varies

2. duties or concepts. Researches’ indicate that emotional
intelligence is very influential on individual performance in an
organization or society. Thus, it could either breed success or
lead to failure depending on the leadership style where it is
applied.
The movie, Gladiator, focuses on the life of a former
Roman General Maximus whose approach to leadership is
reserved. He builds his leadership foundation on his personal
values and life morals, which ultimately lead to various combat
victories and overall success. On the contrary, Emperor
Commodius’ reign is built around primal approaches like greed,
control, superiority, brutality and power (McDonald & Scott,
2000). These characteristics make him lose the favor of his
people hence experiences failure. He uses corrupt and brutal
means to rise on the throne where he misuses power to rule and
mistreat the residents of his empire. Unlike Commodius,
Muximus’ reserved and peaceful approach to life and leadership
makes him a crowd favorite wherever he lives. His traits and
leadership achievements had assisted him in gaining the loyalty
of most members of his army. Furthermore, it is not wrong to
claim that he draws motivation from emotional intelligence as
he strives to avenge the family’s murder.
The Emperor ruled his land with distorted information
from his staff. The people around him brought him false and
misguided information. They lied to him that the public was
happy with his style of rule, yet they were opposed to this kind
of life. He lived in the comfort zone, murdered people’s
families, and made others his slaves. Lack of empathy, poor
research, and a brutal mind were the sources of his failure.
Governments have policies and a distinct way of exercising
control. It is, however, imperative that a government addresses
the needs of her citizens to bring societal happiness. Poor
advisors can give back lame feedback about people’s response
to certain government policies, which will result into poor
decision-making and failure. Apart from all the other skills and
knowledge requirements, attention to detail and practical

3. precision often contribute to effective governance/leadership.
References
Dimovski, V. (January 01, 2010). Authentic leadership in
contemporary society. Človek in
Organizacija, 20-27.
MacDonald, L., & Scott, R. (2000). Gladiator [Motion Picture].
United States: DreamWorks & Universal
Pictures.
Middlehurst, R. (January 01, 2010). Sustaining leadership in
challenging times. Higher Education
Management and Policy, 22, 3, 1-19.
My public health interest for a grant opportunity
Kim Johnson
Argosy University
November 11, 2015

4. Abstract
For the past decades’ children suffer for various reasons all of
which is beyond their control. When families lose their income,
housing and health, children seem to feel the effects more than
the adult. Families are placed in a position that causes them to
make hard choices. Families struggling because of circumstance
often times turn to drugs, suicide, crime, and depression leaving
the children to fin for themselves. Although parents want the
best for the children, life doesn’t always play out the way they
want it to. With that being said, young children fall victim to
the streets, abuse, and drugs as well. Approximately one
million children come to the attention of the US child welfare
system (The National Child Traumatic Stress Network, n.d.).
Many children placed in the system is due to neglect and abuse.
The foster system is overwhelmed by the amount of children
placed in their custody. All children deserve to live happy
stable lives. My public health interest lies in the area of foster
care. According to statics, many children are abused in foster
homes. They are sexually abused and neglected. I desire to
create a place where children in the system can feel safe and
free to live healthy happy lives without feeling overwhelmed
and afraid of not knowing what will happen to them.

5. The child welfare system was put in place to house children in a
safe clean environment where they could receive food, shelter,
clothing, medical treatment, and an education while waiting to
be placed back in the home with their biological parents or
guardians. With the overwhelming number of children placed in
the system it is hard to keep up with the abuse they endure
while in placement. Many foster parents abuse children and it is
said that children suffer ten times more in the system than they
do in the home. There has to be a go-between to secure their life
and health while dealing with the pressure of being moved
around from one foster home to the next. According to Thoma
(2005), with the high rate of multiple placements that most
foster children endure, the possibility that they may experience
overt physical or sexual abuse becomes an increasing certainty
with each move.
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

6. 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,

7. 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.
References
The National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (n.d.). Child
Welfare System. Retrieved from
http://www.nctsn.org/resources/topics/child-welfare-system
Thoma, R. (2005). A critical look at the foster care system:
How widespread a problem? Retrieved from
http://liftingtheveil.org/foster04.htm
Harden, B. (2004). Safety and stability for foster children: A
developmental perspective. 14(1) para 3 & 69. Retrieved from
http://futureofchildren.org/futureofchildren/publications/journal
s/article/index.xml?journalid=40&articleid=133&sectionid=874