My research question was “How does the foster care system affect mental illness rates in children ” and that was an interesting question to me because I had friends that were in groups homes and in shelters and they had to go through traumatic things while in that environment and they suffered with mental illness as well. Before I used to think it only affected a small number of people but now I know that it affects a lot of people and the long term effects are severe.  I learned that six hundred and seventy two thousand children are in the foster care system in the United States Of America. Children deserve homes and a place to call home so they can be loved and catered for. I didn’t realize how much parents had a big impact on a child’s life as well. I thought they were a part of a child’s life but they made up for it. Like I mentioned before, when parents are absent from a child’s life it can cause anxiety and depression because children look to their parents for emotional support, security and basic necessities. Even with the best of intentions the foster care system may not always be the best option and may even make matters worse by causing multiple placements and relationship disruptions which makes it even harder for the children to go about their lives as normal. A child’s mental health can be greatly impacted by the absence of their parents. What I learned so far is very important to my day to day life. I have always received love, but there are children in group homes who do not receive the proper amount of affection. These kids need to receive the love they deserve because it’s really unfair. Most of the country kids in shelters need to change as I mentioned before.I was surprised by the number of kids who are in group-homes and the rates are rising annually. I didn’t know that shelters caused major depression in children. I thought they were simply waiting to get chosen by a family.  The people that need to know about the rates in mental illness rates in children is the people that have the sufficient and necessary funding to support the children and  the people looking to adopt or foster child. They have the ability to alleviate their suffering, give them a sense of worth, and lower the rates while doing so.