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Leaving the residential care home is one of the most significant occurrence in the life of every care-leaver. It encompasses vast changes which has a long term impact on the care-leavers future. This study captures the lived experiences of twenty-four young Indian girls who have left care in the past four years. It addresses their journey of moving out of care at two levels -their preparation to leave care and their present experience. The primary focus of the study is to explore the interpretation and meanings attributed by these girls to the phenomena of transition out of care; identifying the uniqueness and commonalities that emerges from their experiences. The results exposes a plethora of emotions and episodes the girls have encountered at each step of their path. It also emphasises on the role played by multiple environmental factors -support network (friends, peer group, family, social workers, etc.), residential care home, state and other social processes -operating at different systemic levels, highlighting the interface between the 'self' and the 'environment', based on the Ecological Framework.

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This study focuses on the preparation for social reintegration of young Indian girls about to leave their residential care homes. It assesses the level of preparation by capturing the perception of readiness of 100 girls in institutions: whether they expect to complete higher education, and whether they believe they have acquired such skills as searching for a job, managing finances, problem solving, and maintaining satisfactory relationships. It also explores the impact of different factors, such as the present age of the girls, their self-esteem, and the availability of support networks, on the preparation for their social reintegration. Overall, the findings revealed that the girls felt better prepared with life skills and access to housing after leaving care, but were not so hopeful about their psychological well-being and ability to access higher education, social support, employment, and financial independence. Factors such as age, educational qualifications, self-esteem, and availability of support while in care had a positive relationship with their preparation for social reintegration. Interestingly, the girls’ level of preparation varied significantly across the eight residential care homes studied. The study is intended to help address gaps in the existing literature and to play a significant role in informing future legislative decisions.

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