Support for Youth Leaving Care: A National Research Study, India

Abstract

This paper is a condensed version of a study entitled “Beyond 18: Leaving Child Care Institutions — A Study of Aftercare Practices in Five States of India”, conducted and published in 2019 by Udayan Care, a charitable organisation, with support from UNICEF India and Tata Trusts. This research involved the participation of care leavers, government functionaries, duty-bearers, and civil society practitioners. It found that upon turning 18, youth transitioning out of child care institutions to independent life in India experience many challenges, such as securing housing and identity documents; accessing education, skill development, and employment opportunities; and garnering psychosocial support. This study also showed that absent or inadequate aftercare support during transition increases care leavers’ vulnerabilities to homelessness, unemployment, substance misuse, and ruptured social relationships. It also found that continued aftercare support is necessary to foster independent living skills in these young people and enable their reintegration into mainstream society. While exploring the continuum from child care to aftercare, the researchers developed the concept of a “Sphere of Aftercare”, comprising eight domains of support that are considered essential for a successful transition. The study revealed a lack of transition planning at the level of child care institutions and functionaries and a general lack of understanding of the holistic aftercare needs of youth throughout the eight identified domains. The study also found an absence of clarity about stakeholders’ roles; a lack of data management with regard to the number of youth leaving care, leading to inadequate budget planning; and a lack of adequate monitoring mechanisms to assess care leavers’ outcomes. In light of this study’s findings, policy reforms and ways of developing robust aftercare programmes are recommended in relation to policy, practice, and law.

Understanding how young people transitioning from out-of-home care acquire and develop independent living skills and knowledge: A systematic review of longitudinal studies

“…This requires particular attention given to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander over-representation in their care system. Findings in this systematic review represent only one country from the Global South (n = 1), where in India, for example, the concept of a ‘Sphere of Aftercare’ [ 92 ] was introduced to encourage policymakers and practitioners to understand the needs of young people transitioning from OOHC. This particularly relates to ILS acquisition, which was found to be low, especially among females, providing another example of societal and cultural differences that should be understood [ 93 ].…”

Post‐secondary vocational education for youth leaving care: Examining a potential pathway to successful outcomes

“…Without oversimplifying varying approaches across the world, post-secondary education is often unobtainable to most young people. Examples from Ghana (Frimpong-Manso, 2018) and India (Modi et al, 2020) highlight the importance of skill development to secure employment.…”

“…Yet, when leaving care, young people need to find employment to survive. Modi et al (2020) identified that there were few options available for those who wanted to develop vocational skills and that a lack of funding for 'academically average students or for expensive courses such as aeronautical engineering and medicine pushes [care leavers] towards cheaper alternatives in their educational and vocational pursuits' (p. 179).…”

“…Without oversimplifying varying approaches across the world, post‐secondary education is often unobtainable to most young people. Examples from Ghana (Frimpong‐Manso, 2018) and India (Modi et al., 2020) highlight the importance of skill development to secure employment. Frimpong‐Manso (2018) has noted that in many African countries, such as Ghana, children in care come from contexts characterised by high rates of crime, poverty and lack of amenities and that while in care they may have access to resources (e.g.…”

Potrebe i strategije suočavanja mladih koji su izašli iz alternativne skrbi

“…Iako su punoljetni, mladi koji su izašli iz alternativne skrbi vrlo su ranjivi, a nerijetko toj ranjivosti doprinose i traumatična iskustva iz djetinjstva (Costa, 2012). U Smjernicama za zadovoljavanje potreba mladih (Šimić i sur., 2009) shows that for young adults in alternative care, the transition from childhood to adulthood is a more complex process than in the normal/ typical population and, as such, requires taking on new roles, learning new skills, and coping with biological changes (Modi et al, 2018).…”