According to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 (JJ Act 2015), aftercare refers to ‘making provision of support, financial or otherwise, to persons, who have completed the age of eighteen years but have not completed twenty-one years, and have left any institutional care to join the mainstream of society’. Aftercare can be termed as a preparatory stage for young adults during which they are provided financial support, training in skills, handholding for career development, counselling for managing emotions and such other measures that contribute to the process of their social mainstreaming. It is the final stage in the continuum of care of institutionalized children. They are not left alone after completion of stay in institutions but are helped for a certain duration to enable their reintegration in the society. (Aftercare, Udayan Care and UNICEF India Country Office, 2016)
RESOURCES
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Aftercare Outreach Program - Intervention for Youth Leaving Care in India
Kiran Modi, Gurneet Kaur Kalra, Leena Prasad, 2023Challenges and experiences of Care Leavers, and more so in COVID-19 times, encouraged Udayan Care to start an intervention for providing extended support to Care Leavers from other CCIs too, who may not have access to support and are expected to survive on their own upon reaching adulthood. Based on concerns, evidence, and years of experience as practitioners, Udayan Care started a program, the Aftercare Outreach Program (AOP), to support financially as well as by close hand-holding and mentoring support for educational and vocational skills attainment, housing, and basic needs, employability skills, leading to gainful employment.
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Order: Directorate Women and Child Development, Madhya Pradesh- Nodal Officer for Care Leavers
Directorate, WCD MP, 2022The Juvenile Justice Committee High Court in its meeting dated 23.07.2022, declared the Assistant Director ICPS as nodal officer who will be responsible for providing all necessary support to care leavers, boys and girls, related to subsequent programs under the Mission Vatsalya Scheme.
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Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 and the Support Provided to Youth Leaving Care in India
Kiran Modi and Gurneet Kalra , 2022This paper was published in the Youth Journal in March 2022. This study aimed to assess the impact of COVID-19 on Care Leavers’ journeys and well-being, support received through the Aftercare Outreach Programme (AOP), thereby focusing on identifying and understanding the process and support services that should be considered for the further mitigation of their situation during and beyond the pandemic. It also aimed to highlight the impact of AOP support on their health, housing, education, vocational skills, employment, digital access, and mental health. The study examined the criticality of actions required to aid the betterment of their overall situation with respect to managing their mental health, education, and skills, preparing them to cope amidst the pandemic.