vii) Udayan Care, New Delhi

matching capabilities for decent jobs. The background of the girls sometime poses challenges in putting them in certain companies because of the social taboos and stigma that surround sex and sex work in the country.

Even if the girls are placed into different companies, they are subject to increased vulnerability to violence and abuse in their workplaces than women who are not trafficked. Because when the supervisors or male colleagues get to know about the background of these girls, they tend to take advantage making them vulnerable to sexual abuse and harassments.

Another challenge is the health condition of few girls. This is despite the organization putting best efforts in providing support to improve physical and psychological health of victims and advocating on behalf of victims to help improve their social environments. For example, one of the girls have long term illness of Schizophrenia due to which she has erratic behaviors. Hence, placing these girls in jobs and other living arrangements like hostels becomes a challenge for the staff.

Udayan Care is committed to ensure sustainable and holistic development for children and youth, by upholding their rights and looking after their wellbeing. The organization aims to prepare children for life, staying by their side as they grow through the different phases of life—childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. Starting with the establishment of just one small family home (Ghar) for orphaned and abandoned children in Sant Nagar, Delhi in 1996, Udayan Care has spread its work for disadvantaged groups during the last 25 years by establishing more family homes, helping girls’ education, providing vocational training etc. To date, Udayan Care has nurtured over 25,000 young minds.33 A close-knit group of around 12 children of the ages 6 to 18 live as a unit in these group homes called Udayan Ghar under committed team of caregivers consisting of ‘Mentor Parents’ that are lifetime volunteers, professional social workers and other child or mental health care professionals. There are 220 children currently being supported by Udayan in 17 Udayan Ghars (residential homes) spread across four states in India with core concept of ‘L.I.F.E.’, (Living in Family Environment) to nurture Out-of-Home Care (O.H.C.) children including once parentless, abandoned or abused children in need of protection. Apart from that, as on 1st April 2017, the two Aftercare facilities under Udayan are preparing 26 youth for their reintegration into society (22 girls and 4 boys). The organization has re-united 300 children with their families in the last three years.

The pillars of the Udayan Model include Familial Relationship, Consistent Living Circumstances, Social/ Educational Support System/Care Planning, Regular Training & Mentoring of Care Team, and Monthly Capacity Building Workshops.34 Children in the Udayan Ghars stay under the care of Mentor Parents (MPs) who serve as life-time volunteers for the organizations and share good bonding with children in order to develop sense of security among children. Based on age and background conditions, children are prepared for age-appropriate grade. Mentor parents are not necessarily the older people because if the mentors are young, the YAs can connect better and they are the frontline contacts. Mentor father and mentor mother in all 17 Udayan Ghars are with the same role of running the families as in case of normal households. Their role ranges from buying groceries to school / college admission of the children, cooking for the children.

All Udayan Ghars are established in middle class localities so that children can be integrated with the neighbourhood and can go to local schools in the community. Another core area of Udayan is

33 https://udayancare.org/ 34 Modi, K., Nayar-Akhtar, M., Ariely, S., & Gupta, D. (2016). Addressing Challenges of Transition from Children’s Home to Independence: Udayan

Care’s Udayan Ghars (Sunshine Children’s Homes) & Aftercare Programme. Web: https://www.celcis.org/files/7014/6054/8505/010._2016_

Vol_15_1_Modi_Addressing_Challenges.pdf

organizing series of workshops and trainings for staff at all levels on trauma and abuse issues so as to help the children manage in a trauma-informed, sensitive, and appropriate manner. Apart from that, monthly family meetings with children’s participations in Udayan Homes help teach children decision making and leadership skills and give them a sense of bonding within their homes.

Udayan Care has extended its support to children exiting out of the Udayan Care homes (Udayan Ghars), through two Aftercare facilities as well as scattered site support that provide secure accommodation, mentorship, counselling, career guidance, educational and vocational support, and help with internships and employment. The aftercare program helps the YAs to attain both skills and confidence on the way to their rehabilitation into society.

P Transition preparedness and independence support During their stay in Udayan Ghars, the organization places utmost focus in enhancing abilities of the children to manage their own health, finances, housing and life opportunities in order to ensure a smooth transition out of care. Transition plan are started by the organization

Good Practice by udayan Care

An MOU with matured YAs being prepared by Udayan Care to get undertakings on their responsibilities to respect Udayan’s efforts on independence supports for them. YAs must not assume that Udayan Care will support YAs for the endless period, and it is the YAs’ responsibility to take things seriously, perform good in education and professional courses that Udayan put them or maintain work ethics in jobs. Sometimes YAs take everything for granted and stop going to work or college thinking that the organization will feed them endlessly. Such MOU with 18+ age group changes attitude of the YAs and motivate them to be serious with their activities and help them settle well in life in less time. once a child reaches 15 years of age by designing child participatory rehabilitation plans, assessing the attitude of children, conducting workshops with children with resource persons from different walks of lives and internal staff to prepare the children for transition. A body of 35 mentors and social mobilisers who have more experience of the system and a subcommittee are set up to prepare Individual Care Plan of each child, assessing the capabilities and interests of children, in order to help them match their skills with relevant career opportunities.

In many cases children are clear about their aspirations and capabilities. But most of the YAs need help to identify their own agencies and social mobilisers and mentor’s role is to interact with the children to let them understand their agencies and what are the available courses or job-related skillsets they need to acquire.

Life skill learnings are done through workshops to understand how they can manage living with each other and managing household chores and studies/works at the same time. It has been noticed that children post their transition from Udayan’s care are able to manage travelling by metros, managing household chores on their own, because of such workshops. Before a child is ready to leave institutional care on attaining the age of 18 years, efforts are made to establish community connections prior to discharge from care, whether for housing, jobs, or other engagements.

P Living arrangements on attaining maturity Udayan Care’s After Care Program bridges the gap for young adults of the ages 18 to 21 that are just leaving their Udayan Ghars, by providing continued rehabilitative services combined with community, group or scattered housing. Apart from board and lodging, the Aftercare Programme covers other expenses ranging from cost of commuting and clothing to medical facilities. YAs grow stable roots through jobs, learn to save money, acquire the skills to sustain themselves without state support and finally move out to live on their own as self-assured adults.

Since CWC in Delhi is very particular that children after 18 years must be restored with the families, in Udayan Care, family strengthening is taken up

placing them into the families, and supporting the children in terms of education, college fees or fees for vocational courses. YAs who do not have families to be reintegrated on attaining maturity or in cases YAs do not want to be with their families, the organization provides them with different living arrangement options at free of costs such as; i) group or scattered

group living in rented accommodations. Long term volunteers are in contact with YAs who are in Udayan’s after care home or living independently outside.

On attaining maturity, the YAs are not fully equipped to handle life by themselves and need continued education, training, counselling, mentoring and support beyond 18 years of age. The aftercare programme of Udayan Care, therefore, focuses on capacity building geared towards independent living and career opportunities. The organization ease the stress of finances through monetary support, which gives these youth the freedom to pursue their professional or vocational education according to their interests and aptitude. The programme necessitates that these youngsters make appropriate career choices that enable them to earn a decent living for themselves after they leave Aftercare.35

The Mentor parents who are the long-term volunteers and the Social Mobilisers are the frontline contacts who keep regular contact with children from 18 years to 34 years age group irrespective of their living places in cluster housing or after care homes of Udayan or outside in hostels, group living and mess etc. After care program coordinator are also in contact with YAs on regular basis. There are three phases of supervising YAs in 18+ age group to be followed by the Mentors, such as, high touch model (children of 18-20), medium touch model (20+) and low touch model (23+). However, some YAs learn very quickly, and mentor need to assess which model to be followed to supervise YAs. One mentor is in touch with at least 13 YAs to deal with what the issues are and how that can be addressed with collective decision from the organization.

Grievance Committee: The mentor parents and after care program coordinators take the issues and challenges, if any, among the transited YAs in different living spaces and if the issues are to be taken to the committee or higher authority, the problems are taken to the grievance redress committee. Two members at HR level look after the grievances in aftercare program level. The team shared that tough talk happens with the YAs to make them understand their responsibilities to perform well in academic so that they can settle well.

Financial supports: For YAs of 21+ age group and YAs who chose to stay out in Group living, hostel etc, Udayan Care supports with fees for vocational trainings, and one-time financial grant to each YA to set up the living arrangement. YAs of 18-21 years age group have option to stay in Udayan’s After Care Transition Homes, if they do not have any job or do not want to opt for group living arrangements or hostel arrangements. In the After Care Transition Homes, YAs get all facilities like lodging, boarding and study/ course expenses. YAs who get a job, they are given one month time with financial support so that they look for alternative accommodations and after they get some accommodation, financial supports are withdrawn. Girls who are not interested for further studies after 18 years but want to take up jobs, are allowed to move out and became the alumni of the organization. For example, one girl in Udayan Ghar got job at the age of 18 years after 12th class and then she arranged for herself an accommodation outside. Some other girls of 18+ age group into long term courses such as fashion designing, or 3-years graduation courses are staying in After Care Transition Homes. These

35 https://www.udayancare.org/after-care/udayan-ghars-aftercare-programme