Challenges of After Care in India

Year of launch name of the scheme/program

1952 Integrated Subsidised Housing Schemes for Industrial Workers and EWS 1954 Low Income Group Housing Scheme 1956 Subsidised Housing Scheme for Plantation Workers 1959 Middle Income Group Housing Scheme 1959 Rental Housing Scheme for State Government Employees 1956 Slum Clearance and Improvement Schemes 1959 Village Housing Projects Scheme 1959 Land Acquisition and Development Scheme 1971 Provision of House Sites of Houseless Workers in Rural Areas 1972 Environment Improvement of Urban Slums 1980 Sites and Services Scheme 1985 Indira Awas Yojana 1990 Night Shelter Scheme for Pavement Dwellers 1996 National Slum Development Programme 1998 Two million Housing Programme 1999 Credit-cum-Subsidy Scheme for Rural Housing 1999 Samagra Awaas Yojana 2000 Prime Minister Gramodaya Yojana 2001 Valmiki Ambedkar Aawas Yojana

known as Indira Awas Yojna (IAY) aims to offer sustainable and affordable housing to individuals and families belonging to the economically challenged section of society. It prioritizes housing for women, as well as minorities, including those belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes. The care leavers can be linked with these two schemes or there can be advocacy initiative integrate these housing schemes into after care services for children leaving care.

CHALLEnGES oF AFTER CARE In InDIA

As per the provisions under Juvenile Justice Act, the states should run the Aftercare Programme for children without family or for those who leave institutions after completing 18 years of age. The ministry of WCD in 2017, constituted a committee to undertake the task of a pan-India mapping and review of Child Care Institutions (such as, Children Home, Open Shelter, Observation Home, Special Home, Place of Safety, Specialized Adoption Agency, etc) registered under JJ act and other care institutions across states in the country. The objective of the report was to create a National database on functioning of the CCIs in the country based upon their legal status, staffing, facilities, support systems, funding, management, adherence to norms and standards, etc., work out action plans, as required, for improving the working pattern of the CCIs and its children care services.

The committee report does not provide information about after care program by the care institutions. However, it revealed that a huge number of orphan, abandoned, surrendered, homeless, single parent children and children with Parents/ Guardian unfit/

CCIs and children in care

Total CCIs

Total CNCP

Delhi Telangana West Bengal karnataka

125 494 327 911

3816 16224 12425 30112

No of homeless children in CCIs 316 630 281 724

No of orphan children in CCIs

No of abandoned children in CCIs

No of surrendered children in CCIs 437 4046 1899 2964

229 206 933 729

38 906 314 516

No of mentally and physically challenged children in CCIs 234 1463 907 4088

No of children of single parents in CCIs 1397 6584 2386 10080

No of Runaway/Missing children of single parents in CCIs 340 70 290 367

No of children in CCIs with Parents/ Guardian unfit/ incapacitated to take care Children staying more than 3 years in CCIs 1042 5777 5102 13247

600 99 2131 269

CCIs providing long term care and entitled to aftercare of children leaving at age of maturity (registered CCIs or applied under JJ act) 92 167 129 374

CCIs not entitled to aftercare support to children leaving care (unregistered under JJ act) 31 316 184 510

Source: The report of the committee for Analysing Data of Mapping and Review Exercise of Child Care Institutions under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015 and Other Homes, Vol 1, Constituted by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, on 2nd May 2017

incapacitated to take care are placed in CCIs, many of which are staying in care institutions for long term. JJ Act, 2000 mandated that every state should run the Aftercare Programme for children without family or for those who leave institutions after completing 18 years of age. Such young adults are the state’s responsibility until they turn 21 and, in exceptional circumstances, for two further years. In this regard, District Child Protection Societies (DCPS) are shouldered responsibility to identify organisations to run the programme for these children providing food, clothing, health care and shelter; age appropriate and need based education and vocational training. However, according to one of the studies undertaken by Rainbow on assessing status of implementation ICPS18, there are very less interventions for children reaching 18 years from the part of Government, largely because After Care Homes are almost non-existent and in case exists in certain districts are extremely few in number. Specifically in terms of housing support, the number of homes by Govts caters very less number of children and does not provide quality services required for so many numbers of children in leaving care who are in need of protection.

As per the same report that studied status of ICPS in 7 states viz, west Bengal, Karnataka, Tamandu, Delhi, Maharashtra, Telangana and Bihar, 5 cities had after care homes- Delhi with 2 aftercare homes, Karnataka with 3 aftercare homes, Telangana with 3 aftercare

18 Child Protection & Governance: Implementation Status of Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS), published by Rainbow Homes, India

homes run by the government and non-government organizations, which are large inadequate compared to the number of children attaining age of maturity from CCIs every year. There are about 370,000 children lodged in 9,589 childcare institutes across the country, as per September 2018 report of the Jena Committee, which had been instituted by the government to map childcare institutes in the country.

Besides inadequacy in numbers, the services provided in the existing after care homes are inadequate to cater to the needs of so many children leaving care every year, The JJ Act also mandated that an aftercare programme should include group housing on a temporary basis for groups of six to eight persons. However, a study by Udayan Care covering five states20 such as, Delhi, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Rajasthan show that less than half of all care leavers received housing support under Aftercare and only 61% of all Aftercare receivers received housing support. The report also points out the gender disparity in Aftercare Housing for girls as there are no Aftercare homes for girls, except one each in Delhi and Maharashtra. Furthermore, even among those who received aftercare services, 39% did not receive housing support.21

Delhi has two aftercare homes, one for boys in northwest where there are around 13 boys currently, and one for girls in west Delhi where there are around 25 girls. There are 7 Govt run aftercare homes in West Bengal providing facilities like counselling, vocational trainings, job training with linkages with corporates and civil society groups, identity such as Aadhar number, ration cards, voter ID card etc, providing health care through tie ups with nearby medical centres/doctors, carrying out life skills programme, monitoring & follow up etc. There is one govt-run After Care home for girls in Patna where children without parents/ families are sent upon reaching the age of maturity. In Karnataka, the Karnataka State Integrated Child Protection Society (KSICPS) has given instruction to all the Superintendents of CCIs to plan for pre-release and post-release program and instructed them to arrange BPL card, promotion certificates, bank accounts, driving licenses etc. for the children attaining majority so that they can be mainstreamed into the society. In this regard, initial handholding is planned by the Department for older children with a provision of Rs.5000 per month after the child released from Institutions so that they can arrange for their accommodation, continue education in high schools/

ITI/ Polytechnic or Colleges and can search for secure employment opportunity.19 In Chennai, three govt run aftercare homes are established for young adults leaving care to income generative trades and enable them to pursue their higher studies after reintegration with their family / society.

19 ibid

20 Beyond 18: Leaving Child Care Institutions - A Study of Aftercare Practices in Five States of India (2019) 21 ibid