Post care supports to transited care leavers

care leavers. The youth homes, on the one hand, should not have strict rules as otherwise YAs would lose their individuality and on the other hand, YAs should not be left on their own because they would misuse the freedom. Close monitoring but friendly guidance is important to handle these care leavers, else the

Model would not succeed. YAs after 18 years of age will be bound to face difficulty in independent living and manage everything alone from initial period of time. Hence, supported living in groups can be offered with a residential staff or a supervisor to help in financial management, managing household chores and managing work/ study simultaneously. After initial 6 months they can move for independent living. In case of Youth Hostels, it is difficult to monitor very strictly like switching off the mobile phone etc as YAs may regard that as interference in their privacy. However, a mentor staying with them can talk to them or guide them about right and wrong in friendly manner. The existing care staff with whom the children already had shared good emotional bonding before transition from care would be best to guide YAs in Youth Home/Hostel.

Youth home as another institution with strict rules and guidelines, yet, we have to make them understand the difference and that the Mentor would just guide them without intervening into their independence of living and decision making.

PoST CARE SuPPoRTS To TRAnSITED CARE LEAvERS

Systematized monitoring mechanisms were pointed out as a primary challenge in improving after care services for the youth because of increased workloads, number of young adults increasing significantly and lack of resources with the organizations. There is lack of uniformity in the financial supports offered to the youth leaving care. As evident from the findings, YAs staying in after care centres on attaining maturities get the facilities like lodging, boarding and study/course expenses, entirely covered by the care organizations, whereas, YAs in independent living set ups gets either one-time financial grants to set up the living arrangements or monthly stipend for few months to manage their livings outside care. The studied sample organizations mentioned about independent living financial supports to care leavers ranging between Rs.2500 to Rs.5000 on need basis apart from college fees or fees for their professional/vocational courses. Some of the sample organizations mentioned about reduced amount of financial supports for first 6 months after YAs get their first jobs so that they can manage Decisions about when to withdraw from the life of a young person take into account how they are travelling on their life journey. Decisions about this are informed by our model of working with them and are not decisions informed by what funding we receive. Team at Salaam Baalak Trust

to save some of their income in those 6 months. Some organizations mentioned about supporting with pocket money, rice and other monthly provisions of groceries for initial few months in YAs’ independent living set ups, whereas utility expenses such as, rents, electricity, water are contributed from YAs’ salaries. SOS mentioned about a three-year financial support programs to care leavers with Rs.2500 to each YA in the first year of getting employment, which gets reduced to Rs.1500 in second year and further reduced to Rs.1000 in the third year. Stakeholders had an agreement that decision on withdrawing financial supports from youth settling outside care organizations varies between individual youth. While some young people flourish upon leaving care, settle in their professional career with decent jobs and have stable housing, others struggle with issues like social isolation, mental health issues, substance abuse, nonemployment etc.

Apart from financial supports, all sample organizations

have been monitoring the YAs’ independent living to provide emotional guidance or supports as and when required. One of the challenges faced by organizations were keeping children motivated in retaining their jobs. In certain instances, YAs are unable to continue with present jobs for various reasons ranging from aspiration for better career opportunities to feeling of being undervalues and care staff struggled to help YAs develop strong work ethics. Some of the sample organizations spoke about facing challenges in getting funds for expensive professional courses aspired by few YAs, whereas some were successful in getting sponsorships for such courses.

KEY RECOMMENDATIONS

All the stakeholders had agreement that the present allocations on After Care Program under

ICPS, that is, Rs.2000 per month per youth is grossly inadequate as this amount money is unable to cover the monthly expenses of food, clothing, transportation etc. As mentioned by one of the sample organizations, leaving costs for education and vocation courses, expenditure incurred for

YAs are not less than Rs.12000 – Rs.15000 per youth per month. As a possible way out, YAs can be included in the financial inclusion scheme such as, Jan Dhan Yojana, to have affordable access to financial services such as bank accounts, loan benefits, insurance covers etc. Sample organizations faced challenges in getting funds for expensive professional courses aspired by the YAs, whereas some still struggle to link YAs into different job based trainings.

Increased networks and collaborations with corporate sectors, community members might be helpful to arrange apprenticeships or internships for YAs with different companies as well as get financial aids and scholarships for expensive professional courses. Apart from that, integration with different ministries like Social Justice and

Empowerment or Ministry of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, or convergence with existing skills development schemes by government such as, Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojna (PMKVY),

National Urban Livelihood Mission (NULM) can be helpful. It is a challenge for every organization interviewed in this study to keep the motivation of care leavers, who are in salaried jobs, to retain their work. Trainings and workshops to teach value for money might help them to be less impulsive and understanding that despite facing difficulties in present workplaces, they should not resign from jobs without finding alternatives. One good practice worth mentioning here is the initiative by Udayan Care in taking informal undertaking from care leavers to respect the organization’s independence supports for them, so that YAs take things seriously, perform good in education and professional courses, do not take impulsive decision of leaving jobs for petty reasons, maintain work ethics in workplaces etc. YAs while living independently face a lot of challenge emotionally which require counselling.

Hence, one of the important post care support from organizations to the care leavers would be keeping regular contract with part time counsellor to provide counselling as and when required in care leavers’ living arrangements, irrespective of supported or independent livings.