When a child turns 18, the law recognises them as an adult and requires them to exit residential care. At this age, however, most young people are still not fully prepared to navigate life independently and therefore need sustained support through further education, vocational training, counselling, mentoring, and guidance.
The Aftercare Program bridges the critical transition for young adults aged 18 to 21 who exit Udayan Ghars, by providing continued rehabilitative support and safe accommodation in community-based, group, or scattered housing settings. The program currently runs three dedicated aftercare facilities for Udayan Ghar care leavers, with a strong focus on education and skills development as the essential foundations for a life of dignity and financial independence. To date, it has supported over 200 young adults through a structured continuum of care, enabling them to move towards stable, self-reliant adulthood.
Drawing on the “Beyond 18” study on aftercare, published in 2019 by Udayan Care with support from UNICEF and Tata Trust, the study’s central recommendation was to recognise care leavers as among the most vulnerable youth at risk and to ensure their inclusion in care reform and planning processes. Building on this seminal recommendation, Udayan Care, with support from UNICEF, launched India’s first-ever Fellowship for Care Leavers in October 2021, as a logical step to advance the study’s findings.
The Fellowship empowers care leavers to pursue their aspirations, benefit from mentoring by industry experts, and evolve as emerging care leaders. In doing so, they contribute to their communities by creating opportunities for others to join project teams and by building pathways to become professional social workers.
