Research Papers Published by Udayan Care
November 2020
“The development of leaving care law, policy and practice in India”
Dr Kiran Modi, Aneesha Wadhwa, Leena Prasad
A paper was published in Child and Family Social Work journal which is based on extensive desk review, chronologically examines the evolution of aftercare laws and practices in India along with the factors that contributes to the rise of institutional care.
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December 2020
“Support For Youth Leaving Care: A National Research Study, India”
Kiran Modi, Lakshmi Madhavan, Leena Prasad, Gurneet Kalra, Suman Kasana, and Sanya Kapoor
A paper titled was published in International Journal of Child, Youth & Family Studies which is a condensed version of a study entitled “Beyond 18: Leaving Child Care Institutions — A Study of Aftercare Practices in Five States of India”, conducted and published in 2019 by Udayan Care, a charitable organisation, with support from UNICEF India and Tata Trusts. In light of this study’s findings, policy reforms and ways of developing robust aftercare programmes are recommended in relation to policy, practice, and law.
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December 2020
“Care and the COVID-19 Challenge: The Missing Link in the Fulfilment of Educational needs of Children and Young Persons Living in Alternative Care”
Dr Kiran Modi, Leena Prasad and Dr Gurneet Kalra
A paper was published in Indian Journal of School Health and Wellbeing which highlights the importance of addressing and gearing the overall child protection system along with the education system of India thereby providing recommendations and highlighting the importance of training and sensitizing teachers and carer staff in schools.
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April 2021
“Education, poverty and social exclusion: assessment of youth leaving care”
Dr Kiran Modi, Suman Kasana, Ali Azam, Lakshmi Madhavan
A paper was published in SN Social Sciences Journal which examines the interrelatedness of education, poverty and social exclusion among CLs through secondary literature and empirical data from Udayan Care's national study. Analysing the findings from the lens of the Capability Approach, the gaps in provisions of educational support to CLs and subsequent limitations to address challenges of poverty and social exclusion of this population are highlighted, also making recommendations on ways to improve CLs’ outcomes.
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June 2021
Alternative Care in the times of COVID in India: Udayan Care’s Response
By Kiran Modi, Gurneet Kalra, Leena Prasad
A paper was published in The Therapeutic Care Journal in June 2021 with an aim to assess the impact and associated potential risk factors of children living in alternative care with a particular focus on the Indian scenario. By taking into account the past, present, and future potential challenges, this paper postulates the way forward during such times of uncertainty and emergency. Alongside the workable solutions facilitating well-being and state of the children, the paper additionally highlights the significant contributions that were put forth by Udayan Care, a child and youth practising NGO in India, as an immediate response to the crises. With the establishment of the foundational grounds for the children living in alternative care as well as for the children aging out of the system, there can be a collective approach to advance the betterment of the future generations to come. Collaborative efforts to alleviate the push towards institutionalisation remains crucial, as during and post-pandemic the number of children in CCIs is likely to increase.
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September 2021
“COVID, Its Impact on the Mental Health of Caregivers in Childcare Institutions of South Asian Countries and Their Coping Techniques: Analysis of the Caregivers in Childcare Institutions Using Data from Seven South Asian Countries”
Kiran Modi, Gurneet Kalra, Leena Prasad, Najeebullah Babrakzai
A paper was published in Institutionalised Children Explorations and Beyond, to document the mental health status of caregivers (residential staff staying with children), in residential care spaces in the COVID times and to determine how the new stresses impacted them and the coping patterns they acquired in current situation; across different countries of South Asia, including Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. This exploratory rapid assessment project aimed to reach out to the registered childcare homes/ institutions, across the South Asian region, with the help of different NGOs, as well as Government mechanisms. The data was collected through purposive sampling and analysed quantitatively where the sample included the selected caregivers of participating CCIs across these nations. This study aimed to synthesize the responses of caregivers across the region; develop an analysis, which may help authorities to rethink, reform and strengthen the current practices, in order to develop approach-centred strategies for improving the well-being of caregivers as this has a direct bearing on the well-being of children in their care.
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“A critical analysis of the recent developments in alternative care space across South Asia amidst
Kiran Modi, Gurneet Kalra, Leena Prasad, Rajeshwari Narsimha & Jyoti Singh
A paper was published in Scottish Journal of Residential Care: An international journal of group and family care experience, which aimed at focusing on the recent developments in policies and arrangements in the alternative care space in the South Asian countries, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. It also highlighted the impact of COVID-19 on alternative care space in South Asian countries, its effect on the children living in alternative care, and the measures taken by respective governments in these countries to support them during the pandemic. It stated that an assessment of the recent developments in the policies related to alternative care space in different countries is crucial for understanding the problems faced when dealing with children in institutional care as well as the impact on the de-institutionalisation process due to COVID-19. It is a secondary review of desk research on such developments to understand the possible post-COVID-19 impacts on functionary and regulatory changes in alternative care systems for ‘Children without Parental Care’ in the South Asian region.
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Standardization of a Participatory Questionnaire to Assess the (Fulfilment of) Needs of Children in Care (QANCC) In India”
Kiran Modi, Gurneet Kaur Kalra, Sudeshna Roy
A paper was published in Journal of child and Adolescent Trauma, in October 2021. The paper illustrates how listening to direct voices of children and incorporating their inputs into actual care practice, can go a long way in improving the holistic wellness of children living in an alternative care setting. The results indicate that all the needs of the majority of the children in Udayan Ghars, which include emotional needs, fundamental/basic needs, educational needs, interpersonal needs were met. This paper had two objectives, where at one end, the deductions of the longitudinal data were made (2011–12 to 2016–17) with demarcating the differences with year 2018–19 data, and at the second level, there was an update on the efforts made to establish the reliability and validity of the tool and create a standardized tool that can be implemented by other child care organizations in India.
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December 2021
Assessing the Impact of the Transition Process on Care Leavers of Udayan Ghars
Kiran Modi, Gurneet Kalra and Leena Prasad
This paper was published in the Relational Child and Youth Care Practice Journal in December 2021. The paper aims to understand and assess the situation of Care Leavers, who are now alumni of Udayan Care, who had completed their transition process with or without a supportive service in the form of Aftercare and later support provisions as alumni as well, and also seeks to understand the impact of COVID-19 on their well-being. It records their experiences around well-being in their own words, as also an assessment of services made to them and their impact on their present life, as well as what could be the possible ways of improving their life situations through further continued interventions and processes.
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March 2022
Assessing the Impact of COVID-19 and the Support Provided to Youth Leaving Care in India
Kiran Modi and Gurneet Kalra
This 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 COVID era. It also aimed to highlight the AOP support’s impact 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 with this situation amidst the pandemic.
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April 2022
"Listening to Care Leavers: A Case Study Involving 35 Care Leavers and 100 Child Protection Key Stakeholders in 5 States of India"
Kiran Modi, Gurneet Kalra, Leena Prasad
This paper was published in the Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care in April 2022. This paper is a subset of our Beyond 18 study conducted in 2019, on the Aftercare situations in India, and investigates the emotional difficulties these young adults face when reaching 18 years of age, as they need to leave their care-settings without many options or support. It also highlights the factors causing emotional distress due to gaps in policies, systems and practices in Indian juvenile laws and practice. It also recommends on how the focus of policies and stakeholders needs to be directed towards providing reasonable support for the emotional wellbeing of care leavers along with other domains essential for aftercare, including housing, physical health, independent living skills, education and vocational skills, social support and interpersonal skills, financial independence and career, emotional wellbeing, identity, and legal awareness.
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June 2022
A Report titled, “The Impact of COVID-19 on Children’s Care : INDIA”, Global Case Study Series, was published by Changing the Way We CareSM (CTWWC), which is a global initiative designed to promote safe, nurturing family care for children. Voices from Udayan Care’s staff on the role of Udayan Care in dealing with the pandemic situation in dealing with the situation of children and family impacted, have been documented in this document series.
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December 2022
CAFO paper titled, “Recommendations for child welfare care reform in the global south: Perspectives of 542 adults who were separated from parental care during childhood in 12 nations” was published in Children and Society Journal where Udayan Care also supported in data collection from Care Leavers of India.
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/chso.12638
Infographics - https://issuu.com/christianalliancefororphans/docs/recommendations_for_care_reform_perspectives_of_ad
Video Recording
March 2023
“Trauma Informed Care and Resilience: Longitudinal Assessment of a Unique Alternative Residential Child Care Model”
Gurneet Kalra, Anna D. Bartuska, Kiran Modi, Michael Belden, Sumedha Ariely
This paper was published in the Journal of Social Work and Social Development in March 2023. environment. This study investigates a longitudinal 5-year sample of 121 children without parental care, living in group residential homes, Udayan Ghars, established by Udayan Care, a non-profit organisation based in India. The participant population, like most children without parental care, has
experienced tremendous adversities, ranging from death in the family and abuse to extreme financial and social insecurity. It is postulated that the Living In Family Environment (L.I.F.E: Living in Family Environment) Model practised in these homes (Ghars) contributes to these outcomes, where ‘Group Care’ ensures that children are shown emotional warmth and are cared for by voluntary, long-term committed mentor
parents, social workers and caregivers, who are trained regularly in attachment theory and trauma informed care (TIC). Using a biopsychosocial framework, with tenets of Erikson’s theory of Psychosocial Development (1968) and Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model (1979) applied to the TIC care model, discussion is framed in the context of the person-in-environment model of development and in understanding the ways care providers can use sources of resilience as tools to bolster support
structures for vulnerable populations.
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May 2023
“The Procedural and Preparedness Challenges of Deinstitutionalization in India: Learnings from the Families Together Initiative in Delhi”
Kiran Modi, Gurneet Kaur Kalra, Ranjana Srivastava, Remya Ramakrishnan, Leena Prasad
This recent paper was published in the Relational Child and Youth Care Practice Journal in May 2023. It reflects on the procedural preparedness of the sudden de-institutionalisation of children in care during the pandemic in Delhi. As per supreme court directives more than 1.4 lakhs (hundred thousand) out of 2.3 lakhs (64%) children living in child care institutions, have been restored to their families since April 2020. This rapid restoration was however done without adequate social investigation and follow-ups were largely absent, leading to an increase in cases of child labour, child marriage, abuse, violence and neglect and discontinued education. The authors unpack Udayan Care’s response to this through the 3 R’s intervention and circle of care framework.
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November 2023
Kiran Modi, Gurneet Kaur Kalra
This paper was published in the Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care in November 2023. This paper highlights targeted interventions with CLs at various levels, through Aftercare Outreach Programmes (AOP), based on their needs assessment through a tool developed and implemented by Udayan Care. It presents the interventions applied in providing transition and rehabilitation support to Care Leavers (CLs) under several domains of the Sphere of Aftercare (Beyond 18). This support is provided holistically through skills: training and development – workshops, mentoring; education/vocational training: information, access, financial support; experience – internships, apprenticeships, placements; and bringing them together on a common platform, such as the care leavers network. As this programme, AOP, aims to mentor and guide these CLs through a smooth and supportive transition period, similar interventions during and post transition can be designed and applied to other CLs across the globe in different settings.
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February 2024
“Family Strengthening Interventions: A Practitioner’s Perspective and Insights from the Field”
Dr Kiran Modi, Dr Gurneet Kalra, Ms Leena Prasad and Ms Asoni Grace
This paper was published in CYC - Online, an e-journal of the International Child and Youth Care Network. It highlights Udayan Care’s role as a practitioner. Through insightful practitioner’s perspectives, it endeavours to delve into the intricate realm of family-focused interventions in the context of family strengthening. The document explores the experiences, perceptions, and strategies employed and adapted by Udayan Care, as practitioners, across its various programs, highlighting the critical role they play in uplifting children and youth at-risk and preserving their familial ties. This paper describes Udayan Care's mission to strengthen family bonds, its efforts to prevent unnecessary separation of children from their families, and its practices to empower the beneficiaries. It also highlights the importance of linkages and collaborations with other stakeholders, organisations and mentors and also emphasises the practitioners’ role in providing a holistic support to the beneficiaries, leading to development of their agency, empowerment and self- independence.
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