The CareLeavers Inner Circle (CLiC) Forum is a social impact startup founded by Girish Mehta and Anisha Sharma. In India, when children in residential care institutions turn 18, they must leave, according to government rules. Transition planning is crucial for these youths, as many face significant challenges after leaving the institution, including mental health issues, homelessness, financial instability, a lack of education, and difficulties in finding work.
In 2018, Girish left his care institution and found the process overwhelming and stressful. At that time, there was no support system in place for youth like him. After reaching out to the 1098 helpline, he had the opportunity to visit several child care institutions to drop off missing or orphaned children. During these visits, he met other youth experiencing similar challenges as they exited care.
To offer mutual support, Girish and his peers created a WhatsApp group. However, when COVID-19 hit, many of them lost their monthly salaries, creating a significant financial gap that hindered their ability to support one another. In response, they approached a large UN organization for assistance, and UNICEF Rajasthan agreed to help. They advised that they register as an organization, which they did. All members became founders, committed to supporting one another.
CLiC was formally registered on November 25, 2021, with the mission to empower every care leaver to become self-reliant. Our vision is to create a family-like support system that guides individuals from "Care to Career." We are currently collaborating with various state organizations to support care leavers, focusing on fostering self-reliance through job and skill training combined with peer support.
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Rajasthan
India
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SCALE (Strengthening Care leavers & Aftercare Youth’s Engagement)
Aftercare is a measure for rehabilitation and social reintegration of young adults who leave the institutional childcare system upon attaining 18 years of age. The Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act 2015) recognizes and provides a scope for after care services to young person’s once they achieve the age of eighteen years but have not completed twenty-one years and have left any institutional care to join the mainstream of society. This system is based on the premise that children ageing out from child care institutions (CCIs) are vulnerable to unemployment, psychological stress, physical and mental illness, homelessness and dependency, in view of the absence of family or dependable adults who can act as a pillar of support. Apart from this access to free medical facilities, psycho social support and absence of skill training etc. makes them more vulnerable. Absence of such facilities increases vulnerability of girls Care Leavers as they require a safe and conducive environment in society. This study and technical support of UNICEF led to the formulation of the After Care Programme in Rajasthan as “Samarth Yojana '' in the year 2020. This programme offers a range of aftercare services that could be provided to Care Leavers, however due to COVID pandemic implementation of the programme is at a very nascent stage.
The main goal is to strengthen the aftercare program of state by collectivising the Care Leavers of Rajasthan and providing the requisite hand-holding support in their main-streaming and social re-integration in the Society. The Care Leavers Inner Circle Forum reach out to such children (boys and girls) who are currently in child care home. As a result, the Department of Child Rights (DCR) recognized the formation of Network of Care Leavers as mandated in "Aftercare schme" and provided an opportunity to the Care Leavers Inner Circle Forum to provide the mentoring and hand-holding support to Care Leavers and the Network, by recognising CLiC. This led Department of Child Rights (DCR), to recognise CLiC as a resource agency for implementation of aftercare scheme of the government, generate awareness and support all CCIs staff and potential care leavers for transition planning, collectivize and provide aftercare support to care leaver across the state.