Search

India has well defined juvenile justice laws and policies which lay the overall framework to protect the rights of children, where institutionalisation is meant to be the last resort for children without parental care. Structured and systematic interventions are required to strengthen the families, empowering them to effectively nurture and care for their children. This paper analyses a family-strengthening project, Families Together (FiT), an initiative of Udayan Care, an NGO headquartered in Delhi during Covid-19. It underscores the relevance of family strengthening approaches, by using a child-centric approach to safeguarding the best interests of children. The project follows a 3R framework, namely reach, reinforce, and reintegrate, and works along the lines of a circle of care approach, to strengthen families for retaining their children. Circle of care addresses eight different but inter-connected domains; namely livelihood, education and skilling, housing, physical health, psychosocial wellbeing, protection and safeguarding, social relationships, awareness, and access to legal entitlements. Through appropriate and systematic interventions, FiT ensures smooth reintegration of restored children into their families. In addition, by closely working with children and their families, the project also acts as a gatekeeping mechanism to prevent the possibility of reseparation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aftercare is a vital continuum of care process, crucial for care experienced youths to fully realise their true potential and thereby become resilient members of society. In India, according to the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015, institutional care should be seen as a 'last resort'; yet there are large numbers of children living in childcare institutions (CCIs) due to the absence of robust family-based care models (Beyond 18, 2019). 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Widely across the globe, COVID-19 has placed massive strain on various parameters of life, including child protection, health, education and economic systems. Apart from these visible threats, this situation is having an ongoing devastating impact on the mental health and psychological wellbeing of people. Most young people leaving child care institutions (CCIs) on turning 18 are generally not prepared to leave care, but the transition has become even more difficult and worrisome during the pandemic. During the lockdown, most of these young people were stuck in their CCIs, and their rehabilitation plans--if they were made--could not be implemented, even though there were several mandates around Aftercare, as prescribed in The Juvenile Justice Act, 2015. The Care Leavers faced difficulties in various life domains, including a lack of access to higher education, the loss of jobs, economic disruptions, and social isolation, along with an overall impact on their mental health and physical health as an aftermath of COVID-19. Based on these issues and years of experience as practitioners, Udayan Care--an NGO in India--started a programme named the Aftercare Outreach Program (AOP), supporting Aftercare youth (Care Leavers) in their transition process in order to make them job-ready. This is an exploratory study designed to collect and analyse the data collected from the Care Leavers supported by the Aftercare Outreach Program (AOP), which included 54 Care Leavers from two places enrolled in it, i.e., 42 Care Leavers from Delhi and 12 from Vadodara. The findings of the study clearly indicate that planned and supported transition like AOP intervention can make a difference in the lives of Care Leavers, and can help them towards independent living, even more so in unprecedented times like COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A research study by Udayan Care (Beyond 18: Leaving Child Care Institutions- Supporting Youth Leaving Care, A Study of Aftercare Practices, 2019), in India, reveals that even though, as per the Juvenile laws of India, 'care-experienced' youth (care leavers) are mandated to receive aftercare services to age 21, and in certain cases to 23, the state of affairs for this section of disadvantaged youth needs to evolve. The study is based on a mixed method approach which uses a descriptive design to collect data from 435 care leavers and 84 key informants from five states of India. This paper 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. 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adoption, kinship care, and foster care are the oldest known forms of alternative care in India. Whilst these are recognized as the most appropriate forms of care today, institutional care has become the most dominant form of care in India in the last 100 years, although it is meant to be 'a measure of last resort'. As in most countries, childcare institutions in India cater for children up to 18 years old. The sudden withdrawal of support at 18 leaves these young people facing heightened challenges and poorer outcomes on the journey to independence, not only because of their fractured pasts but also due to a lack of planned interventions towards preparing them for life. This paper, based on an extensive desk review, chronologically examines the evolution of aftercare laws and practices in India along with the factors that contributed to the rise of institutional care. Reference is made to the influence of the criminal justice system on aftercare and the impact of India's ratification of United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child, the movement from a welfare to rights‐based approach. The paper concludes by discussing the current challenges and the possible way forward for care leavers in India. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In many situations of conflicts, natural disasters, or pandemics, it is always the children who are the most vulnerable. With the world shutting down due to the invisible threat to civilisation, the most affected are the children living in alternative care settings and the children who are on possible verge of family breakdown and ending up in institutions. Their limited knowledge and lack of independence often results in an increased exposure to several risk factors such as abuse, maltreatment, deprivations, and violations This paper aims 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. The purpose of the study is to understand the impact of COVID-19 on alternative care space in South Asian countries, its effect on the children living in alternative care, and to understand the measures taken by respective governments in these countries to support them during the pandemic. 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. This paper 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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every child is vulnerable just by virtue of being so, but upon entering the juvenile justice system, this vulnerability is aggravated due to a myriad of reasons such as violence, abuse and neglect, amongst others. This is the plight of 5% of the total population of children in India as per government statistics from 2018. With this in mind, where do we stand at protecting these children, giving them the needed care, support, resources and guidance and ensuring their protection and development once they are declared as children in need of the system's care and protection and sent to live in a child care institution? This paper attempts to bring to light, through the experiences of a social worker in India, the present day conditions of the children and the staff in these homes, focusing on the gap between what exists in theory in the law, the increase in the intensity of the trauma that the children experience in a place that is solely built with the purpose of taking care of them, the practical gaps in implementing laws and policies and hopes to provide suggestions to improve these conditions. The author works as a training coordinator with a leading child and youth care organisation based in Delhi and is currently implementing a state level project to support transitions from care and aftercare to care leavers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Regarding 'Transitional care: The unintended consequence of hospitalists' rise' (July 10, 2016), I entirely agree with Dr. Bauman's view regarding the unintended consequences of the hospitalist program. Even the transition [...]

The article informs that children and youth without parental Care during and post Covid-19 in India. Topics include pandemic has involved an increased focus on health and hygiene, teaching and managing children; schools and teachers to deliver tutorials online or through television broadcasts; and rising for the impending negative effects of home confinement and these online schooling measures on children's physical and mental health.

The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) model propagates a life perspective where children exposed to traumatic and stressful experiences during childhood tend to grow up with social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, leading them to adopt health-risk behaviours that cause disease, disability, and ultimately an early death. In this paper, using the ACE model, we give case studies of two Out-of-Home-Care (OHC) children, raised in Udayan Ghars, (Udayan Care's model of Child Care Institutions) describing the impact of adverse experiences on their childhood and how it shaped their lives. In the case of Sonia, her traumatic childhood led her to experience extreme social, emotional, and behavioural problems that she was unable to overcome. Priya, on the other hand, exercised resilience and despite her traumatic childhood, was able to regulate her emotions and behaviours, becoming better-adjusted. Trauma Informed Care (TIC) was used in both the girls' cases during their rehabilitation at Udayan Ghars. However, success with Priya and failure with Sonia highlights the challenges caregivers face when caring for children with extreme ACE issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

India has around 20 million children living without families who need to be cared for through alternative forms of care. Udayan Care has an innovative group care model for children in need of care, utilising the indigenously developed LIFE (Living In Family Environment) strategy in its 13 UdayanGhars (Sunshine care homes). The model offers long-term permanent mentor parents to all children through the Carer team at its homes. Most often, children's direct input is not available to the management of care homes. To address this Udayan Care has developed the Questionnaire to Assess Needs of Children in Care (QANCC) to assess the needs of children under its care. The questionnaire is administered to children in a scientific manner every year to understand the basic/ fundamental, emotional, educational and interpersonal needs of the children aged 10-18 years under its care program with the goal of evaluating the extent to which these needs are being met from the perspectives of the children themselves. A census methodology is used on children aged between 10-18 years who have lived minimum of 6 months at the UdayanGhars. Over the years, we saw that on an average, 76.8% of the children feel that their needs are met; which is further stratified as follows: 92% of the children feel their basic fundamental needs are met, 80 % of the children feel their educational needs are met, 77% of the children feel that their Interpersonal needs are met, and 70% children feel their emotional needs are met. Areas of unmet needs have been identified to provide additional support specifically towards addressing them. The study allows children's participation in provide opinions on issues that directly impact upon them and the management of UdayanGhars consider these opinions while making decisions that affect their care; ultimately leading to improved standards of care at UdayanGhars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Udayan Care's aftercare programme for youth is designed to support the transition of young adults leaving the umbrella of the Udayan Care Ghars (Sunshine Homes) to independent and self-reliant living. The objective of this research is to understand the aftercare programme by applying the ecological systems theory of human development formulated by Bronfenbrenner (1979). The study focuses on eight analytical domains that are important for transition of youth namely education and employment, financial management, mental and physical health, legal rights and responsibilities, housing, goals and aspirations, safety and emergency skills, and resilience. It covered 60 youth who are either presently covered under aftercare programme or are Udayan Care alumni who have already availed the organisation's aftercare support. The life experiences of youth have been presented through five ecological systems namely microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem and chronosystem. The analysis highlights the contributions of multiple stakeholders to the efficacy of the ecological systems. While the success of aftercare programme of Udayan Care is evident in many domains, there are challenges that still exist in regard to building resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The L.I.F.E. Model (Living In Family Environment), is a model that attempts to create familial relationships, consistent living circumstances, and social/educational support systems necessary to move towards independent adulthood for orphaned and vulnerable children (OVC). In addition, the model addresses multiple losses, grief and related issues by employing attachment and trauma-based understandings to child rearing, while using positive psychology tools to encourage resilience and developmental growth. In the last 19 years, Udayan Care (located in New Delhi, India) through the Udayan Ghars Programme and Aftercare Services, has employed an evolved L.I.F.E. model for the children it cares for (Modi, Nayar-Akhtar, Gupta, & Karmakar, 2014). The model includes a family-like regulated support system, with long-term mentors who are set in place to help the children transition from institutional care to independent living. Typically, this takes place with the children moving out of the Sunshine Children's Homes into semi-regulated Aftercare services and then from Aftercare into the larger world. Given the normative transitions for all young persons, finding ways to effectively support institutionalised children as they transition to independent living is critical. In addition to the normative challenges, undoubtedly, institutionalised children come with a history of trauma and abandonment and often have long-term psychological difficulties that are unique to their population. Many such children end up in childcare institutions as there may be no extended family available, and the options for alternative care settings are severely limited. To understand the developmental trajectories of these children, Udayan Care has been participating in longitudinal research to describe the current and on-going changes in children's trauma, attachment, self-concept and ego-resiliency. This work has provided baseline information on the level and effectiveness of the programmes implemented at Udayan Care, and recommends future directions for addressing the children's needs. This paper explores the needs of institutionalised children as addressed by the Udayan Care Model. Such children have histories of severe neglect and need intensive efforts directed towards addressing attachment issues, affect dysregulation, behavioural difficulties, social skills, education and life skills training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I disagree with Dr. Richard Waltman's article ['Every physician should have a migraine,' September 4, 2009]. We as physicians have to go through a lot and prove a lot before [...]

Recent research has uncovered that secondary metabolites-biologically active compounds produced by plants, microbes, and other organisms-play a significant role in regulating the differentiation and function of macrophages. Macrophages, key components of the innate immune system, are crucial for a wide range of physiological processes, including immune response modulation, tissue homeostasis, and host defense against pathogens. This research delves into the mechanisms by which secondary metabolites influence macrophage differentiation signaling pathways, with a focus on how specific compounds affect macrophage polarization and functional phenotypes. Understanding these effects can open new avenues for developing therapeutic strategies that target macrophage-mediated immune responses. Secondary metabolites, such as nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) containing compounds, terpenoids, and phenolic compounds from plants and microbes, can modulate macrophage differentiation by influencing cytokine production and activity. The activation of signaling pathways in macrophages involves multiple receptors and transcription factors, including IFN-γ receptor activation leading to STAT1 activation, TLR4 triggering IRF5, NFκB, and AP1, IL-4 receptor activation leading to STAT6 and IRF4 activation, PPARγ activation via the fatty acid receptor, TLR4 increasing CREB and C/EBP levels. The complex interplay between transcription factors and cytokines is crucial for maintaining the balance between the M1 and M2 states of macrophages. Despite these insights, further research is needed to unravel the specific molecular mechanisms involved and to identify promising secondary metabolites that could be translated into clinical applications., (Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.)