Addressing challenges of transition from children's home to independence: Udayan Care's Udayan Ghars (Sunshine Children's Homes) & aftercare programme

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 add...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Kiran Modi, Monisha Nayar-Akhtar, Sumedha Ariely, Deepak Gupta
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: CELCIS 2016-04-01
Series:Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care
Subjects:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850247418765901824
author Kiran Modi
Monisha Nayar-Akhtar
Sumedha Ariely
Deepak Gupta
author_facet Kiran Modi
Monisha Nayar-Akhtar
Sumedha Ariely
Deepak Gupta
author_sort Kiran Modi
collection DOAJ
description 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.
format Article
id doaj-art-866bc9e9cc2e48358fc7d5f4043bd67d
institution OA Journals
issn 2976-9353
language English
publishDate 2016-04-01
publisher CELCIS
record_format Article
series Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care
spelling doaj-art-866bc9e9cc2e48358fc7d5f4043bd67d2025-08-20T01:58:55ZengCELCISScottish Journal of Residential Child Care2976-93532016-04-0115110.17868/strath.00084801Addressing challenges of transition from children's home to independence: Udayan Care's Udayan Ghars (Sunshine Children's Homes) & aftercare programmeKiran ModiMonisha Nayar-AkhtarSumedha ArielyDeepak GuptaThe 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.institutionalised childrenorphaned and vulnerable childrentrauma-based understandingresearchinstutitionalised care
spellingShingle Kiran Modi
Monisha Nayar-Akhtar
Sumedha Ariely
Deepak Gupta
Addressing challenges of transition from children's home to independence: Udayan Care's Udayan Ghars (Sunshine Children's Homes) & aftercare programme
Scottish Journal of Residential Child Care
institutionalised children
orphaned and vulnerable children
trauma-based understanding
research
instutitionalised care
title Addressing challenges of transition from children's home to independence: Udayan Care's Udayan Ghars (Sunshine Children's Homes) & aftercare programme
title_full Addressing challenges of transition from children's home to independence: Udayan Care's Udayan Ghars (Sunshine Children's Homes) & aftercare programme
title_fullStr Addressing challenges of transition from children's home to independence: Udayan Care's Udayan Ghars (Sunshine Children's Homes) & aftercare programme
title_full_unstemmed Addressing challenges of transition from children's home to independence: Udayan Care's Udayan Ghars (Sunshine Children's Homes) & aftercare programme
title_short Addressing challenges of transition from children's home to independence: Udayan Care's Udayan Ghars (Sunshine Children's Homes) & aftercare programme
title_sort addressing challenges of transition from children s home to independence udayan care s udayan ghars sunshine children s homes aftercare programme
topic institutionalised children
orphaned and vulnerable children
trauma-based understanding
research
instutitionalised care
work_keys_str_mv AT kiranmodi addressingchallengesoftransitionfromchildrenshometoindependenceudayancaresudayangharssunshinechildrenshomesaftercareprogramme
AT monishanayarakhtar addressingchallengesoftransitionfromchildrenshometoindependenceudayancaresudayangharssunshinechildrenshomesaftercareprogramme
AT sumedhaariely addressingchallengesoftransitionfromchildrenshometoindependenceudayancaresudayangharssunshinechildrenshomesaftercareprogramme
AT deepakgupta addressingchallengesoftransitionfromchildrenshometoindependenceudayancaresudayangharssunshinechildrenshomesaftercareprogramme