India’s child welfare ecosystem has made significant strides over the years, yet the transition of youth aging out of institutional care remains a critical challenge. With limited support systems, many care leavers struggle to secure stable livelihoods and independent futures.
Catalysts for Social Action (CSA) has been at the forefront of child welfare for over two decades, working to ensure that vulnerable children receive the care and support they need to thrive. Co-founded by Shibani Dasgupta Jain, Vipul Jain, and Bharati Dasgupta, CSA initially focused on adoption but expanded its scope to include institutional childcare and aftercare programs for young adults aging out of childcare institutions.
Today, CSA’s Aftercare Program is the largest of its kind in India, supporting over 2,500 care leavers in their transition to self-reliance. The program focuses on career awareness, upskilling, employment, and alumni engagement, ensuring long-term stability and success for these young adults. CSA also actively engages in advocacy, training, and advisory efforts to strengthen child protection systems nationwide.
In this comprehensive discussion with TheCSRUniverse, Vipul Jain, Co-Founder of Catalysts for Social Action, shares insights on the organization’s journey, its evolving initiatives, and the challenges of ensuring effective aftercare support.
Full interview below:
Q. Catalysts for Social Action (CSA) has been active for the past 20 years - what was the vision behind establishing this organisation, and how has it evolved over the years?
A. CSA was founded by Shibani Dasgupta Jain, myself and Bharati Dasgupta. The organisation was born from a personal and happy experience when me and Shibani adopted our two children. The experience was life changing for us and our family. The realisation that adoption was such a wonderful form of alternative parenting, and the fact that the number of adoptions in the country were so abysmal, led to the belief that something had to be done to connect more people to this form of parenting.
The initial years were focussed on Adoption - a journey that took CSA from urban India to the rural areas; we connected children in rural adoption agencies to urban parents. Each year, 35-40 children found homes through us. As we progressed, we found that several children remained unadopted. At times, on completion of six years of age, they were moved into Childcare Homes. Those homes for CSA became the next destination. There were scores of children, some with parental care but many without, who lived and were brought up in those homes. These children needed our support to get the nurturing love and care usually associated with families.
Our next life stage was that of Aftercare - that is with children who age-out of institutional care upon turning 18. To make these young adults self-reliant and contributing citizens became an added mission in 2017. Since then, CSA has worked with 2500+ young adults under the Aftercare and Livelihood program.
Alongside, it became important to study and research areas where more work is needed - alternative care, family-based care, training of institutions in better child-care practices and provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection) Act. This need led to the creation of our Advocacy and Training and Advisory vertical in 2022.
Each of our verticals are rooted in:
Our Vision: To build a nation where every vulnerable child is nurtured to become a happy and contributing member of the society.
Our Mission: To build capabilities of the child care and protection systems to ensure vulnerable children are provided with appropriate care and support and are guided towards their full potential.
Q. Your aftercare program is among the largest in India. Could you elaborate on the key components of this program, including the kind of support provided to care leavers?
A. CSA’s Aftercare Program is the largest in the country today, supporting more than 2,500 young adults. The vision behind our Aftercare Program is that all youth transitioning out of care (called ‘care leavers’ or CLs), whether from institutional settings or family-based alternative care, should have access to effective support and guidance, empowering them to build dignified, self-reliant lives.
Our Aftercare Program is designed to be effective, scalable, and cost-efficient. At the core of the program is a theory of change that envisions CLs achieving sustained career success and self-reliance after completing the program’s key stages—career awareness, upskilling, placement, and alumni engagement—and maintaining steady employment for two years.
The program is scalable-touch, i.e. it aims to provide a high level of support, over a bounded yet sufficiently long period, to a significantly large number of CLs, to ensure that they successfully reintegrate into mainstream society. We actively mentor and support CLs at each critical step of their journey gradually tapering off the support as they connect with other peer networks.
There are four stages in the journey of a CL in the CSA Aftercare Program:
- Enrolment consists of the activities and engagement with CLs prior to their joining the program. This is the stage to build mutual alignment, provide career awareness and counselling, conduct career assessment testing, prepare Individual Aftercare Plan (IAP) and have it signed-off by both CSA and the CL. Another important step done in parallel is the preparation of identity documents, since many of these children may not have the documentation required to enrol into courses and receive any government schemes. The enrolment phase is time consuming and effort intensive, typically taking 3-4 months.
- Upskilling (includes higher education and skill training) is when we ensure they are pursuing a course of their choice and aptitude, and support them with other essential resources; both to meet their daily requirements and to ensure they remain motivated. CLs with strong academic potential are encouraged to pursue job-oriented higher education courses, while others seeking skilled employment are enrolled in job-oriented vocational training programs. Course duration depends on the program chosen by the CL, and includes short-term programs (up to one year), long-term courses (one to two years) and diploma or higher education programs lasting three years or more. This personalised approach ensures that each CL receives the job-oriented training and education needed to achieve their career goals and secure meaningful employment.
CLs dropping out of courses after enrolment due to lack of interest or focus is a known challenge in livelihood programs. Due to the painstaking efforts we put at the enrollment stage and on-going mentoring and guidance, we have been able to ensure that 97% of the CLs enrolled complete their skilling program.
Our emphasis is on early employability. By acquiring skills and entering the workforce quickly, CLs gain a critical boost in confidence. This early success not only empowers them in the short term but also lays a strong foundation for sustained personal and professional growth.
- Employment is when we facilitate sustained employment post upskilling. Simultaneously, CLs are encouraged to continue education and keep upskilling, which helps them upgrade their employability and career opportunities.
- Alumni: By this stage the CLs are in a position to become support systems for each other, motivate each other to do better in their careers and develop a sense of belonging that they have missed growing up.
At the conclusion of the two-year follow-up period after their first job placement, a final review is conducted to evaluate the CL’s progress, marking their official "Graduation" from the program. This milestone aligns with our Theory of Change, which emphasises that two-years of stable employment can create a lifelong, sustainable impact. In our experience until now, 94% of the CLs who secured employment after completing our program remain employed after two years.
However, graduation doesn’t signify the end of their journey with CSA. Graduates transition seamlessly into our Alumni Program, which offers continuous support, resources, and access to a dynamic community. The Alumni Program, launched three years ago, has proven to be a powerful platform for fostering both social and professional peer support. Currently, we have 15 alumni clusters with over 1,200 members across four states
The Cornerstones of our Aftercare Program: From a programmatic perspective, our cornerstones are:
- Mentoring/ Guidance: This is the secret sauce of our effectiveness as measured by low dropout rates (approx. 3%) and high sustained employment rates. It is delivered by the Program Officer (PO) appointed by CSA and supplemented by the senior team and experts.
- Employability: This covers the entire gamut of services from admission to upskilling/ higher education, followed by job readiness, employment and on-going career progression.
- Independent Living Skills: This is about building the life skills that make CLs sustainably self-reliant.
- Social and Professional Networks: These motivate, sustain and support the CLs in their lifelong journey.
These components are introduced at appropriate stages of a CL’s journey, tapering as CLs progress towards self-reliance. Together these four cornerstones provide a holistic, 360 degree program of support and empowerment to the CLs.
Q. What are the biggest challenges in ensuring effective aftercare support for care leavers, and how do you navigate them?
A. Over the years, we have encountered several challenges in operationalising the aftercare program. These challenges have driven us to implement corrective measures and introduce new elements to enhance the program.
Relocation Barriers for Training Access
- Challenge: Many CLs from rural areas are reluctant to relocate to district headquarters or cities for training.
- Solution: We have built partnerships with local training providers to reduce the need for relocation. In addition, regular counselling and mentoring support are provided to help CLs navigate the transition.
Family/ Guardian Resistance to Relocation for Training or Employment
- Challenge: Some families have concerns or restrictive beliefs that hinder CLs from relocating for training or job opportunities.
- Solution: Individual counselling sessions are held to educate families and stakeholders about the benefits of skill training and employment. We also engage local authorities, such as CWCs and DCPUs, to help address family concerns and facilitate informed decisions.
Disengagement from Career Paths
- Challenge: Personal challenges, peer pressure, or adjustment issues can cause CLs to lose focus on their chosen career paths.
- Solution: Dedicated mentors are assigned to each CL to provide ongoing guidance and emotional support. Regular check-ins and counselling help CLs stay committed to their goals while managing personal challenges.
Skill Relevance Amid Technological Advancements
- Challenge: The rapid pace of technological change can render certain skills outdated, affecting the employability of CLs.
- Solution: We continuously update training content to focus on current industry needs and emerging fields. Through our alumni program, CLs also have access to ongoing skill-building resources to stay competitive.
Risk of Course Dropouts
- Challenge: Distractions and peer pressure may lead some CLs to drop out of their training programs.
- Solution: To minimise dropout rates, we implement the following strategies:
Managing Placement Requirements
- Challenge: Increasing demand for diverse placement opportunities poses challenges in meeting the specific needs of CLs.
Solution: We partner with well-established training institutes after conducting thorough due diligence to ensure quality, accreditation, and placement opportunities. For those not placed through these institutes, we collaborate with placement agencies to secure employment for CLs.
- Lack of Comprehensive Data on CLs seeking support across Districts
- Challenge: The lack of a centralised data system for tracking CLs across districts limits our ability to provide timely support.
- Solution: We are enhancing data collection systems in collaboration with local government bodies and NGO partners. A centralised database to track and analyse CLs’ needs across districts, will enable more targeted and effective interventions.
Q. CSA incorporates technology into its aftercare program. How has this improved outreach, impact measurement, and service delivery?
A. CSA has deployed an ERP system to systematically capture both qualitative and quantitative data on care leavers' journeys. This data is accessible to our entire team, enabling easy analysis for reports and informed decision-making. This structured approach allows us to review and enhance our programs over time. Given the sensitive nature of the information we handle, we also prioritise data privacy to ensure the protection of care leavers' personal details.
In addition to in-person training and mentoring, we have introduced online training programs, including financial literacy, conversational English, and counseling services. This blended approach not only enhances accessibility but also allows us to scale our services efficiently and cost-effectively, ensuring smooth and widespread service delivery. Each of these inputs to care leavers is captured on the system, ensuring we are able to track their progress and ensure they get any other inputs required in a timely manner.
Q. Collaborations are integral to successful social endeavours. Which collaborations or partnerships have helped you the most in advancing your mission?
A. We believe that all our partners are valuable and play a vital role in advancing our mission. These include:
- Government Officials – We work closely with the WCD (Women & Child Development) departments across all states. The support provided by the CWC (Child Welfare Committee) and DCPU (District Child Protection Unit) is crucial in reaching the maximum number of care leavers.
- Childcare Institutions, Aftercare Homes, and Hostels – Partnering with Aftercare Homes and Hostels provides safe accommodation for care leavers, which is particularly important for young women. We currently collaborate with more than 300 institutions and hostels across 5 states.
- Skilling Institutions – These institutions play a pivotal role in equipping care leavers with vocational training and market-ready skills, fostering their economic independence.
- Specialised Service Providers – Our conversational English module, career counselling tool, financial literacy sessions, mental wellness programs, and adolescent health programs are developed in partnership with specialised service providers and/or delivered by our partners.
- Recruiters and Employers – CSA has established partnerships with recruitment agencies and employers across multiple locations, with a focus on high-demand sectors such as hospitality, beauty and wellness, IT services, and technical trades.
- Donor Partners – Our strong support system consists of 20+ funders, who are the backbone of our program and enable us to focus on creating impact.
Q. We would like you to share the story of a care leaver who you feel truly demonstrates the impact of CSA’s aftercare program.
A. Priyanka, 24 Yrs. (Name Changed)
Priyanka, a 24-year-old from Odisha, experienced a difficult childhood following the untimely death of her father. With limited support, she was taken to Mumbai by distant relatives and placed in a Childcare Institution (CCI). The move was particularly challenging for her, as she had to adapt to Mumbai’s unfamiliar cultural environment and language barriers. Despite these initial hardships, Priyanka’s determination and studious nature helped her persevere. She continued her education while staying at the CCI and achieved impressive academic results.
As Priyanka approached the end of her 12th grade, anxiety about her future began to set in. Aware that she would have to leave the CCI upon turning 18, she worried about what lay ahead. Fortunately, after aging out of the institution, she transitioned to a Girl’s Group Home, which provided her with the opportunity to pursue higher education and continue her journey toward independence.
Although she successfully completed her graduation, Priyanka faced uncertainty when it came to choosing a career path. Having grown up in a CCI, she felt a strong desire to work with children and contribute positively to society. However, she lacked a clear understanding of how to turn this aspiration into a viable career. It was during this period of indecision that she connected with the CSA staff at a career awareness session. Multiple counseling sessions and a career assessment test helped Priyanka explore various career options and realize her potential in the development sector.
An individual aftercare plan was developed for Priyanka, tailored to her interests and abilities. As part of this plan, she was enrolled in a two-year Master of Social Work (MSW) program at a prestigious institute in Mumbai. CSA supported her with the course fees and provided her with an aftercare kit to help her settle into her new phase of life. Despite the progress, Priyanka continued to face challenges, particularly with communicating in English. To address this, CSA arranged for her to attend a spoken English course, which significantly boosted her language skills and proved invaluable during her internship and job placements.
Throughout her MSW program, Priyanka gained practical experience through internships with the OYA Foundation and CSA, which further solidified her passion for the development sector. In addition to academic and practical training, CSA provided her with access to an emotional wellness platform and job readiness training. These resources equipped Priyanka with the skills and confidence needed to plan her career path effectively. Today, Priyanka is working as a program associate at CSA, earning a monthly salary of Rs. 21,000. Her journey from a challenging childhood to a fulfilling career in social work is a testament to her resilience, dedication, and the transformative power of support and guidance.
Q. Please tell us a little about your recently concluded conference ‘Ahvaan’- what were the objectives around which this event was planned, and what were the main outcomes?
A. The Ahvaan conference was organised with the objectives to share best practices, tackle pressing challenges, explore bold and innovative approaches, and commit to ensuring that Aftercare services are accessible to every Care Leaver across the country.
The idea was to speak about the collaborative efforts of four leading NGOs – Catalysts for Social Action (CSA), A Future for Every Child (AFEC), Udayan Care, and Sevalaya – brought together under a shared theory of change to bridge the Aftercare gap. Over the past six years, the efforts of these organisations has ensured support to more than 3,200 Care Leavers across ten states. By leveraging comprehensive data on youth outcomes, this has laid a strong foundation for systemic change.
Ahvaan was a significant milestone, successfully bringing together key stakeholders in the aftercare space—NGOs, government representatives, care leavers, and other partners—for the first time. It facilitated vital discussions on what constitutes an effective aftercare program and highlighted the importance of collaboration in addressing the challenges faced by care leavers. The voices of care leavers took center stage, shedding light on their struggles, challenges, and aspirations, which helped in identifying critical gaps in the existing support system. Additionally, government officials and NGOs recognised key areas where increased investment and policy improvements are needed to ensure smoother transitions for care leavers into independent living. Overall, the conference reinforced the importance of a collective and sustained effort in building a stronger aftercare ecosystem in India.
Q. Were there any specific insights that emerged from the deliberations at Ahvaan that could be incorporated into your strategies or initiatives in the near future?
A. The deliberations at Ahvaan provided valuable insights that we aim to incorporate into our strategies and initiatives. A strong emphasis was placed on the need for greater collaboration among stakeholders to build a more integrated and collective approach to aftercare services. Similarly, there is a need for a centrally managed data repository of care leavers, initiated by each state and accessible to stakeholders in the aftercare sector. This will help us identify the needs of care leavers across different regions and provide aftercare services more efficiently. We recognize the importance of leveraging data to track outcomes, measure impact, and refine our interventions for better support of CLs. Advocacy emerged as a crucial area, highlighting the need to drive policy changes and raise awareness to strengthen the aftercare ecosystem. Additionally, fostering cross-learning between stakeholders was identified as a key strategy to enhance service delivery, encouraging knowledge-sharing, best practice exchanges, and collaborative discussions. These insights will play a significant role in shaping our future efforts to create a more robust and effective aftercare support system.
Q. Given your extensive work in aftercare, are there any policy-level suggestions/changes that you feel could strengthen aftercare services in India?
A. Yes, based on our extensive work in aftercare, we believe several policy-level changes could significantly strengthen aftercare services in India.
First, streamlining data systems is crucial to effectively track CL progress, assess program impact, and improve service delivery. A centralised, real-time database accessible to all stakeholders would enhance coordination and accountability.
Second, greater integration of government schemes is needed to ensure CLs can seamlessly access benefits under Mission Vatsalya and other welfare programs. A more structured approach to disseminating information and facilitating enrollment would be highly beneficial.
Third, simplifying the process for obtaining identity documents is essential, as many CLs struggle to access basic entitlements due to missing documentation. A policy that ensures institutional support in acquiring Aadhaar cards, PAN cards, and other necessary documents before children exit CCIs would be a game changer.
Lastly, state-specific convergence of aftercare initiatives would allow for better implementation of programs tailored to regional needs. Standardized guidelines, coupled with the flexibility to adapt to state-level resources, would ensure more effective service delivery for CLs across India.
By addressing these areas, aftercare services can become more structured, accessible, and impactful for young people transitioning out of institutional care.
Q. How do you plan to scale your aftercare program in the coming years? Are there any new initiatives, partnerships or innovations you have in mind for the near future?
A. Our vision extends beyond our current capabilities—we aim to share our experiences and knowledge about aftercare services with relevant stakeholders who are working with care leavers across the country. As part of our expansion plans, we intend to extend our services to a new geographical region, Chhattisgarh, allowing us to support more care leavers in their transition to independent living. Additionally, we are exploring a pilot initiative to provide support to youth from CNCP (Children in Need of Care and Protection) under sponsorship schemes, even if they have not been part of institutional care. This step will help us broaden our impact and ensure that more vulnerable young individuals receive the necessary guidance and resources for a stable future.
Our long-term vision is to expand our effective model with a scalable approach across all states, ensuring that no care leaver is left behind. Achieving this scale will require substantial support from donors, funding agencies, and CSR partners.
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