Every year in India, thousands of young people leave orphanages and childcare institutions the moment they turn 18. For many such ‘care leavers’, adulthood arrives abruptly – without family support, stable housing, financial security or emotional safety nets. What follows is often homelessness, unemployment, interrupted education and deep isolation. Despite aftercare schemes existing under India’s Juvenile Justice Act, implementation remains fragmented and inconsistent across states.
CareLeavers Inner Circle (CLiC) Forum is working to change this reality, not as outside experts, but as care leavers themselves who have lived through and experienced the system themselves.
A Peer-Led Ecosystem for Transition and Support
Founded by care leavers, CLiC is a youth-led organization building one of India’s first structured aftercare ecosystems for young adults transitioning out of institutional care. Through its SPACE framework – System for Promoting Aftercare Engagement – the organization supports children before and after they leave childcare institutions, helping them navigate adulthood with dignity and support.
Its work begins early. Through its Launchpad program, CLiC works inside childcare institutions with adolescents aged 16-18, helping them prepare for life beyond institutional child care. It supports them through transition planning, legal documentation support like Aadhar Card, PAN card and bank accounts, as well as with life skills and career guidance. Once these careleavers leave institutions, CLiC continues supporting them through housing assistance, emergency fund, mental health referrals, skilling programs and job placements.
What makes CLiC especially distinctive is its peer-led model. The organisation builds ‘captains’ who handle district challenges and build their district network of careleavers strong through mentor support – creating trust-based, community-led systems that traditional welfare structures often struggle to build.
Measurable Impact and Real Success Stories
Its impact has rapidly grown across states. Since its inception, CLiC has tracked over 3,000 care leavers through its technology-enabled portal and helpline, managed more than 24,000 support calls, facilitated over 500 identity documents and helped hundreds of young people access skilling opportunities, counselling and employment support. Its policy advocacy efforts have also influenced aftercare conversations nationally, including recommendations submitted to the Ministry of Women & Child Development.
One such young person is Bharat from Jaipur, who struggled with uncertainty and unemployment after ageing out of institutional care. Through CLiC’s mentoring and career support, he pursued chef training and eventually secured employment at a five-star hotel in Jaipur – rebuilding not just financial stability, but confidence and independence.
Advocating for Long-Term Systemic Change
Today, CLiC is emerging as one of India’s strongest careleaver voices advocating for long-term, dignity-led aftercare systems. As the organization prepares for SVP India Fast Pitch 2026, its story raises an urgent national question: what responsibility does society hold toward children once institutional care ends – and what would it take to ensure no young person ages out into abandonment?
The Logical Indian’s Perspective
The transition from institutional care to independent adulthood remains one of the most overlooked vulnerabilities in India’s child welfare system. Turning 18 should be a celebrated milestone, yet for thousands of care leavers, it marks a sudden drop off an emotional and financial cliff. The power of CLiC lies in its shift from traditional top-down charity to lived-experience leadership. When young adults who survived these systemic gaps step up as mentors, they build empathetic, trust-based safety nets that rigid bureaucratic structures often fail to provide.
A nation’s collective responsibility toward vulnerable children cannot simply expire when an individual reaches an arbitrary legal age. Supporting youth-led initiatives like CLiC ensures no care leaver is forced to navigate the daunting complexities of adulthood alone or without hope.
How can communities, businesses, and everyday citizens step up to ensure that no young person aging out of institutional care is left to face adulthood alone?
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