From Care to Agency: A Practitioner Inquiry into the Transition Experiences of Care-experienced Youth in India

Each year, thousands of young people leave child care institutions (CCIs) in India upon turning 18, often without adequate preparation for independent adult life. Despite the Juvenile Justice Act, 2015, mandating aftercare support, implementation remains inconsistent, and the transition experience is poorly documented. This article draws on data generated through a structured participatory programme design process with 25 care-experienced youth across 5 Indian states, subjected here to retrospective analytical scrutiny within a participatory action research orientation and informed by Sen’s capability approach. Through problem tree analysis and structured deliberation, participants identified 11 post-care challenge areas and prioritised 6 for action: psychosocial support, pre-aftercare, medical support, protection, rights entitlement and documentation, and entrepreneurship. Root cause analysis revealed that poor transition outcomes stem from systemic failures—particularly the absence of sustained mentorship, family support networks, and rights preparation before age 18. Participants consistently identified relational rather than material support as most meaningful, pointing to a capability deficit that policy frameworks rarely address. A distinct finding was the compounded vulnerability of transgender youth and young people with disabilities. These findings directly shaped Miracle Foundation India’s four-pillar youth transition framework, spanning mentoring, life skills, peer networks, and a Youth Ambassador Programme through which care-experienced youth move from receiving support to exercising leadership. The article acknowledges limitations including selection bias and the absence of longitudinal outcome data, and calls for early systemic intervention within CCIs and future research into relational dimensions of well-being.