Care leaver representatives from the SAYes Almuni took part in the first ever closed session with children and young people in the South African Parliament last month. Their submission was to amend the Children’s Act in favour of better support for care leavers.

They stood in the halls of power and boldly demanded “an explicit legal and policy mandate for individualised, extended care leaver support”. Inspired by their experience with SAYes mentors, and by legislation in the UK affording care leavers dedicated Personal Advisors until the age of 25, they proposed extending access to formal mentoring to young people in care and to care leavers throughout South Africa.