By their very own nature, Child and Youth Care Centres provides alternative care and support for children in need of care. The Children’s Act No 38 of 2005, Section 176 makes provision for children to remain in alternative care beyond the age of 18 years:
Section 176(1) of the Act makes provision for a child placed in alternative care after reaching 18 years to remain in that care until the end of the year in which that person reaches the age of 18 years.
Subsection (2) of the Act makes provision for the Provincial Head of Social development to allow a young person who has reached the age of 18 years to remain in alternative care until the end of the year in which he or she reaches the age of 21 years if:
Section 191(3) (e) makes provision for the programme to assist a person with the transition when leaving a child and youth care centre after reaching the age of 18. In compliance with this section, the department has developed guidelines for independent living programmes for children placed in alternative care. The Department is providing an ongoing training on the said guidelines and has trained 250 Social Service Practitioners in Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, Northern Cape, Free State and Mpumalanga.
It is also important to highlight that each child is assisted to develop a Personal Development Plan which outlines future plans for children as they transition into adulthood and independent living.