Legal
Many care leavers leave orphanages without birth certificates.
Legal
Law and Order
Although not the most obvious part of our work, in 2022 we have continued to provide significant legal support to care leavers. Many leave orphanages without birth certificates or other essential paperwork and court applications are required to produce ‘probable’ birth certificates. Others remain subject to court orders, often made without their knowledge, which have put them in the nominal care of siblings or other adults. These orders require a court hearing before they can be discharged.
Some care leavers find themselves caught up in historic criminal complaints arising out of their time in children’s homes. Too often they find themselves to be easy targets for law enforcement agencies and miscarriages of justice are common. Brighter Path provides legal support to young care leavers to ensure that they have access to proper legal advice during these investigations, something which is vitally important but rarely available through the state.
Further Reading

Art Therapy
Of the many care leavers Brighter Path works with, some carry huge trauma from childhood (sometimes from before they went into orphanages, for others arising from their time in orphanages.). …

Darshan’s Story
Darshan’s earliest memory is of sitting by the side of the road, laughing and giggling with the woman he still regards as his mother. He had been abandoned as a small …

Trip to Galle Face
Sunday afternoon outings are an important part of family life for many of us. Our care leavers are no different. Many come from remoter parts of Sri Lanka. For these …


