PREFACE PREFACE: NOTE ON THE PREPARATION OF THIS GUIDE “Children are the soul of our society. If we fail them, then we have failed as a society.”- Judge Halima Salduker in S v Presiding Officer of the Children’s Court: District of Krugersdorp 2012 (6) SA 45 (GSJ) This guide was developed to enable child protection actors (i.e., social workers, caseworkers, social service professionals, community development workers, and community actors) and community-based justice actors (e.g., community legal counsellors and paralegals) to navigate the legal framework relevant to the documentation of children in South Africa, including unaccompanied and separated migrant children. A specific focus is drawn on this category of children in recognition of the prevalence of lack of documentation amongst these children and the limited pathways to durable documentation or legal status for them in South Africa. 2|