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One of the first things that Michael did when he was given his own council flat at the age of 16 was to sell his fridge and cooker in return for some desperately needed cash.

It made perfect sense to him at the time, and he thought that he would be able to replace the appliances cheaply. But the money ran out much faster than he could have imagined, leaving him broke and hungry.

Michael had been in local authority care since the age of six, first in a children’s home, where he was abused, and then through a long string of placements in more care homes and other institutional settings. As a teenager, he was placed with a loving foster family. But that placement broke down when he became the target of local gangs and he found himself moving again from children’s homes to dilapidated bed-and-breakfast accommodation and finally, at 16, his own flat.

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At that age, many well-educated children with supportive parents would be incapable of looking after themselves. Michael, who left school without a single qualification and scarcely able to read, did not stand a chance. But thanks to the help of Jeff Kaye, a volunteer with the children’s charity Action for Children, Michael found that he was not totally alone.

Mr Kaye, a university lecturer and writer from South London, is a volunteer with Action for Children’s independent visitor programme. He has been able to provide Michael with some of the support that most teenagers would take for granted.

Independent visitors work with young people who have been in tough situations and lead challenging and chaotic lives. Most have been in care for long periods. They usually need a reliable adult to befriend them and act as a role model – someone they can get to know and trust over a long period of time. Experience has shown that this relationship can be the turning point in a young person’s life.

Mr Kaye’s official role as Michael’s independent visitor is to maintain fortnightly or monthly contact with him, provide emotional and practical support where appropriate and complete evaluation forms for each visit to him. In reality, he does much more.

He says: “There are times when I’m on the phone with Michael every day because he is finding life so difficult. He can get pretty low. He has talked of killing himself and I believe that, on those occasions, my being there for him has made a huge difference. He can get very angry and aggressive and sometimes just having someone to talk to can help calm him down and keep him out of trouble.

“I’ve been his independent visitor for five years now and can tell immediately when something is wrong and how serious it is likely to be. When things have been going well, when he has managed to land a job or attend a training course, I get to share in those too. Michael turned 21 this week and is, officially, no longer the local authority’s responsibility. But I will still be there for him.”

The role of the independent visitor is not to replace the social worker but to act more like a friend. In reality the dividing line is not so clear, and Mr Kaye has found himself helping Michael with the formalities of enrolling in training courses and sorting out medical treatment.

Mr Kaye spent some of his own teenage years in foster care and understands how young people can feel let down by the care system. “Sometimes dealing with social services and official-dom can be like hitting your head against a brick wall. But I have three children of my own and I want to make sure that Michael gets the same chances as them. He’s a really good kid and he doesn’t deserve the cards he has been dealt in life.”

For Michael, there is no doubt that Mr Kaye has been a rock. “He’s the only person who has always been there for me. I know that, whatever I do, he will not judge me,” he said.

Because many of the young people Action for Children works with are boys, the charity is particularly keen for men to volunteer visitors but many are deterred from voluntary work with children because they fear others may suspect their motives.

Action for Children is one of three charities supported by this year’s Times Christmas Charity Appeal. With your help they can help to support more young people like Michael.

Each donation to Action for Children from Times readers will be matched by Barclays.

Do you think you could mentor a vulnerable young person? To find out more about mentoring opportunities with Action for Children, please visit www.actionforchildren.org.uk.