Lumos

Who we are

Lumos is an international children’s charity founded in 2005 by the author J.K. Rowling to end the harmful practice of institutionalisation of children. Lumos’s mission is to fight for every child’s right to a family by transforming care systems around the world.  Our vision is for all children to grow up in safe and loving families. 

Despite clear evidence of the harms of institutionalisation, an estimated 5.4 million children worldwide continue to live in institutions. Separated from their families and communities, these children are deprived of the love, attention and opportunities they need to thrive. Our three-pronged approach is to prevent family separation, to protect children and to promote care reform. We’ve made important progress in closing harmful institutions and reuniting children with their families. And where children are unable to live with their birth families, we promote alternative family-based care, such as kinship care and quality foster care.  Thanks to our tireless efforts alongside many other champions of care reform, the harms of institutionalisation are now more widely understood. A global movement is underway and the UN, the EU and some large development agencies have joined individual countries in pledging to change how they care for vulnerable children.  We are committed to ensuring that global policy commitments are translated into local action, leading to sustainable change for vulnerable children.

Find out more about our work at www.wearelumos.org

Our culture and values

OUR VALUES

Children are at the heart of everything we do. Every child needs love and care in order to flourish – and we’re proud that this is reflected in the values we hold within our organisation. We want to see all children grow up in safe and loving families. Our core values drive us forward in our vision, underpin

every aspect of our work and strategy and are critical to helping us maintain a thriving and effective organisation. By making sure every individual feels valued and empowered, we can bring about the very best outcomes for the children we serve.

• We embrace COLLABORATION
• We strive for EXCELLENCE  
• We show RESPECT
• We always CARE
• We are PASSIONATE

Equality, diversity and inclusion policy

EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION STATEMENT 

Lumos is wholly committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and against all forms of discrimination.    

We are committed to creating and sustaining a positive working environment that encourages, supports and gives a voice to all, so that we can best support the children we serve.  

We must ensure that all staff are equally valued, included, empowered and respected across the organisation and in everything we do. Lumos is fundamentally built on diverse, multi-national and multi-cultural teams.  

This is something we cherish as a key strength and an integral part of our identity. Our organisation values and celebrates the diversity, culture and experience of each member of staff, provides equality of care, and support to everyone.   

We pledge to listen carefully, to educate ourselves continually, to promote open dialogue, and to seek out and deal with discrimination and prejudice wherever it occurs in Lumos.