J.K. Rowling founded Lumos to help children and young people move away from institutional care and into family-based or community-based support. She established the organization in 2005 after becoming concerned about children living in orphanages and other institutions.
The charity was originally called the Children’s High Level Group. It later adopted the name Lumos, referring to the light-producing spell in the Harry Potter books. Its work has included campaigning for changes in care systems, supporting family reunification, and promoting alternatives to institutions.
Lumos is not the same as Rowling’s Volant Charitable Trust, which supports organizations working with women and children. Nor is it a general literacy charity. Its distinctive focus is ending the institutionalization of children and improving systems that protect children separated from their families.