Lumos is the J.K. Rowling charity founded in 2005 to work toward ending the institutionalisation of children.
The organisation was originally called the Children’s High Level Group. Rowling became its president after becoming concerned about children living in institutions, particularly in Eastern Europe. It was renamed Lumos in 2010, taking its name from a light-producing spell in the Harry Potter books.
Lumos argues that children generally do better when they grow up in families or family-based care rather than large residential institutions. Its work has included research, advocacy, and support for reforms intended to replace institutional care with community and family services.
The charity’s name is a literary reference, but its work is not fictional or limited to the Harry Potter audience. The organisation has campaigned internationally on child-protection policy and has described institutionalisation as harmful to children’s development and rights.