Job Description

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

Position:

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The Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor will play an integral role in the global advocacy team of Lumos and will contribute to the successful implementation of Lumos' global advocacy strategy, in line with Lumos' 2024-2027 overarching strategy. Reporting to the Head of Programmes, the postholder will work within the global advocacy team and with other colleagues across Programmes and the wider organisation. The Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor will lead on the implementation of targeted advocacy initiatives to address the drivers of family separation, linking care reform to other interconnected sectors such as violence against children, education, and disability. They will develop and cultivate global and regional partnerships to influence international policy, practice and funding, advocating for the redirection of resources away from institutions towards prevention, family strengthening and care reform. The postholder will successfully implement priority initiatives, often working in partnership on policy documents, submissions to consultations, briefings, (co)convening of task forces, inter alia. They will work closely with the Head of Participation of People with Lived Experience (PPLE) to identify and maximise opportunities for children and young people and their families and caregivers to participate meaningfully in advocacy initiatives at regional and global levels to inform policy and programming. The Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor will also work closely with colleagues across the organisation on the development of project proposals, communications, and donor reporting, as appropriate.

Requirements:

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Job Specification:

Contribute to the successful implementation of Lumos' global advocacy strategy in line with Lumos' 2024-2027 overarching strategy. Develop and implement priority advocacy initiatives to influence governments, non-governmental organisations, individuals, donors and other key stakeholders to support Lumos' mission. Actively contribute to and/or lead on the implementation of advocacy initiatives that mainstream care reform in related sectors (with an emphasis on violence against children, disability and education) to advance global, regional and national initiatives aimed at fulfilling children's rights. Collaborate with sector allies and partners in related fields as well as within multi-stakeholder initiatives to maximise strategic alliances and partnerships to advocate for change and influence policy and programming. This may include (co-)convening working groups and task forces, negotiating joint policy positions and working collaboratively on initiatives. Participate in global, regional, and thematic networks and alliances in the care sector and related fields to promote holistic care reform and influence technical and programmatic agendas. Write effective policy documents, briefings, submissions to consultations and other materials, targeted to a range of audiences including governments, the public, decision makers and children and young people. Project manage international advocacy events involving multiple key stakeholders, including liaising with high-level host organisations and stakeholders and developing and managing project budgets. Work with the PPLE team to ensure children and young people meaningfully and safely participate in Lumos advocacy and campaigning activities. Scope and assess global developments in care reform and responses to different drivers of institutionalisation, in collaboration with other colleagues in the programmes group to ensure that Lumos can inform, and be informed by, innovative care reform programmes. Collaborate with regional and national advocacy colleagues within Lumos to develop effective influencing strategies and policy papers and to engage with policy processes. Contribute to development, monitoring, evaluation and learning in relation to advocacy, in accordance with the organisational results framework. Work closely with fundraising colleagues to co-develop donor proposals, secure funding for global advocacy and ensure comprehensive and timely reporting. Work closely with communication colleagues to translate our programmatic work into compelling comms and marketing materials, ensuring effective public dissemination of advocacy messaging. Specific responsibilities will be listed in a workplan which is agreed upon between the Head of Programmes and the postholder.

Safeguarding

Lumos is committed to ensuring the safety and protection of children, adults at risk and the wider communities in which we work. All staff and associates must:

Carry out all duties with an awareness and understanding of the Safeguarding requirements within the area of responsibility Ensure work complies with all safeguarding policies and procedures Ensure the that their behaviours and actions support the safeguarding of children, adults at risk and others and are in line with Lumos policies relating to conduct.

Additionally, the Senior Policy and Advocacy Advisor is expected to:

Ensure the required standards relating to safeguarding best practices/protocols are effectively communicated, monitored and maintained within the area of responsibility Lead by example in respect to ensuring safeguarding principles and practices are appropriately applied Identify and escalate any gaps or improvements necessary for effective safeguarding in conjunction with the Senior Safeguarding Manager and Designated Safeguarding Lead for the area of responsibility.

Other information:

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SAFEGUARDING STATEMENT

Lumos recognises that the rights of safety and security are aligned with its core mission of ending institutionalisation. Effective and robust safeguarding sit at the heart of our mission and values, and accordingly, Lumos is committed to ensuring the safety and protection of children and adults at risk in all of its work. We expect all staff, associates and volunteers to share this commitment. Lumos has a zero-tolerance approach towards all forms of bullying, harassment, sexual exploitation and abuse or any other form of maltreatment, whether towards children, adults at risk, colleagues or anyone else. Lumos has comprehensive safeguarding and PSEA policies, including expectations for behaviour and conduct that must be followed at all times. Staff and associates will be required to sign the safeguarding policy and Lumos code of conduct, complete a self-declaration and will be provided with a comprehensive safeguarding induction of Lumos safeguarding policies and how to implement them in our work.


Lumos is a member of The Misconduct Disclosure Scheme and will carefully screen all applicants. Offers of employment are subject to checks and suitable references.

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.

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