Who We Are : Children's High Level Group

The Children's High Level Group (CHLG) was founded in 2005 by the author JK Rowling and MEP Baroness Emma Nicholson of Winterbourne to help the 1 million children across Europe still living in large residential institutions.

Contrary to popular belief, only 4% of these children are orphans, and they are in care because their families are poor, disabled or from ethnic minorities. Many of these children have disabilities and handicaps, but often remain without any health or educational interventions. In some cases they do not receive basic services such as adequate food. Almost always they are without human or emotional contact and stimulation.

Such institutionalised services damage their health, limit their development and reduce their chances in life.

A recent study found that adults who had grown up in institutions were:

10 times more likely than the general population to be trafficked abroad for the purposes of sexual exploitation;
30 times more likely to become an alcoholic;
45 times more likely to be unemployed or in insecure employment;
more than 100 times more likely to have a criminal record; and
500 times more likely to kill themselves

These children require health, educational and social assessment and interventions if they are to have any chance of normal health and development, and decent life chances.

CHLG is working to give them a better chance in life through political lobbying; education activities; outreach work in institutions and practical support projects on the ground; and a dedicated telephone and email helpline.

CHLG began work in Romania and, having brought about change there we began work in Moldova, Georgia, Armenia and most recently the Czech Republic. We have a unique character among NGOs in this field as our top level political commitment is aligned with direct work with children, in order to improve all aspects of their lives.

What we do

Our campaigning

We work closely with governments and officials on wider policy issues such as de-institutionalisation and child welfare. By working with the highest ranking officials and decision makers within the countries we have targeted, we have been able to bring about real and lasting change.

In Romania alone we are already seeing improvements. Around 22,000 Romanian children have been returned to family-based care in the past four years, with over half of this number returning to their parents or relatives.

A change in the law in Romania means it is now not possible to institutionalise children under two years old.

There is still a great deal of work to be done, but the changes that have already taken place, in a relatively short space of time, gives us hope for the future and provides inspiration for other European countries where the maltreatment of children is still taking place.

Our work with children

Through a practical, on-the-ground programme of educational initiatives and support services across countries in Eastern Europe, CHLG is reaching out and giving a voice to around a quarter of a million young people each year.

Our education programme, Community Action, aims to break down social prejudices and help children in care feel part of their community by pairing young people from mainstream schools with special needs children from institutions. This is a life-changing experience for all of the children involved. In one school for the deaf, all of the children were completely silent, they only communicated through signing, not shouting or movement. Through Community Action, each child was matched with a hearing child and at the end of the programme they were all visibly different, singing and dancing to music for the first time in their lives.

Our Green Line confidential helpline and email support service for children who are at risk, receives thousands of enquiries each month from children in need of advice and support.

Our Edelweiss project identifies talented children from institutions, enabling them to express themselves through creative projects while the SPUNE! movement of young child advocates gives institutionalised children a voice.

For more information about any of these initiatives click here