Robert Mark Glover

Robert Glover is founder and executive director of Care for Children. Care for Children is an organization based in the UK that works with governments to help create a positive alternative to institutional care through family-based care for disadvantaged children[1]. Glover serves as advisor to the Chinese government on social welfare for disadvantaged children [2]. Under his leadership, over one million children have been placed in loving foster care families across Asia[3].

Glover grew up not knowing his father, and was raised by his mother, grandmother and two sisters in Norfolk (East Anglia, England)[4]. Growing up, he was passionate about football, playing for Norwich City in his youth. He later played football for Portsmouth F.C.[5], but stopped following an injury[4].

After joining the Royal Navy, Glover went on to work for the Norfolk County Council and eventually got a degree in social work. On a trip to Shanghai with a friend, Glover visited the Special Olympics and was invited to lunch with some other visitors, who were behaving insensitively towards the Chinese hosts. Glover, unaware of what was going on, complimented the food and was subsequently invited to an exclusive dinner by the director of Shanghai’s Civil Affairs Bureau, who asked if he would be willing to help them[4]. After some more meetings, they asked for Glover to work with them as senior consultant in developing their child welfare system to include foster care, a request he would not refuse[6]. The charity Care for Children was registered in the UK, and Glover signed an agreement to start in 1998[6].

Accompanied by his wife and six children, Glover moved to Shanghai with the vision of moving orphans and vulnerable children from institutional care into families, where they can experience the love and attention necessary for children to develop and thrive positively[7][8][9]. The fostering project was launched with the objectives of 1) establishing a foster care program for children in the Shanghai state orphanage and 2) setting up a program of childcare training[4][6]. After a successful pilot project, the Ministry of Civil Affairs asked Glover to move to Beijing to act as advisor to the government and help roll out the foster care program[10].

To mark the immense success of the pilot project, the Shanghai government awarded Glover the White Magnolia Award for outstanding services to the city[2][1]. In 2005, he was awarded the OBE in Her Majesty the Queen’s New Year Honours list[2][1][11].

References
  1. "Focus on The Family Canada - Radio". www.focusradio.ca.
  2. "Activate. Connect. Equip". Wwoforum.
  3. "Annual report" (PDF). careforchildren.com. 2019. Retrieved 2020-08-14.
  4. "The Briton who found families for almost 1 million orphaned Chinese children". South China Morning Post. January 10, 2019.
  5. "Portsmouth FC - Squad 1976/1977". worldfootball.net.
  6. "Profile: Robert Glover, bringing fostering to China". the Guardian. August 2, 2000.
  7. "Exchanging institutions for families". www.chinadaily.com.cn.
  8. Pinheiro, Paulo Sergio (2006). World Report on Violence Against Children (PDF). Geneva: United Nations Publishing Service. p. 87. ISBN 9295057511. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  9. Mulheir, Georgette; Browne, Kevin; AGATHONOS-GEORGOPOULOU, Helen; Darabus, Stephen; Hamilton-Giachritsis, Catherine; Herczog, Maria; Keller, Hamela, Maria; Leth, Ingrid; Ostergren, Mikael; Pritchard, Cecilia; Stan, Violeta (2007). De-institutionalising and transforming children's services: A guide to good practice (PDF). Birmingham: University of Birmingham. p. 24-25. ISBN 0704426269. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  10. "Dr Robert Glover". The Justice Conference Asia.
  11. "New Year Honours--United Kingdom", The London Gazette of Thursday 30 December 2004 Supplement No. 1; accessed 14 August 2020.
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