Robert Mark Glover

Robert Glover is founder and executive director of the UK children's charity Care for Children.^[1] Glover also works as an advisor to the Chinese government on social welfare for disadvantaged children.^[2]

Early life

Glover grew up not knowing his father, and was raised by his mother, grandmother and two sisters in Norfolk, England.^[3] He played for Norwich City football club in his youth, and later played football for Portsmouth F.C.,^[4] but stopped following an injury.^[3]

Career

After joining the Royal Navy, Glover went on to work for the Norfolk County Council and eventually got a degree^[where?] in social work. On a trip to Shanghai with a friend, Glover was appointed by the director of Shanghai's Civil Affairs Bureau, to work with them as senior consultant in developing their child welfare system to include foster care.^[5] The charity Care for Children was registered in the UK, and Glover signed an agreement to start in 1998.^[5]

Accompanied by his wife and six children, Glover moved to Shanghai to work moving orphans and vulnerable children from institutional care into foster family care.^[6][7][8] 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.^[3][5] 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.^[9]

Following a successful pilot project, the Shanghai government awarded Glover the White Magnolia Award for outstanding services to the city.^[2][1] In 2005, he was awarded an OBE in Queen Elizabeth II's 2005 New Year Honours.^[2][1][10]