The strategy must connect us to the past and point the way to creating value for children in the future

What is strategy work for you? ‍

Red Barnet is a purpose driven organization. This means that we are always working towards the great goal — to ensure children in Denmark and the rest of the world their right to a safe and good childhood.

We have a long and proud history that goes back to our founder, Eglantyne Jebb, who, in addition to launching major humanitarian relief operations in the aftermath of World War I, also formulated the world's first Declaration of the Rights of the Child and laid the foundation stone for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Over time, as the world evolves, our strategies have set different concrete goals for what we should and how we should work, but what they all have in common is that they translate our historical DNA.

At the same time, it is an absolutely crucial part of strategy work to constantly communicate and translate the overall strategy into everyday life. A strategy cannot be used for anything if it is merely a drawer document. Strategy work is a constant task and an ongoing process that at the same time unites the past, future and daily work.

'We can use the strategy as a filter for the decisions we constantly make in everyday life. '

In Red Barnet, an important prerequisite for strategy work is that the great purpose precedes our own organization. This means that it is not an end in itself for Red Barnet to grow organizationally and financially. We need to do what makes the biggest difference to children. It is a very important factor in the way we work and make decisions that we are not driven by economic growth targets.

What is the biggest challenge in your strategy work?

We run into challenges if we think everyone in the organization should have the same ownership of the strategy. I think we must stand by the fact that strategy is, to a certain extent, the 'thing' of management. It is our responsibility that we have a good strategy that sets the right direction and that positions us correctly in relation to the outside world. But in order to accomplish this task, we rely on the knowledge that exists in the organization. And that's why our employees are our best partners in strategy work.

We have created a simple democratic process where employees are invited to contribute what they know and learn because they are close to the concrete work for the children. In that process, employees are greeted by questions and invitations that engage them. The right question is not: What should be our strategic direction? Instead, we ask: What changes are coming, what does it mean for the children and what does it require of us? Or: What will it look like if we succeed? Or: What is the most important thing we can do to achieve what we want? It engages employees and gives management the important knowledge and perspectives that we need to be able to set the strategic direction.

“Our internal democracy processes are central to ensuring that individual employees can see how they can contribute to and shape our strategic direction.”

It is so important to remember and respect that employees are different. Some need to know and work in depth with the strategy to know what they are a part of. Others view strategy processes as something that primarily takes time away and interferes with their important work. And a large group is in between. And that's totally ok.

“As a strategic manager, you must therefore take it upon yourself to make the strategy visible and translate — without talking about the strategy itself all the time. Everyone should be able to see how they contribute to the implementation of the strategy in everyday life, and the difference for the children that we can and must make together. It's not always easy to find that balance. But we are continuously working to simplify our processes around the strategy.”

How do you manage your strategy?

As national director, I will help strategically lead the way for us to create the greatest possible value for children in Denmark. We don't throw ourselves all over the place, but do a form of child rights analysis focusing on how children are provided and how they experience failure and deprivation. Where is the need, and are we the right people to meet that need? How do we make the biggest difference? Who do we need to connect with in order to solve this challenge? And how can we find funding?

“We would like to cooperate more with the political and strategic levels of the municipalities to ensure the long haul of change. Rather than attempting a quick fix, we need to commit to long-term prevention efforts.”

I am also interested in what we can achieve together with our strategic partners. It is both about connecting us to the outside world and supporting other actors whose purposes overlap with ours. And it comes down to the fact that we are totally dependent on funds from foundations and other donors to be able to work. We must be careful not to run blindly after financial means that do not support our purposes or approaches, or to become too dependent on the priorities of other actors. And that is what our strategy should help us with: that we do not lose ourselves in cooperation with others.

“Based on our purpose, we must connect with other organisations working for the same and find common purpose — this is how we can best work long-term to ensure the rights and well-being of children and young people.”

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Three examples

Collaboration

In our work to create well-being and prevent bullying, we cooperate with teachers, educators and other professional groups who meet children in everyday life. Because in this area, it is together with the professionals that we can make the biggest difference for children. After all, we do not necessarily succeed best when it is Red Barnet who stands out in the individual class or kindergarten. We work to support professionals in the task. We do this with skills development and training materials aimed at just that. Among other things, we work closely with professional colleges as important partners.

Volunteerism

We are interested in how civil society and volunteers can make a difference for children in vulnerable positions, precisely through volunteering. As a volunteer, you can be something for children in a different way than professional professionals. There is something about the interpersonal which has a different quality. It's not better, but it's something else.

Hotline

Our hotline, NotificedIt, where citizens can anonymously report abuse material that they discover digitally, and which we then analyze and report back to the police and international partners if we deem it illegal. Here we can provide an important complement to the work of the police, as the notification can be made anonymously to a civil society organisation and we can remove sexual abuse material involving children on the internet so that it is not shared further. Finally, we use the knowledge we gain in the Notification to work politically to ensure that legislation protects children better.

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Strategy in Red Barnet

In the Red Barnet strategy 2025-27 'Always on the side of the children', the national strategic priorities are formulated in four broad headings:

• More children must be protected from violence and sexual assault

• More children should have a dignified place in a safe community

• No child should grow up in poverty or experience social exclusion

• More children must be protected from digital violations and move safely and securely online

And then we are currently working on developing a fifth strategic priority, which may be called Better protection of children in crises. Of course, this area is far from new for Red Barnet, but it is new that we are consolidating it into an actual national programme area.