Child Rights Jobs: Our Short Guide

Children deserve the same rights as adults, like the right to shelter, food, and medicine. However, children need more support because of their vulnerability. As the Convention on the Rights of the Child says, “childhood is entitled to special care and assistance.” Globally, children face severe threats such as child labor, high levels of food insecurity, exploitation during migration, violence, disease, and more. Are you passionate about helping children? A job in child rights might be the right fit. In this article, we’ll go through what jobs are available, where child rights professionals work, and how to prepare for a career empowering children.

What child rights jobs are available?

Child rights professionals work in any field that impacts children, including education, social services, healthcare, and the legal system. Professionals may focus on issues like poverty, violence against children, food insecurity, gender inequality, conflict, immigration, housing, and much more. Here are six job examples:

Child rights lawyer

Average salary (USA): $63,708

Child rights lawyers represent children and/or work on issues related to children’s interactions with the legal system. Harvard Law School has a career guide for children’s rights lawyers, describing responsibilities such as protecting children’s rights when they encounter the criminal legal system, helping kids who need state protection, and ensuring kids get education and healthcare. Working with kids differs from working with adults, so child rights lawyers face unique challenges. The job is a great fit for people pursuing law who’ve worked with kids, taken coursework involving children’s issues, and built a passion for helping kids through the legal system.

The tasks of child rights lawyers include:

• Advocating for kids whose primary caregivers are neglecting or abusing them
• Representing kids with disabilities who aren’t receiving the special care they need at school
• Working with children under 18 years old who’ve been accused of crimes
• Conducting conflict mediation in divorce proceedings and child custody cases
• Consulting with therapists, doctors, and other professionals working with the child

Paralegal  

Average salary (USA): $60,063

Paralegals focused on children’s rights work alongside child rights lawyers, but they perform a more supportive role. They help the lawyers and other team members stay organized, professional, and updated on changes to the child’s circumstances or court proceedings. Because paralegals don’t need a law degree, it’s a good choice for people who are passionate about the law, but don’t want to become lawyers. Career pathways vary, but my local school – Portland Community College – offers a Paralegal program through a two-year degree or a post-degree certificate.

Potential tasks for a paralegal include:

• Doing client intake, including children and family members
• Drafting and preparing documents for the children’s legal team
• Managing files on the child’s case
• Conducting legal research
• Making sure everything is performed ethically and with the child’s best interest at heart

Financial officer

Average salary (USA): $85,237

Governments, children’s rights nonprofits, and other organizations need financial officers. Without these employees, programs and organizations would descend into chaos, violate tax laws, and run out of money. Financial officers who work in children’s rights need the same education and skills as financial officers from any organization, but a passion for children’s rights also matters. Unlike some child rights jobs, financial officers do not typically work face-to-face with children.

Responsibilities for financial officers include:

• Creating and managing the organization’s budget
• Maintaining records of all financial transactions
• Ensuring financial compliance
• Making sure the organization’s cash flow is sustainable
• Analyzing financial data and using financial software

Pediatric dietitian

Average salary (USA): $79,375

Pediatric dietitians are experts in the nutritional needs of kids and adolescents. They work in clinics, pediatric hospitals, schools, and private practices. According to the World Health Organization, undernutrition is responsible for about 50% of deaths of kids under 5 years old, which makes the work of pediatric dietitians essential, especially for kids in low to middle-income countries. Pediatric dietitians work directly with kids and their families.

Pediatric dietitians perform tasks such as:

• Creating meal plans for kids based on their unique needs
• Helping children with complex diseases
• Assessing a child’s nutritional needs and health conditions
• Advising families on proper feeding and nutrition
• Monitoring the success of a nutritional plan and adjusting as needed

Communications manager

Average salary (USA): $72,826

Communications managers are similar to marketers. Within organizations like children’s rights nonprofits, a communications manager promotes the organization’s mission, programs, and other services. As representatives of the organization, these professionals also attend conferences, organize workshops, attend community events, and perform other outreach activities. Communications managers engage with stakeholders, so they may work directly with kids and families. The salary above reflects the average pay for nonprofit communications professionals.

Responsibilities can include:

• Leading educational and awareness-building campaigns
• Developing and managing branding for the organization
• Designing and launching marketing materials, like flyers, digital ad campaigns, and more
• Writing press releases and engaging in public relations
• Networking and collaborating within the child rights world

Child protection social worker

Average salary (USA): $63,032

Child protection social workers support children and families through complex and painful challenges. Social workers are especially important during child abuse and neglect investigations. They talk to everyone involved, listen to children, compile information, write reports, and ensure the children are safe. Child protection social workers often work for the government, but they can end up at different types of organizations, especially once they’ve gotten a few years of experience.

Social workers can perform tasks like:

• Assessing a child’s needs, resources, and support networks
• Creating and maintaining records on child protection cases
• Advocating for a child’s best interests in court, school, and other settings
• Compiling resources for children and families
• Monitoring progress on cases

Where can you find child rights jobs?

Careers focused on kids can be found within intergovernmental bodies, government agencies, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). We’ve included examples for informational purposes; they are not endorsements:

Intergovernmental organizations

Intergovernmental organizations (IGOs) are groups of two or more nations working together on common interests. Examples of IGOs that help kids include UNICEF, the UN agency on children’s rights; the World Food Programme, which is the world’s largest food assistance organization; and the International Labour Organization, which addresses child labor violations.

Governments

All governments have at least one agency focused on families and children. They often contract with NGOs and private businesses, which can affect the quality of services children receive. Funding can be an issue, too, as governments often neglect the rights of children. Governments are a challenging, but important place for child rights professionals. Government agencies focused on kids include the Administration for Children and Families in the United States; The Department of Education in the UK; and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare in Japan.

NGOs

Countless NGOs work to provide kids with resources and empower them as rights-holders. You can find child rights organizations working on international, national, and local levels. Major examples include Save the Children, which works in 120 countries; the Global Fund for Children, which funds child rights organizations; and Defence for Children, a child protection organization focused on armed conflict, trafficking, and other abuses.

How do you prepare for a job in child rights?

Every job has different requirements, but if you want a career in child rights, there are three things to pursue and build upon: education, experience, and valuable skills.

Education

Most child rights organizations want candidates with at least a bachelor’s degree, while higher-level jobs look for law degrees, master’s degrees, and sometimes doctoral degrees. Indeed.com has a list of degrees that fit well with child rights, such as early education, counseling, nonprofit management, public health, social work, psychology, and nursing. That said, just about any degree can work with a career in children’s rights because every area of society impacts children one way or another. No matter what program you’re studying, try to take as many courses involving children and children’s rights as you can. This sharpens your expertise, helps you network, and builds a good foundation for future jobs.

Experience

In many cases, experience is as (if not more) valuable than a specific educational background. While you’re studying, pair your time sitting in class with as much real-world or research experience as possible. For many students, that means applying for internships. Organizations like Save the Children, Defence for Children, Children’s Rights, and UNICEF welcome interns. Unfortunately, many organizations don’t pay their interns, which limits who can apply. Other experiences are still valuable, such as volunteering with an organization and/or getting an entry-level job involving children or children’s issues. One challenge with job-hunting is applying past experiences to the job you want. If you’re early in your career, that means using experiences from your entire life, even if they seem unrelated. If you’re transitioning careers, you’ll need to reframe formal work experience to fit the job. We explore this process in more depth in our ebook.

Valuable skills

The specific skills a job wants depend on the organization, job role, and job level. For example, paralegals use different skills than dietitians, while executive-level professionals are expected to have different skills than employees at the entry-level. When considering a career, browse job descriptions and postings to learn what organizations prioritize the most. Certain “soft” skills will always be in demand, like excellent organization, time management, communication, analytical thinking, and flexibility. The majority of child rights professionals also need to have empathy, compassion, empathy, and at least a general knowledge of child development. Even if you’re not working directly with children, your work affects kids and families, and organizations want compassionate, passionate, and patient people.