SSPCA toolkit aims to combat child animal abusers
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A BOOK has been launched to help guide professionals working with children involved in animal abuse.
Entitled Understanding Animal Abuse and How to Intervene with Children and Young People: A Practical Guide for Professionals Working with People and Animals is a joint venture between the SSPCA and the University of Edinburgh.
Research shows children exposed to animal abuse were five times more likely to have ‘severe problems’ and three times more likely to be ‘struggling’ compared to their more resilient peers.
The SSPCA has also renewed calls for animal welfare to be a core part of Scotland’s national education curriculum. The charity also offers a free education programme, Animal WISE, which reached over 80,000 young people in 2022. The charity also runs Animal Guardians, a free, pioneering programme for young people who are showing behaviours towards animals that are a cause of concern. Over the past few years, Animal Guardians has had over 300 referrals.
The new book aims to give professionals working with people and animals a toolkit to help them understand, prevent and intervene in cases of animal abuse. With contributions from experts in the field, the book offers a definition of animal abuse, the latest research on children, young people and animal abuse, explores the link between concerning behaviours towards animals and other forms of abuse and outlines legal perspectives on this societal issue.
One of the authors of the book, Scottish SPCA Director of Innovation and Strategic Relations, Gilly Mendes Ferreira said: “In recent years, the Scottish SPCA has established a worrying trend in young people being more exposed to animal abuse.
"This, combined with new research showing the devastating long-term impact such experiences can have, mean intervening to prevent abuse and educating people on animal welfare is critically important. Evaluation of our Animal Guardians programme has demonstrated that those who take part show significant improvements in knowledge, belief that animals have feelings and empathy.
“Those who abuse animals may go on to harm people if no intervention takes place, and we are determined to break that link.”
Co-author Professor Jo Williams, Director of the Centre for Applied Developmental Psychology at the University of Edinburgh, added: “There are many factors involved in cases of animal abuse, and sometimes it is difficult to know what to do or who to turn to when you come across a young person harming an animal.
"This book synthesises international research evidence on child and adolescent animal abuse, and provides a guide for professionals to prevent and intervene in cases of animal abuse. Throughout the book, we present the evidence in non-stigmatising and trauma-informed ways, forming a user-friendly guide to support professionals working with those who are at risk of harming animals, and to protect the animals involved. It provides a wealth of information about how a range of professional groups can play different roles in preventing and intervening in cases of animal abuse.”
Understanding Animal Abuse and How to Intervene with Children and Young People: A Practical Guide for Professionals Working with People and Animals is available to purchase now on Amazon or here http://bit.ly/3Gcwbal
