Our trustee, Rebecca Stephens, is driving the discipline of Veterinary Social Work in the UK. Over the last few years, she has been working tirelessly to raise awareness of ‘The Link’, the essential role of social workers in identifying and addressing the abuse of animals and the linked abuse of people, and in creating tools and resources to support social workers in this field. Associate Professor in Social Work and Social Care at the University of Sussex and Co-Director of Education at the International Association of Veterinary Social Work, Rebecca is the UK’s first veterinary social worker, and has written this article, first published by the University of Sussex Social Change Hub.
‘Over the past two years, my research has taken me on a profoundly meaningful journey into how our relationships with animals influence human well-being and safety. It started with a study I conducted in 2023 with local authority children’s services, examining how social workers understood the connection between the abuse of animals and people. What I discovered was clear: while many practitioners instinctively recognised that pets often play a vital role in family life, few felt confident in identifying or responding to animal abuse as part of their safeguarding practice.
This study led to the development of new training for social workers through the Sussex Social Change Hub, in partnership with The Links Group. We delivered a webinar on The Human–Animal Bond in the Context of Domestic Abuse, helping practitioners understand how animal abuse can be used as a form of coercive control, and how pets can influence victim-survivors’ decisions about leaving, staying or returning to an abusive situation. Building on that, we later partnered with Blue Cross to provide training on Pet Loss and Bereavement, exploring the profound impact of losing a companion animal and how professionals can support people experiencing this unique form of grief.
The response to these sessions was overwhelmingly positive. That feedback inspired my next study, which is currently ongoing, exploring how social work education can better incorporate the human–animal bond. Early results indicate strong interest from HEIS in integrating this content into social work qualifying programmes, linking it to existing modules on human safeguarding, human development across the lifespan, and values and ethics.
Alongside this, The Links Group has launched a groundbreaking national training initiative: “Protecting Animals, Protecting People: In the Home,” with my input on the social work side. This free, modular online course helps professionals who visit people in their homes to recognise and act on the signs of co-occurring abuse. This is a vital step toward creating interdisciplinary collaboration across workforces equipped to safeguard both people and animals.
For me, seeing this work influence social work education and professional training nationally is incredibly rewarding. Understanding the significance and impact of the human–animal bond and recognising this as a critical component of supporting and protecting everyone, humans and animals, is tremendous progress. This work continues to shape how future students and practitioners think about welfare, safeguarding, and compassion, appreciating that when we protect animals, we protect people too.’
