We were delighted when our friends at The Ralph veterinary referral centre asked us to present a free webinar to help raise awareness among veterinary teams of “The Link”.
The Link Between Abuse of Animals and Abuse of People: The Veterinary Team, was organised by Toni Hicks and delivered by colleagues at The Ralph, the UK’s largest independent (non-university, non-corporate) specialist referral centre for cats and dogs in Marlow, Buckinghamshire. The team at The Ralph provides a range of twelve clinical services and a 24/7/365 Emergency and Critical Care department.
Since 2001, The Links Group has been at the forefront of raising awareness about the link between the abuse of people and animals in the UK. The Links Group’s founding trustees, Chair Paula Boyden and Vice-Chair Vicki Betton, presented this webinar alongside trustees Rebecca Stephens and Dr. Mary Wakeham.
Rebecca is Associate Professor of Social Work and Social Care at the University of Sussex, and the UK’s first veterinary social worker. Mary is CEO and founder of Refuge4Pets, the Links Group Accredited Specialist Animal Fostering Service in Devon and Cornwall.
The team discussed the complexities of abuse and provide guidance on navigating these delicate situations in the workplace as a veterinary professional. It also emphasised the strength of the human-animal bond, the role of veterinary professionals and how veterinary teams might safely intervene if abuse of any nature is suspected.
There was a great turnout on the night. We know that many of you have been asking about accessing the video. We apologise that technology has held us back, and are incredibly grateful to Toni and Team Ralph for their patience and support in getting us here! We’ll have more news on our techie status coming soon, but for now, the video can be found on our Virtual Learning page. Please remember, the content has the potential to be triggering, so please be mindful of this as you watch. Take a break if needed, and reach out for support if needed. More information is available on accessing support here.
