Northants Alpaca Therapy First to complete new safeguarding training
Northampton business Easton Way Farm has become the first in the country to undertake the new safeguarding online course designed specifically for those offering pet therapy and animal visits. The new course, offered by Animal Focused, provides information on safeguarding children and vulnerable adults during pet therapy and educational visits to schools and care homes.
As pet therapy gains popularity due to its benefits, ensuring the safety and well-being of all involved has become paramount. The course, titled "Safeguarding Children and Vulnerable Adults," provides training for those who visit schools, hospitals and care homes for therapy sessions, animal encounters and animal based educational visits, with animals including therapy dogs, ponies and for Easton Way Farm, alpacas.
"We are thrilled to be the first to undertake this essential training," said Danielle Blacklee, founder of Easton Way Farm. "Our goal has always been to provide safe, beneficial interactions between our alpacas and the people they visit but this course has given us the knowledge to recognise when safeguarding issues may be present, and the confidence to know how to report these”.
The Animal Focused safeguarding course covers a range of topics, including:
-
Understanding what safeguarding is and why everyone has a safeguarding responsibility
-
Identifying signs of abuse or neglect and knowing the appropriate actions to take.
-
How to respond to and report concerns.
Easton Way Farms proactive approach serves as an inspiration to other animal assisted therapy and encounter providers, emphasizing the importance of ongoing education and training in maintaining high standards of care, not only for the animals but for the clients. By leading the way, Easton Way Farm hopes to encourage more businesses in the animal assisted therapy field to prioritise safeguarding and professional development.
Animal Focused founder, Vicky Skinner, explained “Those visiting schools and care homes with animals are in a unique position to notice the indicators of safeguarding issues, if they know what to look for. In addition to this, those offering regular therapy dog sessions may build a rapport with clients which may lead to disclosures being made, so it is vital the providers are able to respond to any concerns or disclosures appropriately, which was the key motivation for developing this new online course”.
Danielle added "Undertaking the course by Animal Focused highlighted best practice methods to ensure our duty of care to the residents in the care homes we visit. The course was hugely informative and ensures our clients know we offer a professional service and are committed to ensuring the welfare of those who meet our alpacas”.
As animal assisted therapy and animal encounters continue to grow in popularity, initiatives like this safeguarding course are essential to ensure the safety and well-being of both the therapy recipients and the animals.
For more information about the course, visit www.animalfocused.co.uk. To learn more about alpaca visits search facebook for Easton Way Farm.