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30.09.2025 Animals as a Strategy of Coercive Control: Protecting Animals, Protecting People
30th September 2025 9.30am - 12.30pm - Delivered via MS Teams
BASW members - £38.40 inc VAT
Corporate multi bookings - £46.80 inc VAT (contact ProfDE@basw.co.uk to arrange)
Non members - £58.80 inc VAT
Attracting 3hrs CPD
About this event
Research findings and practice experience provide compelling evidence that animal abuse in the context of domestic abuse is a tactic of coercive control and an act of animal cruelty (Arkow, 2014; Barrett et al, 2017; DeGue et al, 2009; Fitzgerald et al, 2019; Newberry, 2017; Richards, 2009, Wakeham, 2025). Although the link between domestic abuse and animal abuse is uncontested, it is an issue that is often not translated into practice.
A humancentric approach dominates definitions and understandings about domestic abuse, and this focus on the human victim-survivors in isolation undermines the status of the animal and the importance of the animal in the dynamics of abuse. There are many parallels between the abuse of people and animals. Animals are physically, sexually and emotionally abused, neglected and murdered by perpetrators of domestic abuse, often without conviction or consequence.
Animal cruelty in the context of domestic abuse is a ‘red flag’ indicator of serious harm and homicide to adults and children in the household (Arkow, 2014; Barrett et al, 2017; DeGue et al, 2009; Fitzgerald et al, 2019; Newberry, 2017; Richards, 2009, Wakeham, 2025).
To better safeguard victim-survivors of domestic abuse, we must move toward a more integrated approach to safeguarding between veterinary, animal welfare and human welfare sectors.
Learning Outcomes:-
- To understand why attention to domestic animals (pets) matters in social work.
- To increase understanding about how and why perpetrators harm and abuse animals to coerce and control human victim-survivors of domestic abuse.
- To understand the underpinning theoretical, policy and legislative framework in promoting the wellbeing and safety of people and animals in the context of domestic abuse.
- To promote the importance of considering animals in assessments and safety plans of families experiencing domestic abuse and provide professionals with practical tools and resources to do this.
- Professional responsibilities our duty of care and reporting procedures.
The Links Group is a national organisation (charity number 1196067) that raises awareness about the link between the abuse of people and animals and how to safeguard all victim-survivors through collaboration, research, training and advocacy. Each year, we train thousands of professionals across a wide range of disciplines, including veterinary and animal welfare teams and human welfare professionals.
Our team are subject matter experts in this area, and we have expert witnesses within the team providing crucial testimony in cases involving the abuse of people and animals. Our specialist domestic abuse animal fostering services set best practice standards and provide support for those working across the UK in this highly specialised area.
Trainer bios:
Rebecca Stephens, Associate Professor in Social Work, University of Sussex - Rebecca has 30 years in Social Work with experience as a front-line practitioner, consultant, and educator in Australia and England. Her teaching and research focus is on the human-animal bond, pet loss and bereavement, ‘The Link’ between the abuse of people and animals, and human and animal welfare and safeguarding. Rebecca is developing interdisciplinary partnerships across social work, veterinary, and animal welfare sectors to promote knowledge exchange, curriculum development, and education and training opportunities to support the development of Veterinary Social Work in the UK. She is the Director of Education with the International Association of Veterinary Social Work and a Trustee with The Links Group and Our Special Friends, UK.
Dr Mary Wakeham, CEO and Founder of Refuge4Pets - Mary has over 15 years practice experience working in the domestic abuse sector, including founding Refuge4Pets in 2017 driven by her passion to enable freedom from domestic abuse for all victim-survivors (people and animals). She is also an academic researcher with a specialism in the dynamics and implications of animal abuse in the context of domestic abuse, more specifically animal abuse as a strategy of coercive control.
Amy Hyde National Lifeline Service Manager, Cats Protection - Amy has been delivering specialist pet fostering services to survivors of domestic abuse for over 12 years, overseeing both the Dogs Trust Freedom Project and more recently the specialist cat fostering service at Cats Protection, Lifeline. During this time, Amy led the significant expansion of the Freedom Project to an almost UK-wide service, and more recently moved to Cats Protection to lead Lifeline expansions across the UK. Amy is the Chair of the Links Pet Fostering Group – a coalition of specialist pet fostering services operating in the UK. Amy has a background in animal behaviour and welfare, holds a Women’s Aid domestic abuse qualification and volunteers on a national domestic abuse helpline.
Dr. Andrea Lynch, BVSc PhD PGCertSAM (Dist) MRCVS FRSPH - Andrea qualified as a vet from Bristol in 2001, completed her PhD there in 2011, and has a wide range of clinical and non-clinical experience. She is passionate about education and research, raising awareness of the link between animal abuse and domestic and child abuse, and the need for effective multi-agency working. She sits on the British Small Animal Veterinary Association’s Audit & Risk Committee, the North of Ireland Veterinary Association Council, the board of the Foyle Family Justice Centre, and is a volunteer in the NSPCC Schools Service.
BASW will donate 50% of non VAT ticket income to the Links Group - https://thelinksgroup.org.uk/
Corporate multi booking rates available - contact ProfDE@basw.co.uk for details.
08.10.2025 Impact Pathway: Scaffolding Change in Adoption Practices
8th October 2025 9.30am - 12.30pm Delivered via Zoom
BASW members - £58.80 inc VAT
Corporate multi bookings - £70.80 inc VAT (contact ProfDE@basw.co.uk to arrange)
Non members - £90.00 inc VAT
Attracting 3hrs CPD
This course equips professionals with the skills to see beneath the surface, critically analyse a child's journey, and understand the deep and lasting impact of trauma. It also explores the experiences of those caring for children -acknowledging the challenges faced by parents and carers supporting a child with a trauma history. Participants will be encouraged to critically reflect on existing pathways and consider new, compassionate approaches that scaffold trauma-responsive, recovery-focused practices—benefiting the whole family and the world of the child.
Course Overview:
Introduction
- Safety And Love Is Not Enough
- Psychological Thinking
Impact Pathway
- Map The Journey And The History Of The Child
- Consider The Whole Of The Child
- Understand Impact On Development, Identity And Wellbeing
Parent/ Carer Lived Experience
- Consideration Current Practice Issues And Impact
- Case Studies On Lived Experience, Reflecting And Challenging Narratives
Response To Trauma
- Trauma Responsive – See It, Value It
- Recovery Focused – Plan It
- Evidence Based Interventions - Add It
Safeguarding
- The Whole Of The Child
- The World Of The Child, Including Parents And Carers
- Performance And Social Impacts
Overview – Recap, & Q&A
Learning Outcomes -
- Recognise and value the whole child, including their lived experience, identity, and the impact of trauma on their development and relationships.
- Understand the importance of family-centred practice, acknowledging how supporting parents and carers positively impacts outcomes for children.
- Identify barriers in current approaches and begin to explore new ways of thinking that better meet the needs of children and families affected by trauma.
- Apply critical thinking to develop trauma-responsive, recovery-focused plans that consider the whole family context.
- Enhance communication and collaboration between adopters, professionals, and those with lived experience, fostering more integrated and empathetic practice.
Trainer Background:
This course will be led by Fiona Wells, an adoptee, adopter, and social worker, whose unique blend of professional and lived experience enriches the learning environment. This perspective not only advances empathy but also promotes meaningful change in how adoption practices are approached.
This session will be delivered via MS Teams.
04.11.2025 Assessing risk and working with adults who present a risk of sexual harm to children
4th November 2025 9.30am - 4.30pm Delivered via Zoom
BASW members - £118.80 inc VAT
Corporate multi bookings - £142.80 inc VAT (contact ProfDE@basw.co.uk to arrange)
Non members - £178.80 inc VAT
Attracting 6hrs CPD
A one-day course underpinned by research & knowledge, providing practical tools for social work assessment. Encouraging an enhanced level of self of self-awareness of the ethical dilemmas social workers face working with this client group.
Learning outcomes:-
- To receive up to date empirical knowledge about sexual harm against children
- To begin to use the risk & desistance hexagon as a tool for assessment
- To increase self-awareness in relation to this complex area of practice
Trainer Bio:-
Diane Wills has been a specialist in this field for about 23 years. Diane started her professional journey as a Probation Officer, specialising in public protection and working with sexual harm including a strategic role in the Home Office. Diane is also an Independent Social Worker and a Lead Consultant for Forensic Risk with Willis Palmer. Diane is a Forensic Psychotherapist and is regularly commissioned by the MoJ to work therapeutically with men within the prison estate who have been convicted of serious sexual offences and to supervise Forensic Psychologists around the country. Diane is a co-author of ‘A Practical Guide to Working with Sex Offenders’ and was a Trustee of Circles South West for approximately 9 years.