Rebecca Stephens speaks to attendees at event in the Houses of Parliament on 'Animal abuse within domestic abuse'

Rebecca Stephens, Senior Lecturer in Social Work, was the speaker at the event “Animal abuse within domestic abuse” at the Houses of Parliament in Westminster on 22 October. Co-hosted by the All-Party Parliamentary Dog Advisory Welfare Group (APDAWG) and Naturewatch Foundation, the meeting highlighted the importance of considering pets in situations of coercive control and domestic abuse.

In the UK, veterinary medicine and social work are completely different and separate disciplines. However, with proven links between the abuse of people and animals, Rebecca argues that the safeguarding of both could – and should – be combined.

More than half of all UK households contain at least one pet. With their unique access to homes and, subsequently, insights into family’s and individual’s lives, social workers are well placed to view interactions between all family members, including pets. Last year, Rebecca conducted research for Brighton & Hove City Council and East Sussex County Council Children’s Services which revealed a need for social workers to better understand the human-animal bond in the context of domestic abuse, specifically how to identify and report animal welfare concerns. Her subsequent collaboration with The Links Group led to the provision of training in this field for social workers affiliated with these two Local Authorities. Rebecca is now working on integrating these themes into academic programmes and securing social work student placements in agencies where humans and animals interact to promote a species-spanning practice framework.

A vet’s priority is, of course, the care of the animals brought to them. Seeing a need for – and ultimately addressing – safeguarding concerns related to their human clients can be ethically challenging and emotionally demanding. Rebecca’s research shows that this issue is negatively impacting the emotional wellbeing of veterinarians. Danny Chambers, MP for Winchester and former vet, acknowledged the high risk of mental health issues within the veterinary profession in his maiden speech.

Safeguarding is the core of social work, and social workers are adept at assessing risk using trauma-informed language. Rebecca feels that social workers present a real opportunity for collaboration between veterinary practice and the social services sector whereby professionals in both disciplines could learn from each other and work together to safeguard animals and humans. This is why she is so invested in building and nurturing new partnerships across UK veterinary, animal welfare, social work and social care to combine their practice knowledge, expertise and wisdom to support all victim-survivors of abuse - humans and animals alike. 

Rebecca has been appointed a trustee of The Links Group, a national charity that raises awareness about the link between the abuse of people and animals by providing research, resources and training to promote the safety of people and animals. She is also a trustee of animal companionship charity Our Special Friends.

Rebecca Stephens has 30 years of experience in social work, including in domestic abuse situations in the UK and Australia. In addition to teaching and conducting research at the University of Sussex, she is undertaking a PhD exploring how and where social workers and veterinarians can work together to safeguard humans and animals.

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