Event Title
Developing DV Safe Havens for Animals: Lessons Learned from a Decade of Program Evaluation
Abstract
This interactive workshop will explore the development of safe haven programs that provide shelter for the animals of domestic violence victims, drawing from one such program’s nearly decade-long experience serving an entire state in partnership with almost 40 domestic violence shelters and community-based programs. Questions to be addressed include: on-site vs. off-site sheltering;* housing models (foster care programs, boarding facility collaborations, animal shelter collaborations); development of productive interagency relationships and agreements, including accountability and confidentiality provisions; providing veterinary care, including the role of veterinary forensics; transporting animals to safety; who handles communication between clients and animal care providers; writing solid policies and procedures that address such issues as spay/neuter, visitation of animals in the program, and the dreaded topic of animals that cannot be reclaimed by their owners; and determining what role if any the program will play in facilitating the prosecution of animal cruelty in the context of domestic violence. If time permits, we will also address ways to assist victims with other needs beyond initial shelter for their animals—such as considering animals in safety planning, legal advocacy (e.g., animals in protection orders and establishing proof of animal ownership), and transitional housing. Finally, we will present data from our ongoing program evaluations that have helped to a) establish the efficacy of this work in helping both human and animal victims reach safety and b) provide empirical guidelines for program modifications and the emergence of best practices over the years.
*Note: if someone else is giving a workshop on on-site animal housing at DV shelters, I can tailor this workshop to focus on off-site models—Allie Phillips and I used this system at this year’s NCADV conference to present a two-part workshop series.
Track
The link between human and animal violence
Preferred Presentation Format
Workshop: 1-hour workshop
Location
LECONTE ROOM
Start Date
12-4-2013 1:30 PM
End Date
12-4-2013 3:00 PM
Developing DV Safe Havens for Animals: Lessons Learned from a Decade of Program Evaluation
LECONTE ROOM
This interactive workshop will explore the development of safe haven programs that provide shelter for the animals of domestic violence victims, drawing from one such program’s nearly decade-long experience serving an entire state in partnership with almost 40 domestic violence shelters and community-based programs. Questions to be addressed include: on-site vs. off-site sheltering;* housing models (foster care programs, boarding facility collaborations, animal shelter collaborations); development of productive interagency relationships and agreements, including accountability and confidentiality provisions; providing veterinary care, including the role of veterinary forensics; transporting animals to safety; who handles communication between clients and animal care providers; writing solid policies and procedures that address such issues as spay/neuter, visitation of animals in the program, and the dreaded topic of animals that cannot be reclaimed by their owners; and determining what role if any the program will play in facilitating the prosecution of animal cruelty in the context of domestic violence. If time permits, we will also address ways to assist victims with other needs beyond initial shelter for their animals—such as considering animals in safety planning, legal advocacy (e.g., animals in protection orders and establishing proof of animal ownership), and transitional housing. Finally, we will present data from our ongoing program evaluations that have helped to a) establish the efficacy of this work in helping both human and animal victims reach safety and b) provide empirical guidelines for program modifications and the emergence of best practices over the years.
*Note: if someone else is giving a workshop on on-site animal housing at DV shelters, I can tailor this workshop to focus on off-site models—Allie Phillips and I used this system at this year’s NCADV conference to present a two-part workshop series.
Speaker Bio
Maya Gupta earned her PhD in clinical psychology from UGA, where her research focused on connections between animal cruelty and domestic violence. She is Executive Director of Ahimsa House, a nonprofit dedicated to helping human and animal victims of domestic violence reach safety together. Dr. Gupta also serves on the Board of the Georgia Coalition Against Domestic Violence, as Vice Chair of the Cobb County DV Task Force, on the Steering Committee of the National Link Coalition, on the Animal Cruelty Advisory Council of the Association of Prosecuting Attorneys, and as Past Chair of the Section on Human-Animal Interaction in the American Psychological Association.