16 Jul 2025
Links Group officials hope the new scheme commissioned by the government of Jersey could soon be rolled out to other jurisdictions.
Allister Webb
Job Title
A charity which works to raise awareness of the links between the abuse of animals and people has launched a new government-backed training programme for veterinary staff.
Ministers in Jersey commissioned the Links Group to develop the scheme as part of broader efforts to tackle violence against women and girls.
Clinicians there are now being urged to register for the course, which officials hope could also be rolled out to other territories.
Links Group vice-chairperson Vicki Betton said: “We are delighted to collaborate with the Government of Jersey to deliver this training to veterinary teams.
“Domestic abuse is an epidemic, impacting adults, children and animals and a government-backed collaborative approach is a significant step in tackling violence against women and girls.”
A taskforce set up to examine the problem on the island made 77 separate recommendations for action when its report was published in November 2023.
One of them was a call for veterinary professionals to “receive regular training on the link between animal abuse and domestic abuse, indicators of domestic abuse and the referral pathways available to victim-survivors on the island”.
Those recommendations were accepted in full by the island’s government whose justice and home affairs minister, Mary Le Hegarat, described the new scheme as “so important”.
She added: “I am grateful to our vets in Jersey for making the time to undertake this valuable training.”
The charity is hopeful that the new scheme could also soon be extended to nearby Guernsey, while talks are also said to be underway with departments of the Northern Ireland Executive about the potential of offering similar training there.
The hybrid course is initially being delivered through the charity’s online training platform and at one of two in-person day meetings that are due to take place in September.
Officials say the online training elements must be completed before participants attend the in-person event.
The Jersey programme’s launch also follows soon after the Links Group unveiled a separate course, Protecting Animals, Protecting People: in the Home, which is designed to help professionals from non-animal sectors who work in clients’ homes to spot signs of potential abuse and act upon them.
A separate version of that programme has also been developed for human service professionals in Jersey alongside the veterinary-focused course.
