The Scottish SPCA’s free Animal Guardians programme which helps nurture compassionate and empathetic relationships between young people and animals is now taking referrals in your area.

Our innovative programme is designed to build positive human-animal interactions through game based activities. Working on a one-to-one basis with young people, our youth engagement officers work with individuals over the course of 6 to 8 weeks to help them understand animal emotions, needs and their responsibilities when around animals.

We work with children who have shown behaviours towards animals that may be a cause for concern; for example, a lack of understanding about how to interact with an animal appropriately, being rough with pets, teasing animals or struggling to read the behavioural signs of an animal be it a pet, farm or wild animal. This in turn can increase the risk of a child being injured or a negative relationship developing between the child and the animal. The programme is also designed to help young people who have harmed animals intentionally.

Throughout our sessions we encourage children to think about and recognise both animal and human emotions. Together we work through a range of interactive activities which focus on what animals need and how they can be responsible towards the animals they encounter at home or out in the community.

Our free educational sessions are open to referrals from parents, guardians, social workers, teachers and many other professionals including from organisations that specialise in working with children.

If you have any questions about Animal Guardians or if you know of a young person that would benefit from taking part, please get in touch with us.