Identifying and treating animal abuse is an important tool for protecting children from abuse and neglect while promoting the safety and well-being of both children and their pets. After discussing the positive aspects related to the relationship between children and animals, we turn to how abuse and neglect of animals in families can follow both the mistreatment of children in families and the negative impact of this abuse on the future of children.
The Common Bond
The discussion below includes a summary of research that illuminates and confirms the ways in which animals influence many aspects of child development. Children who bond with their companion animals score higher on measures of social competence and empathy (Poresky, 1990).
When the Bond Breaks
For example, one study found that animal abuse occurred in 88% of families who were under state supervision for the physical abuse of their children (DeViney, Dickert, & Lockwood, 1983). There is little doubt that a close relationship exists between animal abuse and children's maldevelopment, as found in "The Pittsburgh Study," an ongoing longitudinal study of the causes and correlates of antisocial behavior.
Confessions of a Loner
In a meta-analytic review of conduct disorder symptoms, cruelty to animals was considered one of the earliest reported symptoms at 6.75 years of age (Frick et al., 1993). Attention to the position of animals in families and communities can be one of the first opportunities to redirect the path of a child's development.
Ask Questions About Care and Treatment of Animals
The process of assessment, as outlined by Costello (2000), involves several steps, all of which are part of the information gathering process. Of the steps outlined by Costello, these three questions or observations about animal-related experiences can include without adding any undue burden to child welfare caseworkers or others: (a) choosing dimensions, (b) observing in the natural environment , and (c) other professional evaluations. An important step for every child protective services worker—developing a bond with the family members and earning their trust—can be facilitated by asking questions about animals in the family or in the child's life.
If there are pets at home, more information can be gained by observing the interactions of family members with the pets. Depending on what is discovered in the information gathering process, the use of other assessment tools and instruments can facilitate the process and help the assessor understand the depth and severity of the problem. When setting goals or planning the types of intervention or services needed to achieve those goals, if animal abuse or the threat of animal abuse is a key component of the family dynamic, then it is important to become familiar with the resources available in the community.
Therefore, the treatment of the child and family cannot only address the animal-related experiences; the family members' relationship with their animal companions, and how they treat them, may also be an important factor in evaluating the family's progress, including the use of family decision-making about animal care and treatment.
Learning to Care
For information on programs for children at risk, download a copy of The Humane Society of the United States publication Violence Prevention and Intervention: A Directory of Animal-Related Programs at http://files.hsus.org/web-files /PDF /First_Strike_Directory_2004. The Ministry of Education, has funded pilot studies and research and has disseminated information to increase public and professional awareness of the effect of violence on children. There is no doubt that it hurts children to witness violence – at home, at school and in society.
Unless child protection professionals address the care and treatment of animals in the home, they may miss opportunities to intervene earlier and more effectively to protect children, animals and other family members. What was the child's reaction, as well as the reaction of the perpetrators and other witnesses. Ask the child, "What was the most difficult for you about what happened?" or "What bothers you most about what happened?".
American Humane's "Understanding and Addressing The Link® Between Child Treatment and Animal Abuse: A Cross-systems Approach to Protecting Children and Supporting Families," issue of Protecting Children (2004), may be helpful in this regard.
Topics
Violence Connection' has proven to be a useful training tool for child protective services and animal control units, as well as law enforcement and mental health professionals. Understand the animal cruelty investigation system, as well as the importance of animal cruelty laws as they relate to child welfare goals regarding the safety and well-being of children. An animal cruelty investigation can be conducted by a humane society or by an SPCA, municipality or county cruelty investigator.
To provide quality-controlled and standardized training, the National Cruelty Investigations School (NCIS) was established at the Law Enforcement Training Institute at the University of Missouri in 1990.
Topics
Topics
Topics
Depending on the jurisdiction and nature of the case, either an animal control officer, police officer, or sheriff's deputy will investigate an animal cruelty incident. Vets are also now being trained in animal cruelty forensics to provide expert testimony (Merck, 2007; Sinclair, Merck, & Lockwood, 2006; Cooper & Cooper, 2007; Leonard, 2004). As of October 2007, 43 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands have felony-level penalties for some acts of animal cruelty.
Currently, 28 states mandate that the court may or must order counseling for juveniles and/or adults convicted of animal cruelty. Child welfare officers are strongly encouraged to invite animal cruelty enforcement officers from their local humane society, SPCA, or police or sheriff's department to explain their jurisdiction's laws and procedures. States also differ in how they define which agency personnel have the authority to investigate animal cruelty and which have the authority to make arrests.
For a discussion of how animal cruelty and child protection laws can be used to strengthen protections for both groups, see Chapter 4, "Adapting Law and Policy to Include Considerations of the Common Bond".
Employ Animal-Focused Interventions for Child Victims, Children Who Abuse, and At-Risk Children
Use or adapt available instruments and subscales to identify domestic and non-domestic animal abuse when conducting child protection investigations and assessments. AniCare Child: An Assessment and Treatment Approach to Childhood Animal Abuse (Randour, Krinsk, & Wolf, 2001). If a child has committed animal cruelty, conduct a comprehensive assessment of the scope, nature, context and motivation for the animal cruelty.
Although the instrument showed sound reliability as well as construct validity, it had a low questionnaire return rate. The Scale for Measuring Physical and Emotional Abuse Against Animals is a promising new instrument, especially because of its ease of administration, use of self-report instead of parental report, and recognition of the possibility of physical and emotional abuse of an animal. Despite this recognition by state legislatures of the need for counseling programs, there is currently only one published treatment program for children who either commit or witness animal abuse, AniCare Child (Randour et al., 2001).
Treat each animal in the household as part of the family when assessing, treating or assessing progress.
Using Animals in Treatment
Use animal-assisted therapies in child abuse and neglect prevention and intervention activities
AAA is a new and effective approach that engages pets to support children through the forensic interview process, testimony and other court-related procedures. The goals of the intervention are developed by an occupational therapist, physical therapist, physician, social worker, or other health professional, and the therapy is then evaluated against those goals for effectiveness. In addition to institutional settings such as those, AAT takes place in private consulting rooms, public and nonprofit agencies, and other individual, small groups.
AAT also provides another opportunity for the therapist to observe the patient interacting with another (the animal) and for the patient to experience and learn new and more positive behavior patterns (Arkow, 2004). For example, cats, horses, birds, guinea pigs and other small mammals and fish have also served successfully as therapeutic agents. For example, the Delta Society is a 30-year-old international organization that conducts training courses for the handler, assesses the animal/handler team for skills and abilities to perform AAA/AAT, and requires re-registration of the team every 2 several years.
The registration fee paid by the handler includes liability insurance for the animal/keeper's team.
Adapt Law and Policy to Include Consideration of the Common Bond
As awareness of the link between child abuse and animal abuse grows, the concept of "cross-reporting" has emerged as an important opportunity to be considered by legislators and state and local agencies. Juvenile and family courts also need supportive mechanisms to deal with both child abuse and animal abuse when they arise in the same case (just as they should be equipped to deal with cases involving both child abuse and domestic violence in a child's home). Child protection workers may hesitate to report animal abuse for fear of violating a family's trust, breaching confidentiality and perhaps threatening the stability of the working relationship with their clients.
Laws should recognize the probative value of animal cruelty facts at trial and at sentencing. convictions in cases of child abuse. Child protection agencies often use safety and risk assessment instruments that need to be reviewed to determine whether they are addressing actual factors or threats as a factor. animal cruelty and the presence of dangerous animals in the home. Criminal legislation related to animal cruelty should be strengthened and included in the Criminal Code.
Information on concurrent animal abuse should be included in the collection and analysis of federal incidence study data or annual state statistics on child abuse and neglect.
Child and Animal Abuse - Using links to inform assessment and child protection. What lawyers and judges should know about the link between child abuse and animal cruelty. Arkow (Eds.), Child abuse, domestic violence, and animal abuse: Connecting circles of compassion for prevention and intervention (pp. 410–423).
The influence of an animal on children's normally developing ideas about helping children with disabilities. The Dynamics Between Animal Cruelty, Child Abuse, and Domestic Violence: How Pets Help Children, The Prosecutor, 38, Issue 5.
About the Authors
Mary Lou Randour, PhD
Howard Davidson, JD
About the Sponsoring Organizations
ABA Center on Children and the Law
ACTION for Child Protection
American Humane Association
The Humane Society of the United States
Published By
Designer
Ordering and Contact Information
Ordering Information
Contact Information
