Adoption charity launch pet fostering guide
"Many children grow up considering their pet to be their best friend and close confidante."
The British Association for Adoption and Fostering (BAAF) has launched a good practice guide to help foster carers, social workers, adopters, special guardians and panel members develop proportionate policies in relation to dogs and other pets.
The charity say that the move comes after some fostering services and practitioners expressed confusion around best practice, and implementing unhelpful and risk-adverse policies.
The guide, Dogs and pets in fostering and adoption, highlights the physical and emotional benefits a pet can bring for looked-after children.
Paul Adams, Foster Care Development Consultant, and author of the guide commented: “Dogs and other pets can provide a loyal, non judgmental and constant companion for fostered and adopted children, and help to promote attachment between humans.
"It is important that local authorities develop measured policies to help foster carers, social workers, adopters and special guardians to manage their pets in adoptive and fostering contexts. We hope this good practice guide will help them to achieve this”.
Caroline Selkirk, BAAF’s new chief executive, added: “With one in four UK children growing up with a pet, it is a shame for children in care to miss out, particularly when it is these children who could benefit the most from the experience.”
The guide, created with input from the Blue Cross, incorporates the experience of adopters and foster carers.
Tracy Genever, education manager at Blue Cross, said: “There are so many benefits to having a pet in the family and many children grow up considering their pet to be their best friend and close confidante. We are pleased that help is now available which may enable more pet owners to foster and adopt children and more children to enjoy growing up with a family pet”.
The guidelines are available to purchase on the BAAF website and a podcast is available at: https://audioboom.com/BAAFadoption.
Veterinary practices are being urged to help owners safely dispose of any unused and expired pet medicines - not just antibiotics - during November's Animal Medicines Amnesty. 
