Hartpury University academic Dr Clare Thomas-Pino has shared practical guidance on risk assessment in animal-assisted services during an invited webinar for the Association for Animal Assisted Intervention Practitioners (AAAIP).

Dr Clare Thomas-Pino, Senior Lecturer in Human-Animal Interaction at Hartpury University was invited to deliver a webinar for the Association for Animal Assisted Intervention Practitioners (AAAIP) on Wednesday 22 July.

The webinar, titled “Risk Assessments with Therapy Animals: Protecting Clients, Animals, and Your Practice”, explored how practitioners can approach risk assessment in a meaningful, practical and responsible way.

Animal-assisted services (AAS) involve working with both people and animals, meaning practitioners must consider the wellbeing and safety of everyone involved. Dr Thomas-Pino’s session provided attendees with practical tools to identify potential risks, make informed decisions and tailor interventions to the needs of individual clients and animals.

The webinar also explored how practitioners can work collaboratively to manage risk, including ideallypartnering with a third-party handler and animal team in the diamond model. Such models can provide additional expertise and support while helping practitioners deliver interventions safely and responsibly.

Dr Thomas-Pino said: “Risk assessment is an essential part of responsible animal-assisted services practice. It is not simply about identifying what could go wrong, but about understanding the individual client, the animal, the environment and the intervention, and using that information to make informed decisions.

“I was delighted to be invited by AAAIP to explore practical approaches that practitioners can use in their everyday work. My aim was to help attendees leave with greater clarity, confidence and structure when assessing and managing risk.”

The invitation reflects Hartpury University’s growing contribution to education and professional development in the field of human-animal interaction (HAI) and animal-assisted services (AAS).

Hartpury’s BSc (Hons) Human-Animal Interaction with Psychology and MSc Animal Assisted Counselling and Psychotherapy programmes are approved continuing education (CE) providers for AAAIP’s Certified Animal-Assisted Intervention Specialist (C-AAIS) qualification.

This approval supports professionals seeking to develop their knowledge and skills in animal-assisted intervention practice, while strengthening the connection between academic education, evidence-informed practice and professional standards.

Through its teaching and research, Hartpury is helping to develop understanding of the complex relationships between people and animals and how these relationships can be incorporated responsibly into professional practice.

Dr Thomas-Pino added: “At Hartpury, we are committed to supporting practitioners to think critically about both the animal and human sides of animal-assisted services, using a One Health approach. Safety, welfare and ethical practice need to be considered together, and education plays an essential role in helping practitioners navigating those responsibilities.”

The webinar provided AAAIP members with an opportunity to consider risk assessment beyond a one-size-fits-all approach, encouraging practitioners to adapt their decision-making to the specific circumstances of each client, animal, environment and service.