Children, adolescents & animals research
Children, adolescents and animals research (caar), is a group of researchers, graduates and doctoral students led by Professor Jo Williams and supported by Dr Janine Muldoon. We explore all aspects of relationships between children, adolescents and animals, and work closely with animal welfare organisations.
New workshops for 2020
We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded another grant from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) for the following project, running until July 2020.
'The link between animal cruelty, domestic violence and childhood trauma: Changing policy and practice through impactful research'.
As part of this grant, we will be organising another series of reflective workshops for practitioners. These will build on the national knowledge exchange conference we co-hosted with the Scottish SPCA (9th September 2019), 'The links between animal cruelty, adverse childhood experiences and human violence: Research and practice'. The aims of the conference and workshops are to:
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encourage a trauma-informed approach to childhood animal cruelty,
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increase recognition of the relationship between animal cruelty, domestic abuse and violence, and
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promote early intervention to safeguard animals and human victims of abuse.
Our Mission
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To produce high quality research that furthers understanding of child-animal interactions to ensure reciprocally positive relationships, enhancing both child wellbeing and animal welfare.
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We are always happy to discuss research ideas and help where we can. If you are interested in working with us please get in touch.
Events
Find out more about our events! Book a place at a forthcoming event & view materials from past events (research briefings, reports, feedback & presentations).
Research & knowledge exchange
This page provides information on all of our projects within five inter-related research areas, and highlights our knowledge exchange and research impact work.
Practitioners & collaborators
A page designed specifically for professionals working with children and/or animals, with links to practitioner briefings/resources and events that may be useful.
Publications
A list of our peer-reviewed publications, official reports & policy briefings in reverse chronological order (most recent first) within our five core research areas.
People
Meet the caar team and find out about the Child-Animal Interaction Research Network.
Connect with us
If you are interested in our work, or have any questions, please get in touch via the routes outlined on this page.