School of Health in Social Science

Children, Adolescents and Animals Research Group (caar)

Children, adolescents and animals research group (caar) is part of the Centre of Applied Developmental Psychology in the School of Health in Social Science.

Children, adolescents and animals research (caar) is a group of academic researchers and doctoral students led by Professor Jo Williams with support from Dr Janine Muldoon. We explore all aspects of relationships between children, adolescents and animals, and work closely with children, families and animal welfare organisations. 

Our human-animal interaction research uses a One Health and One Welfare approach to understand reciprocally positive and negative relationships between children and animals so that we can enhance animal welfare and human wellbeing. Our work includes research on pets' effects on human health and wellbeing, animal-assisted interventions, and childhood cruelty prevention. We also research societal trends in people’s relationships and interactions with their pets, including the challenges of the economic crisis for families with pets.

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Our Projects:

Developing and evaluating SPCA interventions Illegal Puppy Trade and Puppy Health and Welfare
Paws on Campus Pets and changing homes: the views of care experienced children/young people
Promoting a duty of care to animals among children and adolescents Supporting People and Pets in the UK