WARNING - THIS EPISODE DISCUSSES THE SUBJECTS OF DOMESTIC VIOLENCE & ANIMAL ABUSE, IF YOU NEED HELP WITH ANYTHING RAISED IN THIS TALK PLEASE USE THE LINKS BELOW Welcome to this episode of The Underdog Vet Podcast! In this episode's Animal Advocate Interview, I spoke to the Chair of The Links Group, veterinary surgeon, Paula Boyden BVetMed MRCVS. The Links Group raise awareness of the link between the abuse of people and animals through support, training and inter-agency working. They provide training to veterinary teams to help them recognise and act on concerns of non-accidental injury and domestic abuse through their Veterinary Learning Initiative. This includes providing talks to students in UK veterinary schools on non-accidental injury (NAI) to pets and have produced a guidance document for vet practices on how to deal with suspected cases of animal abuse. They also provide a national network of pet fostering for those escaping domestic violence but understandably don't want to leave their pets behind. Paula and I talked about how and why The Links Group was established, why it's important for all members of the vet team to have an awareness of non accidental injury in pets and what team members can do if they suspect they have seen a case. Links: Links Group Website: https://thelinksgroup.org.uk/home Vet team guidance document: https://thelinksgroup.org.uk/veterinary-team-guidance RSPCA: https://www.rspca.org.uk/home SSPCA: https://www.scottishspca.org/ Childline: https://www.childline.org.uk/ Crime Stoppers: https://crimestoppers-uk.org/ Refuge: https://www.refuge.org.uk/ RVCS Code of Conduct, breaching client confidentiality: https://www.rcvs.org.uk/setting-standards/advice-and-guidance/code-of-professional-conduct-for-veterinary-surgeons/supporting-guidance/client-confidentiality/ The Links Group Pet Fostering Network Information: https://thelinksgroup.org.uk/pet-fostering The Freedom Project (The Dog Trust's Pet Fostering Network): https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/help-advice/hope-project-freedom-project/freedom-project IVC Non-Accidental Injury Resources for vet staff: https://www.vettimes.co.uk/news/vet-group-launches-nai-support-initiative/ The Veterinary Defence Society: https://www.thevds.co.uk/ Changes to Domestic Abuse Act: https://www.dogstrust.org.uk/latest/2021/freedom-project-domestic-abuse-act