EN-Fitram

Charter of Best Practices for Animal Assisted Activities (AAA)

Art 1

AAA programs enable the beneficiaries to meet animals who have been chosen according to the nature of their objectives. These activities are led by one or several qualified services providers, with specific objectives and within a defined framework.

Art 2

AAA programs may be of a animation nature (AAA-A), an educative one (AAA-E), or they may be of a social (AAA—S) or therapeutic nature (AAA-T). They may also have specific research objectives (AAA-R) according to the qualifications of the services providers and the context of the encounter.

Art 3

The objective of the AAA programs aims at improving the well-being of the beneficiary, all the while respecting his/her identity, safety and security. These programs aim to accompany or to improve the overall health of the beneficiary by taking into account all the different health care treatments the person is currently undergoing. Respect of the principle of “informed free choice” enables the beneficiary (or their representatives) to accept or reject the proposed activities at any moment before or during the activity.

Art 4

The service provider has to refer to the ethical and chronological context of the beneficiary’s care program. He/She works according to specific referentials which take into account the beneficiary’s experience, share his/her know-how and transmit what he/she has learned.

Art 5

The qualifications of the service provider are defined :

• by his/her professional and personal experience in the field he is assigned to: animation, educational, social, therapeutic or applied research programs.
• By official recognition by his/her experienced peers of his/her competence to leed AAA programs

Art 6

According to the points specified in the preceeding articles of the present charter, the service provider may have any one of the following qualifications. He/she may be:

• a service provider of the AAA
• an animal mediation service provider
• an animal assisted therapist

Art 7

In general the service provider refers to the principles published by national, European and international legislation concerning the respect of fundamental human rights. The care-giver respects the ethical rules, regulations and customs of “best practice” in his/her area of competence. If a set of ethical rules is lacking in his/her particular area of competence, he must remain discreet and never perform activities outside their qualifications and their skills.

Art 8

The service provider is responsible for the choice, the training and the possible education of the animals participating in the AAA program. He/She is also in charge of the wellbeing and of any sanitary followup required for the said animal. He/She respects the specific hygienic conditions in the place of his/her practice. He also respects the principles of IAHAIO’s charters of Geneva, Prague and Rio.

Art 9

In the interest of the beneficiary, the service provider is also responsible for the proper choice of the type of animal (including the animal’s personality) participating in the program as well as for stating the expected beneficial outcomes for the patient. He/She must also specify the nature of the activities envisaged and the practical means of making sure they can occur. The length and frequency of each session must be specified. An evaluation must be written up with a view to, eventually, integrating any facts or data learned within the overall, systemic, bio-psycho-social dimension.

Art 10

The service provider is well informed of and respects the sanitary, legal and insurance rules and regulations of his/her practice; or he/she works with teams and/or other organisms that do so.

Art 11

Along with his/her potential partners (organisms, institutions associations…), the service provider makes a commitment to follow and to apply the articles of the current charter and to inform beneficiaries, members of their family, colleagues and the wider public of its existence.

Art 12

The articles of the present charter form the basis of the different practices of the AAA. They must be completed by exhaustive and contractual documents which serve as a commitment for the different parties involved. These documents will be adapted according to the context of each case within the framework of the AAA, taking into account the following:

• the competence and qualifications of the service provider,
• the profile of the person or group who will benefit,
• the type of the animal involved,
• the objective to be achieved,
• the context, the framework and the means employed in each program and any other specific reference documents of the particular case.