Animal-assisted interventions (commonly abbreviated to AAI) is a general term used to describe a variety of ways of including animals in the rehabilitation or social care of people.

There is currently great interest in this area from health care practitioners and researchers, seeking to expand their approach in treating clients and to understand more about which client populations respond well to AAI, and under which conditions.

SCAS AAI activities

Over the last three decades SCAS has worked with its members, practitioners and researchers in the field to:

• Develop national standards and guidelines for the delivery of AAI
• Establish a network of practitioners and providers to share knowledge and exchange ideas
• Deliver good quality training courses
• Disseminate research and latest findings in the field
• Ensure high standards of animal welfare in the delivery of AAI
• Improve accessibility to AAI services and to enable the development of AAI programmes