Nederlandse Stichting Helpen met Paarden – Equitherapie
 

Leonardo da Vinci project on AMAT

Leonardo Da Vinci Project

A European qualification framework for practice and training in Animal Mediated Assistance and Therapy (AMAT)

The aim of this project, SHP  together with organizations from France, Belgium, Germany, Slovakia and Poland is as follows:
Our objectives are to build a multi-dimensional framework of contents, legal and organizational aspects of quality criteria . So we will also assist mental health organizations by giving them tools to compare different forms and competences in Animal Mediated Assistance (AMAT) in the different European countries.

Animal Mediated Assistance includes measures for educational, social, therapeutical or rehabilitative activities being carried out by professionals with the help of the animal as subject within the triangular process (the client, the animal and the professional undergo a relation on which the process is based).The involvement of the animal is supposed to be a sort catalysator within the intended process.

Further our work will result in European cooperation within lifelong training for AMAT.

According to the outcomes of the former Pegasus project dating from 2003 to 2005 and other studies there is no discussion about the efficiency of AMAT, if properly done according to well defined quality criteria. But because of the lack of an official framework for teaching an practice of AMAT in European countries and means of official quality control we cannot exploit those opportunities efficiently. Furthermore this deficiency disables the upcoming generation of well educated specialists in AMAT to establish themselves as professionals and to enable cooperation between specialists in practice, training and quality control within Europe. On the other side the outcomes of this project could be profit to the financial deciders an clients themselves making them able to distinguish between the different offers of practice in AMAT.

Wat are we going to do in this project

As examples for big problems is the fact that in AMA different professions are involved who have to undergo the training as an additional training to their basic profession and practice with clients without animals involved. Therefore we have to do with different basical assumptions at the beginning of the training and in practice we have to do with a lot of very different training programs differing from 3 days to three years. There is a broad variety in definition of competencies and methods partially scientifically well justified partially not.

To approach harmonization of practice, training and quality control of AMA we shall on the first place work on a diagnostical review of the concrete practices, competences, profiles and trainings in the involved partner countries. In the second place we shall make a summary of the problems issued from the diagnostical review. In the third place we aim to work out the common issues resulting from the above done activities. So that these issues can be reflected on and analyzed within thematic European groups to go in depth from international standpoint and goals for AMAT.

This will result in the main factors on which our competencies, practices and training objectives can be build on .These outcomes have to be published within the groups of practitioners, training organizations, decision makers and financing organizations aiming on the system of quality standards within the European Union (as those of EASPD –European Association for Service Providers for persons with disabilities- for care).

Therefore during the project it will be necessary to involve the decision makers and financing organizations in the different countries to guarantee a fitting place within the different mental health and educational and social systems of these countries for good practice of AMA.

We want to organize a presentation of our results such as proposals during a meeting of all groups of interest within the European Union such as politicians, financing organizations, medical health, mental health, social and educational services.

In the same time for the diffusion of our results and suggestions of a European framework for AMAT we will propose an internet Forum and information file in order to inform involved organizations and persons to emphasize the necessity of an official European regulation and to prepare the soil for realization of European quality standards for AMAT.
Notes of the partner meetings:
Notes of the working group Data Collection leaded by SHP
Lectures and products of SHP during the project
SHP asked the partners to adapt the presented folder before publishing at the 5th partner meeting (see final report):
  • SHP was not approving the produced folder because of bad and not equal representation of the practices
    in different countries and a lot of safety problems shown in the pictures. We carried out a
    survey in the Netherlands to argue evidence based arguments and wanted to present and discuss them with the partners at the 5th meeting in order to improve the folder together. (see final report and report of a student) We found that the folder did not represent at all the situation and quality and safety measures handled by our organization in the Netherlands. Finally the folder was published without our permission. So we asked to remove our logo and the only picture of SHP in it before publishing and distributing. Partners agreed, but unfortunately still the folder seems to be published with our logo and not permitted foto in it and photoraphs of unknown persons under the name of NL, whch are not representing the practice of working of Equitherpists SHP at all. We consider dissimination of this folder as very much misleading and damaging for the reputation of SHP and its quality standards,
  • Not approved folder and more information see more detaileed on Bad PR for AMAT
Photo's and description of meetings an activities at the homepage of SHP
Find some links to
Submission forms and questionnaires developed for this project:
  
Link to the submission forms for the survey carried out for this project
Questionnaires for survey "State of the Art in the partner countries"
Basic version of the questionnaire for practitioners and organizations working in AMAT
http://en.equitherapie.org/page/Leonardo-da-Vinci-partnership-
    • Photos of the LDV project
    • Meetings of the LDV project
    • Students taking part in the SHP equitherapists education and examinations

Klick through to the photopages
4 th LDV Meeting of partners at the HippoCampus trainings centre of SHP-E(NL)
SHP organized a 1 day workshop for partners and students
at the HippoCampus Training centre 7th october 2011
Aim: Introduction to the working methods of the SHP and training Equitherapie (SHP) and the certification system for quality assurance. Initial discussion with other colleagues (from the countries: France, Poland, Slovakia, Belgium Germany) about the differences and similarities of training in the expectation of our organizations to develop the EU framework.
Partners attending this workshop where:
France, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands (with students), Slovakia (with student)
During the first dinner of the meeting Ulrike THiel presented a slide show over the Netherlands made by Annet and Ulrike to give our partners an introduction to their inviting partner country
 
Link to the submission forms for the survey carried out for this project
  •  
Link to the submission forms for the survey carried out for this project
 
 
Basic version of the questionnaire for practitioners and organizations working in AMAT
  
 
Submission forms and questionnaires developed for this project:
Link to the submission forms for the survey carried out for this project
 
Questionnaires for survey "State of the Art in the partner countries"
 
Basic version of the questionnaire for practitioners and organizations working in AMAT
From here you can link to the internal pages for Members of the Partnership Project: The Dutch LDV team and the LDV group Data Collection
The aim of this project, SHP is partner together with organizations  from France, Belgium, Germany, Slovakia and Poland is as follows:
, :
 
Our objectives are to build a multi-dimensional framework of contents, legal and organizational aspects of quality criteria . So we will also assist mental health organizations by giving them tools to compare different forms and competences in Animal Mediated Assistance (AMAT) in the different European countries.

Animal Mediated Assistance includes measures for educational, social, therapeutical or rehabilitative activities being carried out by professionals with the help of the animal as subject within the triangular process (the client, the animal and the professional undergo a relation on which the process is based).The involvement of the animal is supposed to be a sort catalysator within the intended process.

Further our work will result in European cooperation within lifelong training for AMAT.

According to the outcomes of the former Pegasus project dating from 2003 to 2005 and other studies there is no discussion about the efficiency of AMAT, if properly done according to well defined quality criteria. But because of the lack of an official framework for teaching an practice of AMAT in European countries and means of official quality control we cannot exploit those opportunities efficiently. Furthermore this deficiency disables the upcoming generation of well educated specialists in AMAT to establish themselves as professionals and to enable cooperation between specialists in practice, training and quality control within Europe. On the other side the outcomes of this project could be profit to the financial deciders an clients themselves making them able to distinguish between the different offers of practice in AMAT.

 

 

 

 

 

Wat are we going to do in this project

As examples for big problems is the fact that in AMA different professions are involved who have to undergo the training as an additional training to their basic profession and practice with clients without animals involved. Therefore we have to do with different basical assumptions at the beginning of the training and in practice we have to do with a lot of very different training programs differing from 3 days to three years. There is a broad variety in definition of competencies and methods partially scientifically well justified partially not.

To approach harmonization of practice, training and quality control of AMA we shall on the first place work on a diagnostical review of the concrete practices, competences, profiles and trainings in the involved partner countries. In the second place we shall make a summary of the problems issued from the diagnostical review. In the third place we aim to work out the common issues resulting from the above done activities. So that these issues can be reflected on and analyzed within thematic European groups to go in depth from international standpoint and goals for AMAT.

This will result in the main factors on which our competencies, practices and training objectives can be build on .These outcomes have to be published within the groups of practitioners, training organizations, decision makers and financing organizations aiming on the system of quality standards within the European Union (as those of EASPD –European Association for Service Providers for persons with disabilities- for care).

Therefore during the project it will be necessary to involve the decision makers and financing organizations in the different countries to guarantee a fitting place within the different mental health and educational and social systems of these countries for good practice of AMA.

We want to organize a presentation of our results such as proposals during a meeting of all groups of interest within the European Union such as politicians, financing organizations, medical health, mental health, social and educational services.

In the same time for the diffusion of our results and suggestions of a European framework for AMAT we will propose an internet Forum and information file in order to inform involved organizations and persons to emphasize the necessity of an official European regulation and to prepare the soil for realization of European quality standards for AMAT.

The 4th meeting of partner organizations takes place at HippoCampus trainings centre / Cranendonk/ The Netherlands  6 th til 9th october 2011

About the 4th meeting
Registration for 4th meeting for partners in this project