Volunteer you and your dog at Delta Society (LINK)
April 12th 2008 08:09
At the end of June Delta Society (Sydney) are having a day to assess if your dog is suitable to be a Delta Dog. It is rewarding going into a hospital or nursing facility with your dog, and there is usually a group of you going in so also a social occasion. The smiles of the kids in Sydney Children's Hospital when I went to observe how Delta Society operated were something special to experience.
From their webpage: ps much more information when you click on their link above
Volunteers are recruited in a number of ways, sometimes following local or national publicity about the program, often because they hear about the program through local networks. They are asked to apply in writing and submit an application for a police (criminal record) check which is conducted for Delta by the Australian Federal Police free of charge. This clearance is essential for any volunteer who will be working with children or visiting residents in aged care.
The protocols for the dogs' temperament and behaviour assessment are detailed in the Delta manual. They include reactions to exuberant and clumsy petting, angry yelling, staggering and gesturing, being bumped from behind, held by a stranger, crowded and petted, all situations that are likely to be encountered at some time during a visit. At the same time the evaluators are asked to gauge the overall sociability of the team and to assess the level of trust and understanding between the dog and the volunteer. The assessments are rigorous and there is always some disappointment for owners whose dogs fail to ‘make it’.
Volunteers whose dogs have been passed by the evaluators are invited to a one day training seminar, usually conducted the following week, and on completion are asked to sign a simple but formal performance agreement with the Society. At this stage they are issued with a photo identification badge of volunteer and dog which must be worn at all times during a visit.
At 31st December 2007 almost six hundred Pet Partners (trained volunteers and their Delta accredited pet dogs) were visiting children's and adult hospitals, nursing homes, hostels, rehabilitation centres, mental health units, hospices, children with special needs and disabled residents in supported care every week.
They visit more than 300 health aged and supported care facilities in Adelaide, Hobart/Devonport, Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Wagga, Sydney (including Wollongong and the Central Coast), the Central West (Orange and Bathurst), Newcastle, Townsville and Brisbane on a regular weekly basis.
We have developed protocols for quality assurance which make Delta the leader in the field of Animal Assisted Interventions in Australia. Volunteers are asked to attend an induction session at which their dogs are assessed for temperament and suitability. They then undertake a weekend training seminar and, on successful completion of this program, Pet Partners are issued with Delta accreditation, including photo ID of the volunteer and the dog, and matched to a facility in their area.
Increasingly, selected Pet Partner teams will receive additional training to participate in demonstration projects in selected hospital wards and units. They will work with rehabilitation specialists, psychologists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists on a one-to-one basis with patients to achieve defined goals and objectives in patient rehabilitation or treatment.
From their webpage: ps much more information when you click on their link above
Volunteers are recruited in a number of ways, sometimes following local or national publicity about the program, often because they hear about the program through local networks. They are asked to apply in writing and submit an application for a police (criminal record) check which is conducted for Delta by the Australian Federal Police free of charge. This clearance is essential for any volunteer who will be working with children or visiting residents in aged care.
The protocols for the dogs' temperament and behaviour assessment are detailed in the Delta manual. They include reactions to exuberant and clumsy petting, angry yelling, staggering and gesturing, being bumped from behind, held by a stranger, crowded and petted, all situations that are likely to be encountered at some time during a visit. At the same time the evaluators are asked to gauge the overall sociability of the team and to assess the level of trust and understanding between the dog and the volunteer. The assessments are rigorous and there is always some disappointment for owners whose dogs fail to ‘make it’.
Volunteers whose dogs have been passed by the evaluators are invited to a one day training seminar, usually conducted the following week, and on completion are asked to sign a simple but formal performance agreement with the Society. At this stage they are issued with a photo identification badge of volunteer and dog which must be worn at all times during a visit.
At 31st December 2007 almost six hundred Pet Partners (trained volunteers and their Delta accredited pet dogs) were visiting children's and adult hospitals, nursing homes, hostels, rehabilitation centres, mental health units, hospices, children with special needs and disabled residents in supported care every week.
They visit more than 300 health aged and supported care facilities in Adelaide, Hobart/Devonport, Melbourne, Geelong, Ballarat, Bendigo, Wagga, Sydney (including Wollongong and the Central Coast), the Central West (Orange and Bathurst), Newcastle, Townsville and Brisbane on a regular weekly basis.
We have developed protocols for quality assurance which make Delta the leader in the field of Animal Assisted Interventions in Australia. Volunteers are asked to attend an induction session at which their dogs are assessed for temperament and suitability. They then undertake a weekend training seminar and, on successful completion of this program, Pet Partners are issued with Delta accreditation, including photo ID of the volunteer and the dog, and matched to a facility in their area.
Increasingly, selected Pet Partner teams will receive additional training to participate in demonstration projects in selected hospital wards and units. They will work with rehabilitation specialists, psychologists, physiotherapists and occupational therapists on a one-to-one basis with patients to achieve defined goals and objectives in patient rehabilitation or treatment.
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