Pioneering animal welfare practices awarded

16.09.11

Pioneering local authorities and housing providers from throughout England and Wales have been recognised in the RSPCA’s annual award scheme for innovative organisations.

The number of entries to the RSPCA Community Animal Welfare Footprints (CAWF) scheme - which has become a recognised seal of approval for local authorities and housing providers pioneering new methods of tackling animal welfare issues - was again at its highest since the launch in 2008.

About CAWF

The RSPCA CAWF scheme has four categories:

• stray dogs
• housing
• animal welfare principles
• contingency planning.

Each category has gold, silver or bronze footprints awarded depending on the level of service provided by the authority or organisation.

Five innovator awards are also presented for the entries the judges consider to be the most pioneering.

Innovator Award winners

This year's winners of the Innovator in Animal Welfare Award are:

• Eastleigh Borough Council
• Lincolnshire County Council
• Middlesbrough Council
• Newport City Council
• Affinity Sutton Housing.

Eastleigh Borough Council was named the English District Council Innovator winner for its excellent work in tackling the issue of inappropriate horse tethering, which posed both animal welfare and public safety issues in the borough.

The winner of the English County Council Innovator Award is Lincolnshire County Council for their extensive work on a flood emergency plan, based on two years' worth of development with all sectors from enforcement to farming.

The use of Facebook to help reunite owners with their stray dogs, and to find potential new homes for unwanted strays, saw Middlesbrough Council named the English Unitary Council Innovator. The judges praised the entry as an example of a simple, but extremely effective and well managed, idea.

Newport City Council has been crowned winner of the Welsh Unitary Council Innovator Award for its entry which addresses the economic and welfare issues associated with kennelling stray dogs. The initiative seeks to work with the prison service and police to identify unclaimed strays that have the potential to make good working dogs in those services. Although in its infancy, the scheme has already achieved some success and given some dogs a new life.

Affinity Sutton Housing - a long-standing supporter of CAWF, winning Housing Footprint awards since its launch in 2008 - was handed the title of Housing and Multi-agency Innovator this year. As well as developing pet policies and information on matters such as responsible dog ownership, Affinity Sutton Housing has also actively worked with partner organisations to assist with microchipping and targeted neutering. It has also encouraged other housing providers to take animal welfare seriously by speaking at events and conferences.

Scheme supported by professional bodies

The Chartered Institute of Environmental Health (CIEH) and Trading Standards Institute have also given their official support to the awards, for the third year running.

Bob Mayho, principal policy officer from the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health, said he was impressed by the holistic approach taken by many of the entries, especially where multiple agencies and organisations have been involved. He said:

In the current period of austerity, where local authorities, public bodies and charities are struggling to make ends meet, the collective approach to service provision, innovation and problem solving, epitomised by many of the entries, is an example to all.

Jeremy Adams, lead officer for animal health and welfare for the Trading Standards Institute, has been a regular on the CAWF judging panel. He said:

The entries this year were of a very high standard.

I was very impressed with innovation used by the entrants in addressing and putting into practice new ways of improving the welfare of animals.

It was particularly pleasing, especially in these times when many local authorities have had to absorb major cuts to their resources, that they have enthusiastically looked at better ways of tackling animal welfare and been prepared to share good practice with others.

I do know that the past winners of the innovator awards have significantly raised the profile of animal welfare within their authorities.

I would encourage more local authorities to enter in the future as being recognised by the RSPCA brings much kudos.

 

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You can find out about all this year's winners and how to enter next year's awards in our Community Animal Welfare Footprints pages.
 

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