Systems Change
We are working for a future where people and pets are supported to thrive.
Cherished Pets works at a direct services level to provide accessible and equitable veterinary care to all people and their companion animals, and at a systems change level to deliver integrated human and animal welfare services and solutions to end cycles of disadvantage linked to veterinary care in Australia.
To achieve our goal of fostering a flourishing human-animal bond for all, Cherished Pets works on two levels:
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Direct Support: We provide disadvantaged individuals with companion animals access to equitable veterinary services and pet care, enabling the benefits of a thriving human-animal bond. This bond leads to more inclusive and socially connected communities.
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Systems Change: We address the disconnection between animal welfare and human social services by delivering accessible, and effective interconnected veterinary and social support for disadvantaged people, ensuring that the health and wellbeing of both animals and people are supported.
Our direct services and systems change interventions connect and complement each other to create wide-scale change underpinned by the benefits of the human-animal bond.
Shaping the Future of Veterinary and Social Services
Seeing systems is the first step to changing systems and Cherished Pets has developed solutions and evidence of impact supporting people and their pets. We’ve identified that society needs services that work at the intersection of human and animal health and we need to offer solutions to alleviate the significant challenges impacting vulnerable and disadvantaged people who have companion animals.
Our vantage point has uncovered that by enhancing the health and wellbeing of pets and their owners, it contributes to the economic wellbeing of communities, mitigates strain on human and animal welfare organisations, and supports social cohesion.
Our adoption of a systems change approach is deeply rooted in our belief that inequalities exist because the animal and human welfare systems are not interconnected, and therefore fail to provide the necessary veterinary care and social support for all people and their pets.
We believe that sharing information and skills multiplies impact. Through our first Roundtable in November 2023 we asked our network across the animal and human social service sectors to consider their vision for interconnected social and veterinary services centered around the human-animal bond. We have gained momentum, with 36 Social Hearted community partners and 50 individuals at the first Roundtable, each collaborating and advocating for systemic solutions to the social problems we see. We aim to expand our collaborations, convene workshops, research, measurement, catalyse government interest and support, and unlock philanthropic capital.
Working together to drive positive change
Creating the conditions to help people overcome disadvantage requires collaboration beyond any single organisation.
Cherished Pets is leading an initiative to unite communities across both animal welfare and human health sectors to create solutions to catalyse systemic improvements.
The power of collaboration is immense and the problems we seek to solve are too big to tackle alone.
The human and animal support services sectors urgently need to break out of our siloes and increase our collective ambition to support the health and wellbeing of pets and their owners to contribute to the economic wellbeing of communities, mitigate strain on human and animal welfare organisations, and support healthier, socially connected communities.
We need to achieve equity by providing tailored support to address the unique challenges faced by marginalised people with pets and rectify systemic issues to ensure equal access to services and opportunities for support.
By working together and finding innovative ways to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of combined animal welfare and human welfare services and support, we can better target services to those most in need. This ensures that high quality service provision is accessible, affordable and equitable for all Australians and leads to improved outcomes for individuals, companion animals, and the economy.
The time is now
More than ever, the time is now to create a better world by enabling a flourishing human-animal bond.
We invite values-driven, ambitious partners and donors to help us deepen our approach, expand our model, measure our collective impact, encourage new donors, support our engagement with government, and grow our capacity to enable sustained, systems-level change.
We have a bold and appropriate strategy for supporting all people in crisis and pets at risk with pathways out of disadvantage. Please join us.
Express your interest and join our Mailing List by contacting Sarah Waddle sarah@cherishedpetcare.com.au
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We've Started a Conversation
On Friday 24th November 2023, 45+ people gathered together to progress a conversation that has been bubbling along across all corners of our world for a very long time and it is now gathering momentum. A vital conversation that will have a ripple effect across our society. The question: “How do we move towards a shared vision of a society where the human animal bond is valued for the vital role it plays in healthy, thriving and connected individuals and communities”. Read more ...
Summer. Systems. Strategy
Our reflections on the Roundtable have revealed a profound sense of duty to both the veterinary and social services sectors, as well as to the broader community - encompassing both the humans and animals we seek to support. This compels us to lead the conversation in shaping a secure future through meaningful dialogue and action. Read more ...
Horizons of Change
We continue to be deep into applying systems thinking to address the societal problems linked to veterinary and social care that we are seeing first-hand at Cherished Pets and Social Hearted Vet. Guiding our work and shaping our approach to promote holistic health and wellbeing for people and companion animals is the three horizons model, One Health and One Welfare, and the Five Domains of Animal Welfare, developed by Professor David Mellor as a scientific approach to evaluate animal welfare and promote positive outcomes. We need to stop using a ‘band-aid’ model of care and invest in creating new solutions. Read more ...
