The Top Tails Institute operates on a safeguarding-first basis.

Duty of care applies to:

• Clients

• Therapy dogs

• Staff, volunteers, and partners

Safeguarding Principles

• Safety before service delivery

• Clear professional boundaries

• Informed consent and ongoing review

• Least-risk, least-intrusive intervention

Ethical Boundaries

• No dual relationships

• No informal or unsupervised therapy

• No work beyond assessed competence

• No compromise of animal welfare

Risk Management

• Pre-service assessment

• Ongoing monitoring

• Documented decision-making

• Clear escalation and withdrawal procedures

The Institute retains full professional accountability at all times.