Sponsor bio page for ACV

Bio

The animal charity sector in the UK is large and many veterinary professionals in the UK apply the principles of shelter medicine their daily work. This type of work has its own contexts and challenges, so the Shelter & Charity Veterinary Association (SCVA) aims to provide a voice and a support network for veterinary professionals working this area. This includes those working for a charity, those in private practice providing services or advice for a charity, those dealing with cases where the funding does not come entirely from the owner, and those carrying out research into issues faced by the sector. With our collective power, we can work together to generate and implement evidence-based (shelter) medicine, share information and skills, encourage and facilitate Continuing Professional Development, encourage a critical, pragmatic and ethical approach to decision making, lobby decision makers, and represent the views of colleagues working in this sector to the wider veterinary profession, government and public. Ultimately, it is hoped that the SCVA will be a driving force in shelter and charity practice becoming recognised as a distinct speciality in the UK. If you would like to read our constitution you can find that here. ​​ Since the millennium, a consensus had been building amongst a number of vets working in the major animal welfare charities and in some universities that it would be desirable to form an Association of Charity Vets (ACV). In 2010, an ad hoc committee was formed and in the ensuing years the ACV was born! The ACV is affiliated with BSAVA and has a volunteer committee of 11 people. ​In 2024, members voted to change the name of the group to Shelter & Charity Veterinary Association.