Animal Welfare Policy
Organisation: From the Heart Energy Healing
Practitioner / Designated Animal Welfare Lead: Emma Randell, practising professionally as Emma Hunt
Professional Body: The International Institute of Complementary Therapists (IICT)
Membership Number: GB2597957191
Effective Date: 2 October 2026
Review Date: 1 October 2027
1. Framework & Legal Compliance
1.1 Purpose: The purpose of this policy is to protect all animals who receive energy healing sessions from From the Heart Energy Healing (referred to in this document as ‘From the Heart’). This policy governs all remote complementary energy healing sessions provided to animals via email, telephone, or video call. Our practices strictly adhere to UK legislation and are firmly aligned with the professional standards and welfare guidelines set out by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), and the Blue Cross.
The Animal Welfare Act 2006: Under UK law, all animal owners and caretakers have a legal ‘duty of care' to provide for an animal’s five basic welfare needs: a suitable environment, a suitable diet, the ability to exhibit normal behaviour patterns, appropriate housing with or apart from other animals, and protection from pain, suffering, injury, and disease.
The Veterinary Surgery Act 1966: In strict accordance with RCVS regulations, only a registered veterinary surgeon can legally diagnose, treat, or perform surgery on an animal. Remote energy healing is offered exclusively as a supportive, non-invasive, complementary relaxation technique. It is not a replacement for professional veterinary medicine.
2. Booking Eligibility & Age Restrictions
2.1 Adult Bookings Only: To comply with standard UK commercial practices, all service bookings, appointments, and financial transactions must be formally submitted and completed by an adult aged 18 or over. Bookings submitted by individuals under the age of 18 will not be accepted.
2.2 Live Session Supervision: If a telephone or video session is booked for an animal, the person present with them on the call must be aged 18 or over. This individual must be the animal’s owner or an authorised person with legal permission to consent to their care and manage their environment during the session.
3. Animal Freedom & Autonomy (RSPCA & Blue Cross Best Practice)
3.1 Choice-Based Framework: Animals express their comfort and consent through subtle body language. To respect their legal right to exhibit normal behavioural patterns, this practice enforces a choice-based framework:
Choice-Based Healing: The animal must have complete freedom of movement during a session. They must never be restrained, cornered, or forced to remain near a camera, microphone, or computer screen.
Respecting Boundaries: If the animal chooses to walk away, sleep, or disengage, their physical boundaries will be fully respected. The session will either adapt asynchronously (purely at a distance) or be paused, ensuring no psychological stress, anxiety, or frustration is caused to the animal.
4. The Duty to Prevent Delay of Care
4.1 Animal Welfare Act 2006: Failing to seek prompt veterinary care for a sick, injured, or diseased animal is a criminal offense under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Distress: Remote sessions will be immediately refused, postponed, or cancelled if an animal is showing signs of acute illness, severe injury, or active physical distress.
Professional Veterinary Attention: The owner will be directed to seek professional veterinary attention immediately. Alternative therapies must never be used to delay, bypass, or substitute conventional medical intervention.
5. Veterinary Notification & Data Privacy
5.1 Routine Notification: To support integrated care, transparency, and the animal's continuous wellbeing, we will proactively contact the animal's registered veterinary practice as a matter of professional courtesy to let them know that a remote energy healing session/remote energy healing sessions are going to take place.
5.2 Strict Confidentiality: In compliance with the UK GDPR and professional business ethics, this notification serves strictly as an administrative update. We will never share any specific details, session notes, descriptions, or personal data regarding the animal or the owner with the veterinary practice without receiving the owner’s explicit, written consent.
6. Practitioner Welfare Escalation Protocol (Safeguarding Animals)
6.1 Ethical and Legal Obligations: From the Heart maintains a strict ethical and legal obligation to protect the welfare of the animals we work with. If, during a video call, telephone consultation, or email exchange, we become concerned that an animal’s essential needs are not being met, or if we witness signs of neglect, abuse, or preventable suffering, we will take the following sequential actions:
1. Immediate Intervention & Postponement: We will immediately pause or terminate the session if the environment or the owner's actions are actively causing stress, pain, or distress to the animal. If an animal is in immediate danger or we witness an active crime, we will immediately contact the emergency services (police) via 999.
2. Direct Guidance & Education: If the issue appears to stem from a lack of awareness or a misunderstanding of the animal's needs, we will gently and clearly discuss the welfare concern with the client and advise them to consult a vet or an animal welfare charity, such as the Blue Cross, for guidance.
3. Formal Reporting: If we observe clear signs of intentional cruelty, severe neglect, or an absolute refusal to seek necessary veterinary care for a suffering animal, we are legally and ethically bound to report the situation to enforcement authorities:
For animals in England and Wales: We will report the concern online via the official RSPCA 'Report a Concern' portal, or call the National RSPCA Cruelty Line at 0300 1234 999 (available from 8am to 6pm, 7 days a week).
For animals in Scotland: We will contact the Scottish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA) via their animal helpline (03000 999 999).
For animals in other countries: We will utilize the Animal Advocacy and Protection (AAP) platform or the World Animal Net (WAN) Directory to identify the appropriate regional enforcement body.
Relevant digital session records or practice management notes may be shared with authorised animal welfare enforcement officers if requested to protect the animal from ongoing harm.
7. Data Protection & Mandatory Deletion Rules (UK GDPR)
7.1 Secure Storage: All intake details, emergency contacts, intuitive observations, and session summaries are strictly confidential and stored securely within an encrypted, password-protected environment, via Kiku, our GDPR-compliant practice management software.
7.2 Insurance Mandated Retention: In strict compliance with From the Heart’s professional indemnity insurer (BGi.uk) and the UK Limitation Act 1980, all records for animals must be safely archived for 10 years following their last session.
7.3 Right to Erasure Limits: Because these retention periods are a binding insurance requirement to protect against long-tail professional liability claims, session records cannot be deleted or erased prior to the expiration of these mandatory timelines.
8. Professional Standards
8.1 DBS Clearance: Emma Randell, practising professionally as Emma Hunt, maintains an up-to-date Enhanced DBS (Disclosure and Barring Service) check.
8.2 Training: Emma Randell updates her animal welfare training regularly to stay compliant with UK best practices and professional expectations. Emma Randell has completed the following course and refreshes it every two years:
Understanding Animal Welfare in Violent Homes (Virtual College by Netex, 2026)
9. Whistleblowing and Allegations
9.1 Concerns about From the Heart: If an adult client or another professional has a concern about the practitioner or From the Heart’s practice:
Non-safeguarding related concerns can be raised directly with the practitioner, or through From the Heart’s complaints procedure, outlined in our Complaints Policy.
Any safeguarding allegation or concern raised suggesting that the practitioner has harmed an animal, or behaved in a way that indicates they are unsuitable to work with animals, cannot be investigated internally. The concern must be directed immediately to local animal welfare authorities, such as the RSPCA via the National RSPCA Cruelty Line (0300 1234 999, available from 8am to 6pm, 7 days a week) or their Report a Concern page, or to the police (999 in an emergency) if a crime may have happened.
9.2 Concerns about another Professional or Organisation: If the practitioner ever has concerns about another professional or organisation, they will raise them with the relevant animal welfare charity in their area, using the WAN Directory as required. The practitioner may also seek guidance or report concerns to the National RSPCA Cruelty Line at 0300 1234 999.
10. Accountability, Roles, and Policy Review
10.1 Animal Welfare Officer: The founder and principal practitioner of From the Heart, Emma Randell (practising professionally as Emma Hunt), holds ultimate responsibility for safeguarding governance, secure record retention, and statutory referrals.
10.2 Policy Review: This policy will be proactively reviewed annually to ensure alignment with any updates to UK safeguarding legislation, local authority guidelines, and remote digital safety best practices.
Date of Last Review: 2 October 2026
Date of Next Review: 1 October 2027
Signed: Emma Randell [Signed Electronically]
Role: Practitioner & Designated Animal Welfare Lead, From the Heart Energy Healing.
Date: 2 October 2026
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