STANDARDS & CREDENTIALS

A Working Animals Federation of Australia (WAFA) accreditation is a professional credential indicating that you have met specific standards and requirements designed to develop and refine your skills.

Our Working Animals Federation of Australia (WAFA) Credential is a professional certification that verifies that you are dedicated to upholding strong principles of ethical behaviour whilst showing your clients or peers that you are committed to the assistance animal industry and to developing yourself as a professional.

Earn Your Accreditation with Working Animals Federation of Australia: A Pathway to Quality and Trust

Join the Working Animals Federation of Australia’s (WAFA) esteemed accreditation program for a one-time fee and embark on a journey towards excellence. Our accreditation process is not just a badge of honour, but a testament to your commitment to the highest standards of animal welfare and professionalism in the industry.

To maintain your accreditation, we require annual fulfilment of certain requirements and continued membership with WAFA. This not only ensures your commitment to quality but also keeps you updated with the latest best practices in the industry.

The Gold Standard for Assistance Animals
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The Gold Standard for Therapy Animals
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The Gold Standard for Detection Animals
Coming Soon

Why Choose WAFA Accreditation?

 

  1. Third-Party Independent Proof of Quality: Our accreditation serves as an independent proof of your quality and credibility. It’s a seal of trust that your clients will recognise and appreciate.

  2. Competitive Advantage: In a competitive industry, our accreditation gives you an edge. It demonstrates your commitment to the highest standards, helping you stand out from the crowd.

  3. Continuous Improvement: Our accreditation pathway is based on the highest standards available worldwide. But we don’t stop there. We continuously strive to improve our standards, ensuring you’re always at the forefront of industry developments.

Join us today and let your journey towards excellence begin with WAFA accreditation.

What Does it Take to Earn Accreditation?

Earning a WAFA accreditation is a rigorous process that provides legitimacy and credibility to Credential-holders. Each of the credentials (AA,TA, DA) requires the same five key components:

Education

  • Obtain education aligned with the working animals and the role you play alongside your working animals. Each level of certification has minimum education requirements to uphold.

Experience

  • To attain each level of credential, you must hold:
  • A certain amount of experience working with animals within your relevant field, which is quantified in hours.
  • Adhere to operating standards proven through things like, your practice policies and procedures, training methods, forms etc.
  • Hold active insurance

Mentor Coaching & Ongoing Professional Development

  • Receive mentor coaching to strengthen your skills within the credentialing standards.

Performance Evaluation & Exam

  • Pass a performance evaluation(s) that assesses your skills against our credentials.

What is the Accreditation Process?

Evaluate Your Education and Experience

The education you’ve already started or completed, coupled with how much experience you have in working with animals, can help you decide which Credential to pursue and what application path you will use to apply.

Gather or otherwise make a note of all the working with animal-specific education you plan to use toward credentials. Locate the program certificate(s) from the program(s) you have completed, as you will need to upload a copy into your credential application.

Identify the best credential for you

Once you’ve gathered or noted the education and work experience hours you have completed with animals within your specified field, you may complete the Credential Path Survey. This survey will walk you through your education and coaching experience to help you understand for which credential level and application path you are eligible to apply.

At the conclusion of the survey, the credential level and path will be indicated and you will have access to review the required elements to be included in that application. Or, if you’re ready to apply, you will be able to create an application at the level indicated by the survey. Based on your responses to the survey, you will be directed to any one of the following:

Gather your Accreditation evidence & Apply

You will need to upload into your application a copy of your education certificate(s) from the working animal education program(s) you have completed. The certificates may be a PDF file or an image file, such as JPEG or PNG.