Community Rehoming Volunteer - Animal lovers who live locally who can provide a temporary home for our dogs and cats until they find a loving family of their own.
Volunteer Role Title: Community Rehoming Volunteer - Cats
We are looking for Foster Carers in the Ashford (Kent), Basingstoke and Guildford areas who can provide a temporary home for our dogs and cats until they find a loving family of their own.
We are looking to recruit volunteers from the following postcode areas but will consider applicants who are close to but are outside of these areas:
Ashford: TN23-30
Basingstoke: RG 21-29
Guildford: GU1-12, 14-17 and 21-24
Why does Battersea need Community Rehoming Volunteers for cats?
Community Rehoming Volunteers provide an additional way for Battersea to help more cats in their journey to reach their new home. By looking after Battersea cats in their home, a Community Rehoming Volunteer will help them by providing for their welfare needs, creating new rehoming opportunities where Battersea’s current centres pose a barrier e.g. travel, opening hours etc, and spreading the word about rehoming in their local community.
This role is suitable for people who are interested in both caring for cats that are available for rehoming and helping them find homes in their local community. If you are interested in caring for cats but would prefer to not be involved in the rehoming side, then our foster carer role may be more suitable for you.
Please be aware that we are looking for volunteers who are actively interested in caring for cats on a temporary basis and helping them find a permanent home. This role is different to rehoming a pet yourself. If you are interested in rehoming a cat, please visit https://www.battersea.org.uk/cats/how-to-rehome-a-cat
What would I be doing?
• Providing temporary shelter to a Battersea cat in your home and looking after its welfare needs (all food and equipment will be provided by Battersea) until it finds a loving home
• Monitoring the cat’s health and behaviour and providing weekly updates to Battersea. In some cases, members of Battersea staff may want to visit the cat in your home.
• Following any Battersea Care Plans in place for the cat
• Providing photos and videos of the cat to support their rehoming
• Playing a key role in finding a home for the cat in your care e.g. attending organised events to promote rehoming, sharing social media posts, talking to members of the public about the cat in your care, displaying rehoming flyers in suitable locations in your local community, completing customer registrations for individuals interested in rehoming.
• Actively promoting Battersea and its key educational messages in your local community
• Welcoming prospective new owners into your home, sometimes at short notice, to meet the cat and learn more about their care. Members of the public would always be accompanied by a member of Battersea’s staff.
• Supporting the rehoming process as required by the Animal Network Officer
• There may be the occasional need to transport the cat in your care to a local vet practice or Battersea centre for veterinary attention
What skills would be useful?
• Experience with looking after cats would be beneficial. However, a willingness to listen to advice and follow care plans is most important.
• Capable of writing observations and keeping accurate records
• Good spoken and written English
• Confidence in meeting and communicating with a wide range of people
• Open mindedness and a willingness to follow instructions and training
• Ability to use a computer, tablet or smartphone and comfortable with using social media
• Confident with taking photographs and or videos with a camera/smartphone
• Flexibility and a willingness to take on animals or be available for rehoming appointments, sometimes at short notice and likely at weekends or during evenings
• Emotional resilience
Is there anything else I should consider?
We are looking for individuals who:
• Live in or close to the Community area
• Have availability during evenings and weekends to support rehoming appointments
• If they have children in the household, are at least eight years of age
• Have a spare room in the home
• Have no other cats and dogs in the home
• Have their own transport or access to a vehicle
What support, training and skills would I get?
• An induction about the work of Battersea, and its policies and processes that are relevant to your role, such as rehoming
• Training on general cat behaviour and how to care for a cat in your home, including Battersea’s feline welfare and stress management procedures
• Ongoing support from the Animal Network Officer and Communities Manager
• Battersea branded uniform if you will be supporting any local events
• Support to act as an ambassador for Battersea in your community
• Regular updates on the work of Battersea in your community
• References provided by Battersea where appropriate
Where would I be volunteering?
• In your home and in your local community
What commitments would I need to make?
• This would be dependent on whether you have a cat in your home at any given time. When caring for a cat you would need to provide daily care throughout the entire time the cat is living in your home.
• Due to the time required to recruit and train new volunteers, we ask for a minimum commitment of six months to this role.
What is the recruitment process like?
Once we have completed this form, we will contact you for an informal chat and to answer any questions you may have. We will then ask you to provide a video of your home environment so we can check it is safe for our animals. We will then invite you to attend an induction session.
We are dedicated to providing reasonable adjustments and alleviating any stress during the recruitment process for those with physical and neuro diversities, whether this is adjusting environments, sensory preferences, answering questions or adapting communication styles. If you require adaptive support with your application, please email batterseacommunities@battersea.org.uk. Any declaration of any disabilities or differences will be treated confidentially and compassionately.
