Hours: Variable | Location: Home-based

Volunteer Foster Carer

Becoming a foster carer means that you are providing invaluable support for neglected, abandoned and unwanted animals who really need time and care in a home environment until they join their new family.

Overview

We rely on fosterers to provide temporary homes for the animals in our care.  Fostering an animal can help them recover from neglect, abuse, illness or injury  – taking the first steps towards finding a new, loving forever home.

When you foster an animal you’ll also be freeing up space at our animal centre so that we can rescue more animals in need of our help.

We try to rehome our animals as quickly as possible, but if they are involved in a prosecution case we could have them in our care for long periods. Some animals need one-to-one care or perhaps don’t cope well in an animal centre environment and this is where our team of fantastic fosterers come in.

Our animals do have different requirements, as whilst some are ready for rehoming or only need a foster home for a short period others may require rehabilitation, ongoing medication or long-term fostering whilst an animal welfare prosecution is underway. Therefore, we also aim to understand your situation and circumstances to ensure that we match you with your perfect foster animal.

From lonely pooches and moggies, expectant mums and puppies or kittens, to old and recovering animals, we have a range of animals in need of foster care.

Main duties and responsibilities

  • Care for all the animal’s needs – feeding, walking, grooming, training, socialising, record keeping

  • Play a part in the rehoming process by providing photos, videos and regular updates via email

  • Able to get to the animal to our animal centre or consulting vets to attend clinic or rehoming appointments

Requirements for the role

  • Compassionate, empathetic and adaptable to the needs of the individual animal you are fostering

  • For cat fostering, a secure spare room available in your home as accommodation for the cat

  • For dog fostering, we are looking for minimal/low time alone for the foster dog. You will need to be able to spend a good part of the day with your foster dog whilst building up their confidence in being left home alone.

  • A secure, safe, fenced outdoor space is also required for those fostering dogs.

  • Any existing dogs and cats will need to have been neutered and vaccinated (unless this cannot be done for a medical reason, in which case please let us know).

  • Own transport to take the foster animal to the animal to the animal centre and/or our consulting vets, sometimes at short notice

  • Live within one hour of the animal centre

  • Everyone living with the foster animal should be in agreement with fostering an animal

  • Ability to follow instructions and comply with RSPCA policies and procedures

Apply online

For further information about this role, please contact us via email at volunteering@chesterfield-rspca.org.uk or telephone 01246 273358.

Frequently asked questions about fostering

Animal fostering is an important role. It helps to play a vital part in the rehabilitation of animals and helps improve their chance of finding a new home.

Many animals that we take in have either suffered or are not used to the care and affection they deserve. Living with a foster family helps to provide them with one-to-one care,  allowing them to build up their confidence and get used to a normal lifestyle.

Other animals don’t cope well in an animal centre environment, or need to remain in our care for a long period of time whilst legal proceedings take place. This is where we need fosters to take them in to provide them with a real home, even if it is only on a temporary basis.

The length of their stay depends on the individual animal.  Some may only need a foster home for a few days or weeks, while others may need a few months. Once an animal is in a foster home, they will generally stay there until they’re adopted.

All you need to provide is love and care. We provide all the food and equipment you’ll need and cover the cost of authorised veterinary bills while the animal is in your care. You will also be covered under our third-party insurance.  

The only things we can’t cover are the cost of journeys to and from the animal centre and vets and any damage to property such as carpets or furniture.

We’ll ask you to bring your foster animal to the animal centre or our consulting vets for vet visits and to meet potential adopters. How often will depend on an animal’s vet needs and the requests to meet them. If the animal has pre-existing health issues, it’s possible that a vet may want to see the animal weekly so that they can be closely monitored.

As your foster animal may need to visit the rehoming centre or our vets regularly, we look for fosterers who live within an hour’s journey of our animal centre and have their own car.

We will work with you to arrange fostering around your holiday dates. If you have a foster animal in your home and need to go away, we’ll do our best to make suitable arrangements. Giving us as much notice as possible of your holiday dates will help us make alternative arrangements whilst you’re away. Foster animals can’t be taken on holiday with you.

After adoption, if the animal’s new family send updates to the animal  centre, we may be able to pass these on to you. But we can’t share contact details and don’t advise that foster carers and adopters exchange details. Based on our experience, it can be upsetting for both parties and the animal.

We will welcome your input in the adoption process by asking  you to provide photos, videos and feedback on the foster animal that we can share with a potential new owner. However, you will not be able to take part in deciding the type of home suitable for the animal, selecting the new owner or the home visiting process.

Meetings between the animal and potential adopters take place at our animal centres.  We take data protection seriously and you will never be asked to share details with potential adopters.

Working full time shouldn’t prevent you from fostering adult cats, but puppy, kitten and dog fostering depends on your working hours and flexibility.

Dogs usually require plenty of time to settle in and may not be able to cope with being left alone for long periods of time. You will need to be able to spend a good part of the day with your foster dog whilst building up their confidence in being left home alone. 

Puppies and kittens will require someone to be at home most of the day to give them the supervision and socialisation they require. Younger animals will also require more frequent feeding than adult animals.

You cannot take your foster animal to work with you or to a doggy day care.

This will depend on the needs of the individual animal. Some animals will be able to live with families with young children, and some won’t. Our animal care team will discuss this with you and decide on a case-by-case basis.

We prioritise placements based on the needs of an animal, so we’re looking for carers who can be flexible about the animal they foster. Our animal care team will always discuss an animal with you to ensure you are happy looking after them before placing them in your home.

In some cases you can foster if you have other animals in the home. If you have existing dogs or cats they must be fully vaccinated and neutered. It isn’t always practical to place dogs in homes with other animals as many of our dogs come to us without a home history, meaning we won’t always have an accurate picture of how they will interact with other animals. Our animal care team will discuss this with you and decide on a case-by-case basis.

Ideally, we’re looking for fosterers who are happy to dedicate their time to help multiple animals who need time away from the animal centre. But foster carers can adopt a foster animal so long as they express this interest before another suitable adopter does and you meet the adoption requirements for that animal.