Fostering is highly rewarding and the more you put in the more you get back. Fostering involves taking an animal into your home and caring for its needs until a furever home can be found. Most animals will come in to us scared and they will need a stable routine. We try to match up animals to suitable foster homes as best as we can and keep in regular contact with our foster homes to enable animals to find their furever homes as soon as possible. We are there to support our foster carers 24 hours a day via social media, email and phone. We aim to make regular visits to foster homes to offer our support with grooming, advice and handling. It is important to us that we ensure our foster carers feel involved and supported within a community of animal lovers.
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Expectations

What you should expect from us:
  • 24-hour support.
  • One to one support from your supervising co-ordinator.
  • Community/group support from other fosterers/volunteers.
  • Social media support and education provided.
  • Home visits and hands on support.
  • Vet care from pre-approved vets paid for.
  • Accommodation provided if needed/available.
  • Food and bedding provided to foster homes only when donations by the public are made, this is occasional and should not be relied upon as a regular income.
  • Regular communications from your supervising co-ordinator or other senior BRRAF members.
  • We will not over load you or give you more than you can cope with.
  • Data protection.
  • To be treated with respect.
  • All questions, worries and concerns taken seriously.
  • To pass on knowledge and experiences.

What we expect from you:
  • Regular and detailed updates about foster animals including photos and videos.
  • To be able to take foster animals to vet trips and organise these in a timely manner so that animals are not waiting unnecessarily.
  • To notify us before/during/after all vet appointments.
  • To meet the needs of the animal in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act (5 freedoms: from hunger and thirst, from discomfort, from pain, injury or disease, to express natural behaviours, from fear and distress).
  • To take advice from supervising co-ordinators on appropriate diet, accommodation, products and items to use with the animals.
  • To provide appropriately sized accommodation guided by RWAF.
  • To provide appropriate diet in line with RWAF guidelines.
  • To provide love, care, understanding and compassion.
  • To provide a high standard cleaning regime.
  • Compliancy to arrange the regular health care checks.
  • Never give or sign over our foster animals to any other person or rescue centre.
  • To notify us of any changes to personal details or changes within the home/family members.
  • To behave appropriately and with respect.
  • Be proactive and motivated to learn and educate yourself around rabbit welfare.
  • To give us notice if you wish to end fostering or need holiday cover.
  • BRRAF is able to terminate the foster contract at anytime and animals to be returned to BRRAF safely and in good health.

Foster Policy and Procedures

​Foster Policy and Procedures
We would like to thank you on behalf of the animals for deciding to foster for Bristol Rabbit Rescue. In order to ensure safe and long-lasting foster placements for our animals we have set out the following policies and procedures. Please be aware of these in addition to the ‘foster agreement’ of which you will sign prior to fostering.

Policy
As BRRAF is currently a foster home based rescue it is the policy of BRRAF to place animals into suitable foster homes with knowledgeable foster carers until a ‘forever home’ can be found.
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Procedures
To ensure the policy is met the following procedures have been put in place:
  • All foster carers must have completed a ‘Foster application form’.
  • All foster carers must read and sign a ‘Foster agreement’ prior to fostering.
  • All foster carers must be over 18 years old.
  • All foster carers must own their own home OR have written consent from their landlord.
  • All foster carers must be financially stable and understand the cost involved with fostering.
  • All foster placements are at sole discretion of BRRAF, animals can be removed at any time.
  • All foster carers must understand that any property of BRRAF that is lent to enable fostering should be returned when fostering agreement finishes. i.e sheds, runs, carriers, toys etc.
  • All foster carers are subject to a home check prior to fostering, these are continued every 3 months during the fostering period. We would give you a minimum of 1 weeks’ notice prior to these checks.
  • All foster carers must contact us at least every 4 weeks to give an update on our animals, we would like this to include photos, videos and text information. This is key to animals finding homes.
  • All foster carers must be aware of their own limitations and should not take on any more animals than they can cope with.
  • All foster carers must be aware of the five acts of freedoms associated with the animal welfare act 2006 and care for the animal(s) accordingly.
  • The foster carer must agree to ensure all animals and humans (especially children) are kept safe from risk and injury.
  • Should foster carers go on holiday the rescue must be notified and aware of care plans put in place for the animal(s). Reasonable notice must be given.
  • All foster carers and animals will be matched by ourselves according to the details you have given us, you have the right to decline any animal.
  • The foster carer, in conjunction with a rehoming coordinator will ensure all pets are neutered, vaccinated, parasite treated and in good health prior to rehoming. This includes being available to take them to regular vet appointments to keep in line with our 6 week surrender to adoption timescale.
  • When an animal(s) is ready for rehoming, foster carers will always be given the opportunity to adopt. Although please be aware adoption standards need to be adhered to and these are different to foster requirements.
  • If foster carers no longer wish to or are unable to care for the animal(s), they must make them available to new foster carers and provide a suitable handover. Unless in an emergency situation, foster carers must give 14 days notice to BRRAF.
  • All fostered pets remain under ownership of BRRAF at all times until placed in their ‘furever’ home and paperwork completed.