LTC REQUIREMENTS

HOW TO GET THE 'LONG TERM CARE BADGE' IF YOU'RE A WILDLIFE RESCUER / REHABBER

[IF YOU'RE A SANCTUARY CENTRE]

ONE PREMISES (EVEN IF IT IS YOUR HOME) WHICH ACTS AS A SANCTUARY SPACE: WHERE ALL LONG TERM RESIDENTS ARE HOUSED.

[THIS SANCTUARY SPACE WOULD NEED TO MEET THE REQUIREMENTS TO HOLD A ‘LONG TERM CARE BADGE’]

CHECK OUT THE FULL WCB POLICY

Ask for a copy of the WCB pdf policy and read it through thoroughly.

WHO SHOULD PASS THE KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENT?

Any member of staff (paid or volunteer) in a Sanctuary Space who operates alone (without supervision/mentoring) must pass the knowledge assessment.

‘DIRECT SUPERVISION/MENTORING’ means that the member of staff meets the following profile...

- They are paired and overseen (by someone who takes full responsibility) by a Mentor/Supervisor.
- They are told what, how and when to feed: baby stepped through every process (and if a casualty requires medical treatment, they are reverted back to the physical care of the Mentor/Supervisor).

The Knowledge Assessment will just go through some possible cases with you. Eg...

What would you advise a member of the public to do if this [SPECIES] was exhibiting this [BEHAVIOUR]?
What food do you feed to [X] species?
What type of container does [X] species with [X] injury require?
What housing does [X] species require if they are pregnant?
Name two things you would look for when doing a visual assessment.

KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENT

Choose a date (and how) to do the online exam.

The Knowledge Assessments will take 30mins and be a WRITTEN assessment, with those Wildlife Rescues/Rehabbers that are applying for the Badge(s) picking one of a choice of Dates/Times and logging onto Zoom/Facebook Video Call so that everyone can be in same ‘room’ taking the assessment together. The papers will then be immediately marked.

(For those who wish it, there will be an option of a ‘face to face’ on Zoom/Facebook Video Call, with a Volunteer, who will write down your answers onto the assessment paper and then mark it).

VET VISIT

After the exam, organise a vet visit to your premises.

This is simply an advisory visit from your Vet to check out your premises and make any suggestions (if any are even needed) like (for those Rehabbers who are less experienced) how Prey & Predator should be situated and whether any containers need to be bigger/smaller etc. This is NOT an inspection but a supportive visit to help you to help UK wildlife.

Send the vet report over to WCB admins.

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SIGN THIS AGREEMENT

Sign & date this agreement to meet all of the requirements of the WCB policy. You will be placed on the 'WCB Holders Page' from the date of the signed document.

ONGOING ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSPARENCY

EVERY 2 MONTHS

This requirement has 2 goals: 1. To ensure the very best care of our UK wildlife casualties. 2. To build badly needed transparency and trust between our UK Wildlife Rescuers & Rehabbers.

Send an email (every 2 months) with the following...

A. Admission records for the last 2 months (nothing complicated, just what’s come in and why) - This is also a unique opportunity for research to create a hub of knowledge across the UK.... (Records can be made anonymous when published)...
B. Proof of working with a vets over the last 2 months. Just attach a picture of either.... Vet bill / Consult notes / Signed letter from vets etc... ? C. Notes for 1 of your cases - Admission info, plan of action for that animal and outcome. (Just to show that info is been kept about the casualties).

EVERY 6 MONTHS

6 MONTHLY VET VISITS AND TRANSPARENCY (FOR LONG TERM RESIDENTS)

A vet will be invited in every 6 months (by the Sanctuary Space) and assess and write a report that will be sent to the WCB Team (see the next page for an example of the Report)...

[It is also up to the vet’s discretion should they request to visit more often, especially if it is to monitor a particular wildlife casualty.]

The report will be for an overall flock/social group and the Vet will be in charge of deciding how they are grouped up for observation (and in these cases, for the larger sanctuaries, additional checks will be put in place to ALSO make sure that one to one care is being observed)...

[TO HELP VETS - WCB is creating a check list of things for vets to look for.]

Next to enclosures that have large social groups there should be Check Boards, asking volunteers to make a note of any casualty that is showing signs of certain behaviours (like stress/not eating/standing in a corner) so that that casualty receives more attention during the next vet visit. Each individual checklist will be species specific.

[ALL STAFF/VOLUNTEERS MUST SIGN A SHORT DOCUMENT (THAT WILL BE PROVIDED BY THE WCB TEAM AND SENT BACK TO THE WCB TEAM) CONFIRMING THAT THEY KNOW HOW/WHEN TO USE THE CHECK BOARDS, BEFORE THE BADGE IS GRANTED.]

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ANNUAL RENEWAL

[You need to renew the WCB annually, which means to go through the same process and prove 15hrs of CPD.]

[IF YOU'RE A WILDLIFE HUB]

A ‘HUB OF SANCTUARIES’

A CENTRAL WILDLIFE BASE THAT OUTSOURCES LONG TERM DISABLED CAPTIVES/NON-RELEASABLES TO FOSTERERS.

[THE CENTRAL BASE AND EVERY FOSTERER WOULD BE REQUIRED TO MEET THE MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS INDIVIDUALLY AND TO ALL HAVE THE BADGE, AS THOUGH THEY ARE SEPARATE UNITS]

CHECK OUT THE FULL WCB POLICY

Ask for a copy of the WCB pdf policy and read it through thoroughly.

WHO SHOULD PASS THE KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENT?

Any member of staff (paid or volunteer, in the Main Base OR at a Fosterer’s) in a Wildlife Sanctuary who operates alone (without supervision/mentoring) must pass the knowledge assessment.

‘DIRECT SUPERVISION/MENTORING’ means that the ‘Fosterer’ meets the following profile...

[WE ARE ALSO LOOKING AT AN OPTION FOR HUBS WHERE THEIR OWN CURRENT SET UP (THEIR OVERSEEING & MONITORING OF OFF-SITE FOSTERERS) IS SUBMITTED FOR WCB APPROVAL, AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE STIPULATIONS BELOW. THE WCB ADMIN TEAM WOULD THEN MAKE A BESPOKE ASSESSMENT OF EACH SET UP TO SEE IF WE FEEL THAT IT MEETS THE HIGH STANDARDS THAT WE REQUIRE, JUST IN A DIFFERENT WAY]

- They are paired and overseen (by someone who takes full responsibility) by a Mentor/Supervisor.
- They can take one or two animals MAXIMUM at any one time. They are rung twice a week (minimum, to check in) by a Mentor/Supervisor.
- They must send in monitoring sheets (that can be asked for on demand by the WCB team).
- They are told what, how and when to feed: baby stepped through every process (and if a casualty requires medical treatment, they are reverted back to the physical care of the Mentor/Supervisor).

The Knowledge Assessment will just go through some possible cases with you. Eg...

What would you advise a member of the public to do if this [SPECIES] was exhibiting this [BEHAVIOUR]? What is the correct treatment for [X] symptoms in [X] species?
What food do you feed to [X] species?
What type of container does [X] species with [X] injury require?
What housing does [X] species require if they are pregnant?
Name two things you would look for when doing a visual assessment.

KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENT

Choose a date (and how) to do the online exam.

(For those who wish it, there will be an option of a ‘face to face’ on Zoom/Facebook Video Call, with a Volunteer, who will write down your answers onto the assessment paper and then mark it).

VET VISIT

After the exam, organise a vet visit to your premises...

VET ‘ADVISORY’ VISIT TO THE MAIN BASE

HUB ‘OWNER’ CHECKS EVERY FOSTERER THAT WILDLIFE CASUALTIES ARE OUTSOURCED TO

The Hub Owner/Overseer is responsible for ensuring that EVERY single Fosterer has a high welfare set up, echoing (as much as possible) the layout in the main base, in terms of Predators & Prey.

The Owner/Overseer must EITHER visit the Fosterers and take dated photos (with that day’s newspaper in the picture) of the premises OR the Fosterer must take and email - to the Overseer - dated photos (with that day’s newspaper in the picture) of the premises, that are then sent to the Vets for them to OK (or to advise on any changes that need to occur) before they receive the Badge.

Send the vet report(s) over to WCB admins.

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SIGN THIS AGREEMENT

Sign & date this agreement to meet all of the requirements of the WCB policy. You will be placed on the 'WCB Holders Page' from the date of the signed document.

ONGOING ACCOUNTABILITY & TRANSPARENCY

EVERY 2 MONTHS

This requirement has 2 goals: 1. To ensure the very best care of our UK wildlife casualties. 2. To build badly needed transparency and trust between our UK Wildlife Rescuers & Rehabbers.

Send an email every 2 months with the following (FOSTERERS - WITH THEIR OWN WCB BADGE - WHO ARE PART OF A HUB MUST DO THIS TOO, INDIVIDUALLY)...

A. Admission records for the last 2 months (nothing complicated, just what’s come in and why) - This is also a unique opportunity for research to create a hub of knowledge across the UK.... (Records can be made anonymous when published)...
B. Proof of working with a vets over the last 2 months. Just attach a picture of either.... Vet bill / Consult notes / Signed letter from vets etc... ?
C. Notes for 1 of your cases - Admission info, plan of action for that animal and outcome. (Just to show that info is been kept about the casualties).

6 MONTHLY VET VISITS AND TRANSPARENCY (FOR LONG TERM RESIDENTS)

A vet will be invited in every 6 months (into the main Hub AND each Fosterers’ - who has their own Badge - location) and assess and write a report/reports that will be sent to the WCB Team (see the next page for an example of the Report)...

[It is also up to the vet’s discretion should they request to visit more often, especially if it is to monitor a particular wildlife casualty.]

[TO HELP VETS - WCB is creating a check list of things for vets to look for.]

Next to enclosures (at the Main Base AND at all fosterers) that have large social groups there should be Check Boards, asking volunteers to make a note of any casualty that is showing signs of certain behaviours (like stress/not eating/standing in a corner) so that that casualty receives more attention during the next vet visit. Each individual checklist will be species specific.

[ALL STAFF/VOLUNTEERS MUST SIGN A SHORT DOCUMENT (THAT WILL BE PROVIDE BY THE WCB TEAM AND SENT BACK TO THE WCB TEAM) CONFIRMING THAT THEY KNOW HOW/WHEN TO USE THE CHECK BOARDS, BEFORE THE BADGE IS GRANTED.]

------

ANNUAL RENEWAL

[You need to renew the WCB annually, which means to go through the same process and prove 15hrs of CPD.]