WHAT ARE THE NEXT STEPS
(NOW THAT YOU'VE APPLIED FOR THE RR&T BADGE?)
IDEALLY, WE WANT KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENTS PASSED AND VET VISITS/APPROVALS ACHIEVED ALL WITHIN A ONE MONTH PERIOD.
KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENT
Yourself (as the 'RESCUE FOUNDER' or 'FOUNDING REHABBER') and any unsupervised staff/volunteers/fosterers need to sit & pass the online (on Zoom) KA. (You log onto a Zoom meeting/Facebook Room and are then sent a link that opens up a multiple choice online Quiz, that you fill in & submit).
[REHABBERS GET 3 GOES AT THE KA, THEN THEY MUST WAIT 3 MONTHS TO TAKE IT A 4TH TIME, ANOTHER 3 MONTHS TO TAKE IT A 5TH TIME AND THEN, SHOULD THEY STILL BE STRUGGLING, THEY WOULD BE ASKED TO WAIT 6 MONTHS - AND GIVEN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR COURSES, TRAINING & RESEARCH TO HELP THEM TO IMPROVE THEIR KNOWLEDGE BASE - UNTIL THEY APPLY TO TAKE IT AGAIN.
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AS THE WCB IS ABOUT SUPPORTING EVERYONE UP TO THE HIGHEST STANDARD: IF A REHABBER IS AT ALL WORRIED ABOUT PASSING THE KA, THEY CAN ASK TO BE MENTORED BY ONE OF OUR CURRENT WCB HOLDERS, TO HELP THEM GAIN THE CONFIDENCE & KNOWLEDGE THAT THEY NEED TO PASS THE KNOWLEDGE ASSESSMENT.]
YOU CAN CHOOSE TO DO THAT ON ONE OF OUR UPCOMING DATES OR ENTER ALTERNATIVES IN THE FORM TO DO THE KA ON YOUR OWN OR WITH YOUR STAFF/VOLUNTEERS, AS A GROUP.
VETERINARY VISIT
Once your unsupervised Staff/Volunteers/Fosterers have all passed the Knowledge Assessments, the next step is you organising your Vet (or a RVN who works with your Vet) to come round (if you are struggling to find a supportive Vet Practice to do this, we will help you) to check out your premises and also advise/support on any changes (like moving predator/prey further apart).
(You can find a template letter to approach your Vet Practice with in the WCB Group in 'files' or contact us to ask for it. It is now mandatory that you have the 'Vet Check Report Template' for your Vet/RVN to use as well as a pdf of important questions that your Vet/RVN will need to ask you about your premises - we will send you these documents when you have passed your KAs - for your Vet/RVN to fill in, as that is proving to be a great way to help your Vet/RVN fill out a thorough report and know what to look for and ask questions about).
IF YOU ARE A 'CENTRE'
Your Vet/RVN needs to walk around with you (either in person or on a video call with you) and go through the Vet Report and fill it out and then email it over to us at alana@wildlifecarebadge.com
IF YOU ARE A 'HUB'
Your Vet/RVN needs to walk around with you at your main central base (either in person or on a video call with you) and go through the Vet Report and fill it out and then email it over to us at alana@wildlifecarebadge.com.
If you are a 'Hub' and outsource ANY (even one or two) wildlife casualties to off site Fosterers, you will ALSO need to collect and show your Vet/RVN - preferably on the day of their visit/video call for the Vet Check - pics of your Fosterers' premises (proven to be taken within the last month, by having either a dated newspaper in the pics or a phone with a dated news report in the pics, as outlined in the RR&T pdf) for them to also ok.
YOU GET YOUR BADGE!
The day that you 'pass' your Veterinary visit (for want of a better word) which should also be the same day that a Vet looks through your Fosterer pics, you receive your RR&T Badge, woohoo! This will mean that you go on the WCB website - on this PAGE - and that you get sent a high resolution digital badge that you can put on your social media and your website.
From that date, you have a full year until you need to renew.
PROBATION PERIOD
Every new RR&T Badge Holder will start off on probation for the first two months.
During this time - as each new Badge Holder is announced - if another Rescue, a Vet or a member of the public has severe concerns about the new Badge Holder, they are welcome to use the ‘FEEDBACK FORM.’
The reasons behind the new 'feedback form' are that it is not impossible for a Wildlife Rescue/Rehabber (who ideally needs to improve their practices, however well intentioned they are) to still be aware of the theory enough to pass the KA or to know what should be expected of them (as a premises) to initially pass a Vet Visit.
The problems occur once a Wildlife Rescue/Rehabber has achieved the RR&T Badge and yet continues to rehab wildlife through practices that sadly inflict more harm than healing onto the wildlife casualties that come into their care.
The 'FEEDBACK FORM' is for animal welfare concerns only and will work as follows...
A Rescue, a Vet or a member of the public can submit concerns (about the new Badge Holder) and they will then be contacted to ask to submit evidence to support any concerns about the new Badge Holder's practices. (For example, screenshots of messages admitting to bad practice, videos of wildlife casualties where the Rehabber has clearly misdiagnosed an injury or illness).
To prevent the 'feedback form' ever inviting malicious intent (as sadly can currently occur quite commonly in the wildlife rescue industry) there will be safeguards to protect the person submitting feedback as well as the Badge Holderr being referenced, whilst we - the WCB Committee - assess the evidence provided to decide if the submitted concerns are valid...
TO PROTECT THE PERSON WHO HAS SUBMITTED CONCERNS THROUGH THE FORM
Their identity will be known to one of the co-founders of the WCB, Alana, but it will not be made available to the Badge Holder being referenced or the WCB Committee who will assess the evidence provided.
TO PROTECT THE BADGE HOLDER ABOUT WHOM FEEDBACK IS BEING SUBMITTED
- Firstly, concerns that are not supported with evidence will not be considered.
- Secondly, all evidence must be able to be assessed objectively and be without doubt (for example, if the evidence being provided of negligence within a premises could just be a few photos taken at times of day when the enclosures are due for cleaning, further irrefutable evidence may be required).
- Thirdly, on occasion, if the evidence is not objective enough (and could be open to being framed negatively, without actually being negative after all) we - the WCB Committee - will ask the Badge Holder in question to give their side of what might have occurred (without the person who submitted the feedback having their anonymity undermined).
WHAT HAPPENS IF FEEDBACK IS PROVED TO BE GENUINE
- If the evidence provided proves that acts of a criminal nature have taken place (eg. low welfare standards amounting to animal cruelty or negligence are common place) then the WCB Committee will either pass the information onto the RSPCA, asking the person submitting the feedback to also do the same (to be investigated) or we would recommend that the person who has submitted the feedback takes the matter up with other official organisations, like the Charity Commission.
- If the evidence proves perhaps just a lack of knowledge on a certain matter or a need for more hands on experience (but the Badge Holder has every intention of using this opportunity to rectify the situation and raise their standards) the WCB Committee will do all that we can to support the Badge Holder to improve their practices and probably place greater accountability requests in place for a short while to ensure that wildlife are getting the care they need, while the Badge Holder improves.
- Every bit of feedback submitted will be examined and decided upon - by the WCB Committee - on a case by case basis, always with the intention of standing up for the rights of wildlife to proper care as well as looking to create a strong, open and supportive community, to help Rehabbers to feel looked after, to do their best work.
As this is a new 'feedback' initiative (to ensure that the WCB really does stand for high welfare practices) we will of course be monitoring it and adapting it as and when needed and we will always be looking to make sure that we are striking the right and fair balance between standing up for wildlife and supporting UK Wildlife Rescues/Rehabbers.]
ONGOING ACCOUNTABILITY
Quarterly accountability is submitted every January, April, July & October.
What is required for accountability?
RR&T Badge Holders will upload through this FORM (every quarter) the following...
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A. Admission records for the last 3 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 3 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).