Small Animal Fosterer (England & Wales)

We are looking to recruit fosterers for some of the smaller animals (rabbits, guinea pigs, ferrets and many other species) in our care. Some animals, who are waiting to be rehomed, thrive much better in the care of foster homes. Other animals looking for foster homes may be subject to an RSPCA investigation so are in our care whilst the case progresses. With these animals we will not know how long the case will take to resolve and, in rare cases, animals may have to be returned to their owner (in accordance with court ruling).

Whether you foster a rabbit, ferret, guinea pig or any of the small animals that come into our care, you will play a vital role in looking after the animals until their case is resolved or they find a new home.

You'll be fostering animals in your own home and ensuring a safe environment that will cater for their individual (and sometimes complex) needs. This will include allowing them to take the time to become accustomed to their new surroundings and people (and possibly animals) in those surroundings, feeding them, grooming them (if required) and taking them to a vet (as required, with costs will be covered by the RSPCA). The care and interaction you'll provide will help them develop the socialisation skills which can aid a successful rehoming.

You'll need experience of looking after small animals, and depending on the species, the right amount of room to accommodate their needs. In this role you will have the support of our team on hand if you need it and in some circumstances, we may be able to supply equipment and animal accommodation which we would ask to be returned after the fostering had ended - check with your local team for more info.

This is a great opportunity to make a real difference to the welfare of animals. Having animals in foster homes also allows us to help more animals by freeing up space in our Centres and Branches.

What is required:

• Secure garden, accommodation (we may be able to provide in some cases) and appropriate part of your home for the animal to live
• Be able to transport the foster animal/s to Vet appointments if needed
• Have time to spend with them or be around for them
• Have lots of love, time and patience to give the animal in your care the best chance at a happy ever after when ready for rehoming

The attached booklet(s) will provide you with more information about what it is like to be an RSPCA fosterer.

To apply, please complete our application form which will ask you to expand on your experience and home environment. Our application process is very thorough as fostering is a very responsible but rewarding role. It may take upto 30 minutes to complete the application, so make sure you have a cup of tea to hand as you complete it.

If your application is successful, you'll be asked to record and upload a short video of your home environment to accompany your volunteer profile. This will help our teams when searching for the right foster home. A home visit may also be required prior to and/or during your time fostering. As part of our team of fosterers, you can be contacted by any of our National Centres or Branches looking for the right person with the right skills to support a particular animal- if home visits are required, this will also be discussed. You’ll get online access to all the necessary training for your role and we ask you to keep this up to date. We have a suite of wellbeing resources available and can make reasonable role adjustments to support you in your volunteering.

We celebrate and respect the diversity of our RSPCA team and embrace the individual qualities, skills and experiences that everyone brings.