Post by Jen Wren on Feb 17, 2012 7:33:31 GMT -5
As we are growing, we have a number of newer volunteers who either would like to carry out home visits or have already started and I thought now would be a good time to to write a guide for new volunteers or for anyone who wishes to read it.
At this time our current rehoming co-ordinators are:
Lisa
Liz (lurcherlot)
Rose Marie (kizzeysmum)
Jen Wren
Samburns
1. Homecheck requests are put in this section by our co-ordinators. There are also requests occasionally from other rescues but you must get in touch with that particular rescue regarding their procedures, this guide is specifically for Greyhound Gap home visits.
2. If you would like to volunteer for home visits but have never done one before, please check in this section. If a request comes up in your area you would like to volunteer for, please answer on the thread that you would like to attend and we will put you in touch with an experienced home visitor in the area with a view to you shadowing them.
Once you have shadowed someone a couple of times and you feel confident to do a home visit on your own, please continue to follow this section.
3. Once you have volunteered, the co-ordinator who originated the request will forward the details to you either by PM or e-mail. They will also forward a copy of the homecheck questionnaire to you. If you have any questions at this point please get in touch with the rehoming co-ordinator.
It is a good idea to acknowledge receipt of the details as on occasion these do get lost in the ether. We are very busy so if for some reason you have not received the homecheck details, please give one of us a poke.
4. We provide a homecheck questionnaire which shows all the information we require from the home visit. It is really helpful to us if you can fill in the questionnaire and send it back to us. If not we can spend a lot of time after the home visit has been done chasing people up for information when it could be avoided by answering all the questions on the questionnaire. If you do not have a copy of the questionnaire please contact one of the co-ordinators who can provide you with this.
5. It can be advantageous for you to take a dog with you on a home visit. Occasionally the rehoming co-ordinator will ask specifically that you take a dog or a bitch to see how a resident dog will get on a strange dog in the house, or to see how any children in the home behave around dogs. However, please read the requirements and home situation on the questionnaire carefully and if you do not feel that your dog will be comfortable with other dogs or with children etc do not take them. Also check to see if there are any cats in the home, if your dog is not cat friendly, do not take them.
Remember to inform the potential adopter at the time of arranging the home visit if you intend to take a dog with you.
6. Your personal safety is important and although safety issues are not something we tend to come across, please take reasonable precautions. Take someone with you if you feel more comfortable that way or tell someone where you going and how long you will be out.
7. Please do not tell the potential adopters that they have passed or failed a home visit. Politely tell them your job is to send the report to us and we will match them with a suitable dog if successful.
8. After you have completed the home visit, please fill out and forward the questionnaire to the rehoming co-ordinator.
VoilĂ ! You should now have the gist of how the homecheck process works. Any further questions please contact the rehoming team.
At this time our current rehoming co-ordinators are:
Lisa
Liz (lurcherlot)
Rose Marie (kizzeysmum)
Jen Wren
Samburns
1. Homecheck requests are put in this section by our co-ordinators. There are also requests occasionally from other rescues but you must get in touch with that particular rescue regarding their procedures, this guide is specifically for Greyhound Gap home visits.
2. If you would like to volunteer for home visits but have never done one before, please check in this section. If a request comes up in your area you would like to volunteer for, please answer on the thread that you would like to attend and we will put you in touch with an experienced home visitor in the area with a view to you shadowing them.
Once you have shadowed someone a couple of times and you feel confident to do a home visit on your own, please continue to follow this section.
3. Once you have volunteered, the co-ordinator who originated the request will forward the details to you either by PM or e-mail. They will also forward a copy of the homecheck questionnaire to you. If you have any questions at this point please get in touch with the rehoming co-ordinator.
It is a good idea to acknowledge receipt of the details as on occasion these do get lost in the ether. We are very busy so if for some reason you have not received the homecheck details, please give one of us a poke.
4. We provide a homecheck questionnaire which shows all the information we require from the home visit. It is really helpful to us if you can fill in the questionnaire and send it back to us. If not we can spend a lot of time after the home visit has been done chasing people up for information when it could be avoided by answering all the questions on the questionnaire. If you do not have a copy of the questionnaire please contact one of the co-ordinators who can provide you with this.
5. It can be advantageous for you to take a dog with you on a home visit. Occasionally the rehoming co-ordinator will ask specifically that you take a dog or a bitch to see how a resident dog will get on a strange dog in the house, or to see how any children in the home behave around dogs. However, please read the requirements and home situation on the questionnaire carefully and if you do not feel that your dog will be comfortable with other dogs or with children etc do not take them. Also check to see if there are any cats in the home, if your dog is not cat friendly, do not take them.
Remember to inform the potential adopter at the time of arranging the home visit if you intend to take a dog with you.
6. Your personal safety is important and although safety issues are not something we tend to come across, please take reasonable precautions. Take someone with you if you feel more comfortable that way or tell someone where you going and how long you will be out.
7. Please do not tell the potential adopters that they have passed or failed a home visit. Politely tell them your job is to send the report to us and we will match them with a suitable dog if successful.
8. After you have completed the home visit, please fill out and forward the questionnaire to the rehoming co-ordinator.
VoilĂ ! You should now have the gist of how the homecheck process works. Any further questions please contact the rehoming team.