BCWR Covid- 19 Safety Plan – Bradford Cat Watch Rescue & Sanctuary

Update 01/11/2020

Sadly due to the newly announced Coronavirus England wide lockdown and restrictions we have taken the decision to change (yet again) the way in which we currently operate.

BCWR will still be rescuing and rehabilitating the the cats in most urgent need. As rescue we are allowed to continue to operate safely however in the interests of protecting volunteers and visitors and in the interests of public health and doing our part to help stop the spread of the dreadful virus we are unable to process ANY new adoption enquiries until at least January 2021.

This takes into account not just the lockdown period but also the Bonfire season, annual festive season and new year protocol where we do not rehome anyway. We appreciate this may not be what you want to hear however we must follow the Government’s stipulations and also take into account the welfare needs of the animals in our care.

We do hope that in the coming weeks and months that this global crisis will become less of a threat to life and more manageable so that our usual rescue routines will resume as normal.

I wish to thank everyone for your understanding and patience in this unavoidable matter, thank all our supporters who continue to support us in these increasingly difficult times and also urge you all to stay at home when you can. protect our ever stretched NHS and save lives.

________________________________

Update 11/8/2020:
If you are interested in adoption, in the first instance please complete our Adoption Enquiry Form. One of our volunteers will contact you when they can to arrange a telephone assessment at a mutually convenient time.

________________________________

Update 5/6/2020:

Here at BCWR we are following the Government’s requirements both as individuals and as an organisation.

After much thought we have now found our “New Normal” which has enabled to reopen for adoptions.…. Although our adoption process looks vastly different to how it has ever looked before.

We have had to greatly modify our measures and put together a conditional plan and we are flexible in our response.
This means that there is a whole new set of procedures and protocols in place which must be adhered to by both volunteers and adopters- failure to do so will result in adoptions being halted and you will be asked to leave the premises.

Our conditional plan has been structured in a way that protects the public, protects the volunteers and also protects the welfare of the cats in our care and those going to their new homes- which in turn will SAVE LIVES.

To enable our plan to work safely and effectively there are 3 factors that we are constantly reviewing and ensure are in place prior to adoptions.

– Availability of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for volunteers and visitors.
– Availability of volunteers who are not self-isolating or shielding from the virus.
– Our vets must be offering a less limited service to clients and services must include NEUTERING and VACCINATIONS ( this is governed by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons NOT individual vets.

Now these 3 factors have been achieved, will we consider allowing adoptions to take place however this is flexible and we may halt or change our adoption structure at any time.

The NEW approach to adoptions @BCWR – see the most recent update at the top of this page.

Please note the following

-ALL VOLUNTEERS AND VISITORS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH PPE AT THE GATE THAT MUST BE WORN THROUGHOUT YOUR VISIT.

– ALL VOLUNTEERS AND VISITORS TEMPERATURES WILL BE TAKEN BY A MEDICALLY TRAINED VOLUNTEER WITH AN INFRARED THERMOMETER.

– WE WILL BE REQUIRED TO VERIFY YOUR IDENTITY AND PROOF OF ADDRESS. PHOTO ID SUCH AS A DRIVING LICENCE WILL BE REQUESTED.
-IDEALLY, WE WOULD ONLY ASK THAT ONE ADULT VISITS THE RESCUE. IN EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES WE MAY ALLOW TWO ADULTS TO VISIT.

– NO CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 18 ARE ALLOWED TO VISIT.

– ALL ADOPTERS MUST BE PREPARED TO ADOPT AT THAT TIME AS THERE WILL BE NO OPPORTUNITY TO POP TO THE SHOPS AND COME BACK- THIS MEANS YOU MUST BRING A CAT CARRIER WITH YOU.

– WHEREVER POSSIBLE THERE WILL BE NO CASH HANDLING- WE HAVE A CARD MACHINE AND ACCEPT ADOPTION DONATION BY EITHER PAYPAL OR BANK TRANSFER.

– ALL PAPERWORK WILL BE EMAILED TO ADOPTERS ALONG WITH THE INFORMATION PACK.

Whilst the adoption process does look very different, we are striving to prepare successfully, prepare diligently and deliver a COVID Secure Standard, Stay Alert, Control the Virus and do what we are good at, which is SAVE LIVES.

We are proud of our team and that we are in a position to be able to start re-homing now all our Safety Measures are in place.

Watch this space and thank you for your understanding at this exceedingly difficult time.

Update 24/5/2020: We are not currently processing any new adoption enquiries until at least the 15th June. This will then be reviewed. Please contact us then and we will update you with our position regarding adoptions. Take care and keep safe.

——————————————————————

Update 17/5/2020: We cannot take any more enquiries until at least the 1st June. We have had a huge (and overwhelming) response to people wanting to adopt and due to all the extra safety measures, the process of adoption is taking much longer .

——————————————————————

On Saturday 16th May 2020 we completed our 1st adoption since the lockdown began on March 23rd 2020. We and the visitors were in full PPE, temperature checks done and very strict protocols in place. Our COVID-19 safety plan is at the forefront of everything we do. ALL RECENT ADOPTION ENQUIRIES WILL BE PROCESSED but please bear with us, we are extremely busy.

In addition we cannot process adoptions if you only want to adopt specific cats/ kittens. They all deserve love and all need a home.
We will be contacting our next wave of adopters after the next litter of kittens have had their health checks early next week.
These are very difficult times, please PLEASE be patient.
————————

Please do continue to read the following information…..

We do hope to implement this as soon as it is safe to do so and when we have all the safety measures in place.

Here at BCWR we are following the Government’s requirements both as individuals and as an organisation. After much thought we are working towards being able to re-open for adoptions soon, although our adoption process will look vastly different to how it has ever looked before.

We have had to greatly modify our measures and put together a conditional plan and we are flexible in our response. This means that there will be a whole new set of procedures and protocols in place which must be adhered to by both volunteers and adopters – failure to do so will result in adoptions being halted and you will be asked to leave the premises.

Our conditional plan has been structured in a way that protects the public, protects the volunteers and also protects the welfare of the cats in our care and those going to their new homes – which in turn will SAVE LIVES.

To enable our plan to work safely and effectively there are 3 factors that we must ensure are in place prior to recommencing adoptions:

1. Availability of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) for volunteers and visitors.
2. Availability of volunteers who are not self-isolating or shielding from the virus.
3. Our vets must be offering a less limited service to clients and services must include NEUTERING and VACCINATIONS.

When these 3 factors have been achieved, only then will we consider allowing adoptions to take place.

Please be aware that we are working under immense pressure and we will get back to you as soon as we can to arrange a telephone conversation at a mutually convenient time. You will be asked several questions including personal information, a pre-adoption assessment and permission to save all sensitive data.

A volunteer will process all the information including the current Covid-19 data in your geographical area. (For example, if Harrogate has a spike in infections, we will not be able to continue with your adoption process at that time).

If successful at this stage, you will be invited to visit the rescue to meet the available cats and kittens.

Please note the following:

*ALL VOLUNTEERS AND VISITORS WILL BE PROVIDED WITH PPE AT THE GATE THAT MUST BE WORN THROUGHOUT YOUR VISIT.
*WE WILL BE REQUIRED TO VERIFY YOUR IDENTITY AND PROOF OF ADDRESS. PHOTO ID SUCH AS A DRIVING LICENCE WILL BE REQUESTED.
*IDEALLY, WE WOULD ONLY ASK THAT ONE ADULT VISITS THE RESCUE. IN EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES WE MAY ALLOW TWO ADULTS TO VISIT.
*NO CHILDREN UNDER THE AGE OF 18 ARE ALLOWED TO VISIT.

ALL ADOPTERS MUST BE PREPARED TO ADOPT AT THAT TIME AS THERE WILL BE NO OPPORTUNITY TO POP TO THE SHOPS AND COME BACK- THIS MEANS YOU MUST BRING A CAT CARRIER WITH YOU.

WHEREVER POSSIBLE THERE WILL BE NO CASH HANDLING– WE ARE LOOKING INTO A CARD MACHINE HOWEVER IN THE MEANTIME WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO PAY THEIR ADOPTION DONATION BY EITHER PAYPAL OR BANK TRANSFER.ALL PAPERWORK WILL BE EMAILED TO ADOPTERS ALONG WITH THE INFORMATION PACK.

We hope that we may be able to start re-homing in the next couple of weeks when all our Safety Measures are in place.

Watch this space and thank you for your understanding at this exceedingly difficult time.