AIN Membership policy

All  Animals  in Need clg Donegal volunteers will have honorary membership while volunteering with the Animals in Need  C.L.G organization.

  ANIMALS IN NEED C.L.G POLICY ON HOME CHECKS FOR RE HOMING DOGS

The Animals in Need C.L.G home check Committee to consists of two appointed members. The two together at any one time will carry out a home check and report back to the Dog co- ordination on the suitability of a new home. A Placement contract must be signed by the person adopting the dog and the  Animals in Need C.L.G Criteria  to be strictly adhered to.

All dogs re homed will be fully vaccinated, microchipped  and neutered if old  enough.

POLICY ON ANIMALS IN NEED EQUIPMENT

Animals in Need C.L.G Equipment ie Dog pens, Kennels, Dog Trap, power washers, Cages, computers, scanners, phones  etc, remain the property of the Organization.

If someone fostering dogs / cats can no longer continue as a fosterer for Animals in Need, all Equipment  belonging to the organization must be returned to the charity.

Policy on complaints

If a complaint is made against the Animals in Need C.L.G charity to the Charity Regulator the following procedures  are in place.

1. The Directors are informed immediately.

2. A meeting of Directors will take place as soon as possible.

3. The charity regulator will be contacted regarding the complaint.

 ANIMALS IN NEED C.L.G POLICY ON STRAY DOGS

All stray dogs must pass through the County Dog Shelter for five days before being re homed by Animals in Need C.L.G in accordance with the control of Dogs Act 1986-1992.

If a dog is found straying every effort should be made to find the owner The Gardai  or Dog  warden must be informed and dog must be scanned for a microchip and advertised on social media. If the owner of the dog doesn’t come forward after the five days A.I.N can take the dog from the Dog Shelter and re home it at their discretion.

If the stray dog has a microchipped and has a registered owner then they must be contacted and dog handed over to them. If the dog is already in the Dog Shelter they must be notified of this and they must collect the dog themselves.

DOG FOSTER HOME POLICY

All dogs placed in foster care remain the property of the Animals in Need C.L.G  Charity.

Foster homes must have a secure garden or enclosure for dogs safety, Dog runs and kennels will be provided to the foster homes.

Dogs can not be re homed until a home check is carried out by the home check Committee. Dogs will not be given out on a trial basis to anyone considering adopting a dog.if a dog in foster care is unwell the fosterer must contact the dog co ordinator and he/she will decide if veterinary care is necessary,no expense to be incurred by fosterers without first consulting with the treasurer.

A.I.N will provide disinfectant to the foster homes to clean and disinfect all dog pens, kennels before any other dogs are placed in the foster homes. Food for foster dogs will be provided by the A.I.N charity.

POLICY ON SURRENDERED DOGS

If someone wishes to surrender a dog to Animals in Need C.L.G for re homing they must complete a Transfer of Ownership Form and all questions on the form must be answered and the form must be dated and signed by them and also signed by a member of A.I.N who will re home the dog at their discretion. This form will then be stamped Confidential and placed in a locked Steel filing cabinet in accordance with the Data Protection Acts 1998,2003 & 2018.

TRN and feral cats policy

Animals in Need Trap Neuter & Release feral cats back to their own environment or to a special release spot agreed with a farmer.

If a members of the public report colonies of feral cats to the A.I.N cat helpline a volunteer  will provide humane cat traps  to trap the cats and they can  bring them to the vet to be neutered. A.I.N will also assist members of the public to trap the cats and the veterinary expenses will be paid by A.I.N.  depending on resources and volunteers available to carry out the trapping. Before placing traps on lands ,permission must be had from land owners allowing the traps to be placed on their land.

If members of the public request help from A.I.N to trap their own cats which they have allowed to breed and become feral and are used as rodent control on their own farms. A.I.N  will assist if possible. An agreement with owner will be necessary before A.I.N help with the trapping and neutering of the cats,  and they may help  with an agreed amount of money  towards the veterinary expenses, depending on the persons circumstances and the resources  available  to the charity.

Donegal Town Charity Shop Policy

As a shop volunteer remember; you are the face of the charity, please be

polite at all time. Please respect the customers/ volunteers dignity at all time.

Handling of money: only person of 18 years or over are permitted to handle cash and operate the till in order to ensure best practice. Only volunteers that has full training in using the till must handle the till. All items must be rung through the till.

No smoking: this shop and store containers are completely smoke free.

Electrical items: no electrical items allowed to be sold in the shop

Money : At the end of the day, the receipt for the day must be printed out, and money counted according to the till receipt and placed in the blue box along with receipt.

Animals: no animals are to be accepted as surrender in the shop, always refer to the animal helplines. Anyone looking for an animal are to be given a card with helpline numbers on, no advise to be given without consulting the helplines.

No animals allowed in the shop- only guide dogs allowed.

Pricing: if any item is already priced, please charge the marked price and only accept reduced offer within a reasonable margin. Final say on pricing is with the manager.

Cleaning/tidying: all volunteers are asked to keep shelves/ shop tidy and hoover the shop at the end of each day. New items should always be cleaned (baby wipes behind counter) before being put out for display and clothes ironed as needed before being hung up for sale.

Clothes recycling: clothes recycling are sorted in the following

Green bags:shoes/ red bags: household / clear bags :clothes (bags provided in container)

Respect: manager may leave notes with special request by the till, please adhere to these and leave for the next volunteers coming in.

Health and safety: We will provide any relevant training and feedback in support of our health and safety policy. Manual handling courses will be provided every 3 months for new volunteers.

Volunteers: all volunteers working in the shop must be be 16 or over. Any volunteer under 18 must be supervised by a volunteer at all time. The names of every volunteer must be supplied to ANIMALS IN NEED CLG DONEGAL and a membership form filled out (for insurance purpose).

Receipts: all transactions must be recorded in the form of a receipt issued to every customer. Receipt need to display a total for the entire transaction.

Donations received in the shop: a written receipt should be offered to all donors.

Customer / Volunteer safety: no object should be placed in such a way as that an obstruction or hazard is caused to customers/ Volunteers inside or outside of the premises.

First aid: first aid box is provided behind the counter, and managers has advanced first aid training. All shop volunteers must be familiar with the first aid manual by the first aid kit.

Shop signage :call signage placed outside of the premises must be taken inside at close of business by whomever is on duty at the time.

Car park entry: the car park entry fob should remain in /on the till of the charity shop at all times so that its available to all volunteers as needed.

Hours of business: hours of business shall be Monday to Friday 11am- 4pm and Saturday 12am-4pm. Sunday & Bank Holidays: closed. Should the shop need to be closed for short periods during opening hours ( toilet break etc.) the closing sign must be turned and clock set for re-opening time.

Shop should be opened on time and not closed before time without prior arrangement and notice placed in the shop window

Volunteer discount: As a gesture of our appriciation of your hard work, volunteers can avail of a 50%discount on any purchase they make inthe shop. Any purchase must be processed by the manager.

This policy is subject to amendment at any time without prior notice to ensure the protection of all customers/members/volunteers/directors and to ensure best practice.

Social Media Policy

As a AIN volunteer remember; you are the face of the charity, please be

polite at all time. Please respect the supporters / volunteers dignity at all time.

Referrals: No volunteer are to offer ANIMALS IN NEED CLG DONEGAL’s services or help with re-homing any animals, but refer to AIN helplines or page.

Always refer to the helplines or Facebook page.

Private pages: Any volunteer, even through their own facebook page, are representing ANIMALS IN NEED CLG DONEGAL and should never post offensive/ racist/ abusive comments public.

Sharing posts: Any volunteer should only share posts from reputable rescues.

User name: ANIMALS IN NEED CLG DONEGALs AIN’s official facebook and twitter accounts and no account are allowed to be set up using variations of this name.

AIN PAGE ADMIN POLICY

As a AIN volunteer remember; you are the face of the charity, please be

polite at all time. Please respect the supporter/ volunteers dignity at all time.

Contact details: No post to be shared on ANIMALS IN NEED CLG DONEGAL’s page without contact phone number having been received either through the helpline or pm on facebook ie. no friend of a friend of a friends post to be shared as we cant contact the original person posting it.

The purpose of the page : The purpose of s facebook/ twitter page is to keep people informed about ANIMALS IN NEED CLG DONEGAL work, lost / found animals, animals for rehoming , irish animal related news, fundraising, and sharing light relief videos to keep the tone of the page lighter.

No politics :No political or religious views to be shared.

No offensive material :Never post items that can be misunderstood or interpreted in an offensive way.

Permission: Never post personal details ie name ,address, phone no or photos of people without permission.

Disagreements : engage in slagging matches.

Deleted comments : Any abusive / offensive/ racist comments to be deleted.

Banning users: Any people repeatedly posting offensive /abusive or racist comments will be banned.

Other rescues: AINs page does not share posts from other rescues unless directly involved with ANIMALS IN NEED CLG DONEGAL.

This policy is subject to amendment at any time without prior notice to ensure the protection of all customers/members/volunteers/directors and to ensure best practice.

Feline Rehoming Policy

Road: Cats will not be re-homed near busy roads.

Age: Cats will only be re-homed to a person over 18 years of age.

Cat maximum : Maximum of 2 cats will be re-homed together.

Adoption agreement : Adoption agreement has to be signed by the new owner before the cat can leave the foster home.

Presents: No cat will be rehomed as a present.

Donation: An adoption donation is expected with any cat adoption.

Non refunable donations : Any donation made is for the care already given to the cat and is a wholly voluntary gift. Donations are non refundable.

Rented accommodation permission:We will require written permission from the council, housing association or landlord of anyone wishing to re-home a cat if they don’t own their home..

Rented accommodation : If in rented accommodation, we only re-home if no other cats are at the home at the moment. Max 1 cat per rented accommodations!

Get to know new owners: Cats will only be re-home after in-depth conversation with the new owner.

Neutering age: Any cat over 6 months of age will be neutered/ spayed before being re-homed.

Kittens: Any kitten under the age of 6 months is to be rehomed for inside only, not to be let out till minimum 6 months old and then only supervised.

Young kitten for neutering :Any kitten under 6 months of age will have to be neutered / spayed at the new owners expense once the kitten reaches 6 months.

Future check ups: ANIMALS IN NEED clg. reserves the right to check up on any cat re-homed at any time in the future.

If for any reason it becomes necessary to relinquish a cat once adopted, ANIMALS IN NEED clg retain FULL AND NON NEGOTIABLE RIGHTS OF FIRST REFUSAL.

Vaccinations: Any cat in the care of ANIMALS IN NEED clg. will ,minimum, receive their first vaccination- booster might be required after re-homing, at the expense of the new owner.

This policy is subject to amendment at any time without prior notice to ensure the protection of all customers/members/volunteers/directors and to ensure best practice.

Feline Foster Policies

Surrender cats: Any cat surrendered, has to be accompanied by a signed surrender form.

Supplies: foster parents should not incur any expenses while looking after the foster cat. Cage, food, toys, litter tray etc will be provided by ANIMALS IN NEED CLG DONEGAL and are to be returned after the foster period has ended. Receipts for equipment will need to be signed.

Stray cats holder : Any stray cat will be held for 10 days before re-homing. In this time we will advertise the cat on social media with the hope of finding its owners.

Expenses : No expense must be incurred by any person or foster parent unless cleared by the treasurer or through the helpline.

Rehoming : Any cats, once surrendered, is to be re-homed at the discretion of ANIMALS IN NEED clg. volunteers.

All request to re-home cats have to go through the ANIMALS IN NEED clg. helpline or private message on ANIMALS IN NEED clg. facebook page.

Neutered : Any cat over 6 months of age will be neutered/ spayed before being re-homed.

Kittens for inside : Any kitten under the age of 6 months is to be rehomed for inside only and not be let out till minimum 6 months old and then only supervised.

Returning cats : If for any reason it becomes necessary to relinquish a cat once adopted, ANIMALS IN NEED c;g retain FULL AND NON NEGOTIABLE RIGHTS OF FIRST REFUSAL.

Vet care: Any cat in the care of ANIMALS IN NEED clg. will receive any veterinary help needed on arrival or as soon as possible after.

All cats in the care of ANIMALS IN NEED clg. will receive a health check on arrival in foster care.

Lenght of stay: Any cat in the care of ANIMALS IN NEED clg. will be looked after till a new home can be found.

PTS:No cat will EVER be put down unless recommended by the vet.

Feline leukemia/ feline aids in feral cats : Any feral cat tested positive for feline leukemia, FeLV, or feline AIDS, FIV, virus will be humanely put to sleep as per the vets recommendation.

Feline leukemia/ feline aids in petted cats: Any cat tested positive for feline leukemia, FeLV, as long as otherwise healthy, can be re homed as an inside cat only in consultation with the vet.

Feline leukemia/ feline aids in petted cats: Any cat tested positive for feline Aids, FIV, will be pts. as per the vet recommendation.

Ferals :ANIMALS IN NEED clg. can not care for semi feral or feral cats due to safety concern and stress for the cat.

Vaccinetion : Any cat in the care of ANIMALS IN NEED clg. will ,minimum, receive their first vaccination- booster might be required after re-homing, at the expense of the new owner.

Wormer : Any cat in the care of ANIMALS IN NEED clg. will receive a wormer tablet on arrival or as soon as possible if sick.

Duty of care :

All cats in the care of ANIMALS IN NEED clg will be treated humanely at all times.

All cats in the care of ANIMALS IN NEED clg. will have access to clean water at all times.

All cats in the care of ANIMALS IN NEED clg. will be fed an appropriate daily diet..

All cats in the care of ANIMALS IN NEED clg will be housed in an appropriate & safe environment.

*for the help and ease of reading of this document, all feline, cats or kittens, are referred to as “cat”.

Volunteer Policy

This Policy Covers the following

• recruitment;

• induction;

• support;

• supervision, and;

• what happens if problems arise.

(i) Recruitment Process

For volunteer recruitment, selection and screening for general and specific tasks we provide the following:

• Relevant information about our organisation

• Job or task role description

• Detailed information about task involved

Application forms

• Our forms are standardised so that the same information is collected about everyone and everyone receives the same treatment

• We are mindful that there may be some applicants with literacy needs or poor English and we always offer to help them filling out forms

Interviews

• Where an interview is required a panel is assembled and interviews are held at a reasonable time

• Interview checklists are used to ensure fair assessments of applicants

References

• References are asked for and permission is asked to contact them if necessary

• Two references are asked for from non-relatives

Garda Vetting

• Required where volunteers may come into contact with children or vulnerable adults and to assess volunteer suitability

Not all jobs or tasks require such formal procedures but all volunteers must be nominated, proposed and accepted by Committee vote and recorded in the minutes

(ii) Induction Process

This includes a meeting with committee members and introduction to the work of the company. All relevant details regarding policies and procedures are provided here as well as the job description. Volunteers will have the tasks they are expected to carry out explained or shown in further detail and meetings with supervisors/mentor will take place or be arranged. In some cases and an agreement form is provided outlining expectations of the company in regard to confidentiality, training and company policies and procedures.

(iii) Supervision, Support and Training

Where necessary training and supervision is given by committee members as required. If a volunteer requires additional support or outside training in order to fulfil their tasks, the committee will endeavour to provide it. For day to day purposes there is a designated member of the committee with whom volunteer(s) liaise. Any problem or issue requiring attention may be brought to this person.

(iv) Problems Arising

There is an initial trial period of six months which allows either the company or individual an ‘opt out’ if it isn’t working. Any complaints or problems may be brought to the designated committee member or if necessary to before the committee itself.

Social Media Policy

Introduction

With the advent of the internet, businesses and organisations are equipped with the tools and platforms for efficient data storage, file sharing, and distance communication. Social media is a form of communication and interaction where people can create, share and/or exchange information, ideas and opinion in virtual communities through a variety of technological tools and digital media. As a communications platform it is direct, personal, instant and responsive.

 

Social media includes;

• Social networking sites including Facebook, Twitter, etc.
• Video and photo sharing websites including YouTube.
• Personal and corporate blogs;
• Forums, discussions boards, groups.

This list is not exhaustive and new social media are evolving all the time. Management, staff, volunteers, persons on placements, service users, employees should refer to this policy in relation to any social media that they currently or may, in the future, use.

Every day, more and more businesses are utilising the power and influence of social media in carrying out traditional business processes.

Social media offers boundless opportunities to help deliver our overall aims and objectives. However, as with most opportunities, there is also an increased risk of exposure. The nature of social media is such that users can often feel less inhibited when posting comments, pictures, opinions etc. on a social media platform. Users can have the perception of ‘privacy’, and pass comment or say things which they would not say in other, more conventional circumstances. All management, staff, volunteers, persons on placements, service users, employees must ensure that they do not compromise the professional standards of behaviour required by Animals in Need Donegal, undermine the integrity or the reputation of the organisation, through their use of social media in either a personal or professional capacity. One little slip-up may dramatically affect the organisation’s reputation, performance and public perception. Accordingly, it is important to always appropriately monitor the social media ventures of all those who are affiliated with your organisation.

1. Policy Statement

Animals in Need Donegal is committed to harnessing existing and emerging technologies to assist in the delivery of its corporate aims and objectives. However, it is in Animals in Need Donegal best interests that certain regulations be set in the usage of corporate Social Media, especially when the usage of such media directly affect Animals in Need Donegal processes and production. It is for that purpose that Animals in Need Donegal has chosen to establish this Social Media Policy.

 

1. Scope of the Policy

This policy will cover all management, staff, volunteers, persons on placements, service users, employees and board members of Animals in Need Donegal.

1. This policy shows how management, staff, volunteers, persons on placements, service users, employees are accountable for any social media communication to which they are party in either a personal or professional capacity. All persons who use social media are expected to ensure that communications which refer to, make reference to, make an association with, or, are in any way linked to Animals in Need Donegal, do not undermine the integrity or reputation of the organisation and our business, or cause offence to our customers or work colleagues.
2. Establish clear guiding principles as to how Animals in Need Donegal staff are to conduct themselves when engaging with social media for business purposes.
3. Cultivate an environment wherein the usage of social media contributes to the overall welfare and productivity of Animals in Need Donegal.
4. Advise the organisation’s management, staff, volunteers, persons on placements, service users, employees and board members of the hazards and responsibilities of partaking in social media activities and provide guidance and direction for all employees who use social media in either a personal or professional capacity.
5. Protect the organisation and it’s management, staff, volunteers, persons on placements, service users, employees and board members from any legal threats that may arise as a result of social media usage.
6. The intention of this policy is not to stop legitimate and responsible interactions on social media but rather to provide clear guidance to employees on the expected standards of behaviour for social media interactions which are in line with the organisation’s Code of Conduct, and our Equal Opportunities and Protecting Dignity at Work policies.

 

2. General Guidelines with regard to the use of Work-Related Social Media Usage.

 

1. Only persons authorised by the Chairperson are permitted to engage with work-related Social Media. They will have responsibility for posting information to the Animals in Need Donegal corporate social media sites, and to other sites as necessary. They will be required to adhere to defined principles of use. They will ensure that all interactions on social media are conducted in a professional manner and are in line with Animals in Need Donegal policies and with relevant legislation. As social media has an extremely wide audience, these management, staff, volunteers, persons on placements, service users, employees and board members should only be those with express permission to deal with the press and other media.
2. Your relationship with social media changes as soon as you identify yourself as an employee of Animals in Need Donegal, speak in any kind of professional capacity or seek to deploy social media on Agency business.
3. Always remember that participation online results in your comments being permanently available and open to being republished in other media. You should also be aware that you may attract media interest in yourself or the organisation, so proceed with care.
4. Information and content shared on social media must comply with Animals in Need Donegal confidentiality clauses built into contracts and policies.
5. Penetration into any potentially controversial websites/forums/blogs must be approved by the Chairperson beforehand.
6. Proper resource copyright laws must always be upheld.
7. Appropriate quality control measures must be applied in advance of anything being uploaded. Staff must recognise that comments made, views expressed or images posted by them will represent the corporate body of Animals in Need Donegal. Personal opinions, views or comments will not be posted by Authorised Users in their official capacity.
8. Authorised staff must operate corporate social media as an extension of their role within Animals in Need Donegal and uphold standards of client care and confidentiality as well as the principles of Animals in Need Donegal policies and procedures.
9. Authorised staff must be careful around the issue of copyright infringement when posting materials that may be owned by others.
10. Staff must ensure that information posted is accurate and up to date.
11. Staff must protect the security and integrity of the corporate sites by ensuring that adequate controls are in place and passwords remain confidential.
12. Authorised Users will monitor Animals in Need Donegal social media platforms and will be responsible for ensuring that the content of posts, blogs etc from third parties are appropriate and acceptable. Animals in Need Donegal reserves the right to remove posts and comments without notification, including those which;

 

• Bully, harass, intimidate or offend any individual or organisation,
• Are unlawful, libellous, defamatory, abusive, threatening, harmful, obscene, profane, sexually orientated or racially offensive,
• Are spam,
• Advertise products or services,
• Are irrelevant or off topic,
• Are disruptive,

Animals in Need Donegal will remove or ban any user who;

• Repeatedly posts unacceptable or inappropriate comments,
• Uses offensive language or images in their comments or on their profile,
• Has an offensive user name?

 

3. General Guidelines in Personal Social Media Usage.

Animals in Need Donegal recognises an individual’s rights to make use of personal social media on their own time. We would however recommend that staff desist from stating their place of employment or providing details of ongoing work as this is the best way of ensuring that necessary confidentiality is maintained. Below we have some best practice guides that we recommend you follow for your own protection and that of your family and friends.

1. Configure the privacy settings on your social media profile to aptly satisfy your privacy requirements.
2. Not include any work related information on any social media sites.
3. Practice proper conduct and decorum when interacting with other social media users.
4. Strictly comply with Animals in Need Donegal confidentiality policies and those of any other Animals in Need Donegal stakeholders. Never share identifiable personal information about colleagues, customers or other confidential business information on social media.
5. Not ‘post’, ‘share’, ‘like’ or ‘tag’ inappropriate comments about Animals in Need Donegal or other confidential business information on social media.
6. Respect and uphold copyright/trademark laws.
7. Not take or ‘post’, ‘share’, ‘like’ or ‘tag’ photographs of Animals in Need Donegal employees, on or off our premises without the express permission of the subjects. Employees are discouraged from ‘posting’, ‘sharing’, ‘liking’ or ‘tagging’ photos of work related social events as some colleagues may object to their photographs being on websites and this can cause offence.
8. Not ‘post’, ‘share’ or ‘like’ audio and/or sound clips recorded in the workplace without the express permission of all parties to the clip.
9. Never use social media to bully, harass or offend another employee.
10. Not use social media in any way which is unlawful.
11. Not create a social media account in the name of, or associated with the name of Animals in Need Donegal.
12. Not use and email address in setting up a personal social media account.

 

4. Roles and responsibilities

The following groups are responsible for the adoption of the policy:

• All employees are responsible for the implementation of this policy in line with their role within the organisation.
• Any misuse of social media should be reported to the Chairperson. It is the responsibility of the line manager to investigate any reported breaches of this policy.

 

5. Breach of Policy

Breach of or failure to comply with this policy will be dealt with by Animals in Need Donegal. In serious cases, a breach may be regarded as gross misconduct and may result in the employee’s disciplinary action or dismissal.

Declaration

It is hereby certified that this document represents a true and most up to date version of the Volunteer Policy of Animals in Need clg Donegal.

This policy is subject to amendment at any time without prior notice to ensure the protection of all customers/members/volunteers/directors and to ensure best practice.